Did you know that Procter & Gamble (P&G) has recently announced that they won’t be investing in digital advertising?
Wondering why?
Most of the time, digital ads don’t even reach the target audience. And most internet users don’t want to be bombarded with ads. It’s very annoying to experience an interruption in the otherwise smooth-running browsing process.
To get rid of irritating and annoying ads, many internet users use ad blockers. That’s why the use of ad blockers has also increased.
Also, digital advertisements from brands can really look spammy and much too salesy. There is also the issue of trust and credibility. Digital ads cannot easily win the trust of your target audience.
Still not convinced? This post will give you four of the most important reasons you should stop investing in digital ads.
1. Your Audience Uses Ad Blockers
According to an IAB report on ad blockers, 26% of the respondents said that they use ad blockers. The same study also found that in December 2016, approximately 600 million devices worldwide were blocking ads. Out of these 600 million, 62% were mobile devices.
So, you see? Nearly one-fourth of global internet users have blocked any form of digital ads.
Most internet users are scared of being exposed to viruses and malware. This is the most important reason why they use ad blockers. Obviously, this means your money spent on digital ads is being wasted.
Image Source – PageFair
What’s even more concerning is that the use of ad blockers on mobile devices is increasing rapidly. The 2017 Global Adblock report found that 94% of mobile devices that block ads are from the Asia-Pacific region.
And 68% of desktop devices using ad blockers are from North America and Europe. Generation Z is the predominant user of ad blocking software and tools.
Image Source – PageFair
So, the question that naturally arises is - how are you going to evade ad blockers and get your message across to your audiences? The answer is influencer marketing.
Social media influencers have a sizable, engaged fan following. If you can team up with influencers in your niche, you can get your message across to people who are your target audience.
Influencers are able to create genuine and authentic stories to promote a brand or their products. Their posts are appealing, aesthetic, and don’t look pushy, spammy or salesy.
For instance, Airbnb teamed up with many big celebrities like Lady Gaga and Martin Garrix to promote their brand. Their Instagram post generated millions of likes and increased brand awareness as well.
Airbnb made the most of the hype of Coachella and provided lavish homes to celebrities attending the festival. Below is the screenshot of Martin Garrix, from Coachella. This particular post from Marin gained more than 10% engagement rate.
Image Source - Instagram
The entire campaign was a success and the brand managed to gain 510K comments, 18 million likes and a 4% overall engagement rate.
2. Digital Ads Don’t Instill Trust
Some may argue that people are more likely to survive an accident than click on a banner ad. That may be a debatable topic, however, you certainly can’t deny that ads don’t instill trust in people.
The reason? Anyone can pay their way to the top of those ads. That doesn’t indicate whether your products truly are valuable or not.
Trust is a very important factor in marketing. If your audience doesn’t trust you, they’ll never buy from you. And today, people look for social proof before buying anything at all.
So, many brands work with influencers as they can help you win the trust of your prospective customers. Because generally many people search for product recommendations and reviews on social media before buying any product.
If an influencer recommends your product, you will certainly be trusted by their audience. Why? Because followers of an influencer trust and value their opinions and recommendations. Collaborating with a relevant influencer also empowers your brand to venture into new markets.
Sephora has a community of beauty bloggers whom they call “Beauty Insiders.” They try new products and share their honest feedback with the community. Since consumers appreciate such genuinity, they too, start to trust the brand through these reviews.
Image Source - Sephora
3. Digital Ads are Expensive
In order to ensure that your digital ads can have a decent impact, you need deep pockets. PPC ads, for example, can be quite costly. The cost of PPC ads increased by 25% from 2015 to 2016.
In comparison, influencer marketing is a cost-effective form of marketing. According to a Linqia report, 66% of brands, on average, spend $50K or less on influencer marketing. You can even work with micro-influencers if you have a tight budget.
Image Source - Linqia
Micro-influencers are pretty affordable, which can help you cut down the budget for your campaign. A Bloglovin’ study found that 84% and 97% of micro-influencers charge less than $250 and $500 respectively, for a branded Instagram post. On the other hand, micro-influencers can successfully generate high engagement rates - truly, a cost-effective option.
It can be difficult, however, to find relevant influencers in your niche. Fortunately, there are many platforms out there which can help you find and connect with suitable influencers. Platforms like BuzzSumo, Reelio, BuzzStream can help you find influencers and even help you run and manage your campaigns.
Koa Organic Beverages is made out of fresh fruits grown organically. For one of their campaigns, they collaborated with micro-influencers in fitness. Here’s an example of a post from their campaign by micro-influencer, MaLyn.
Image Source - Instagram
The campaign turned out to be a major success. As the brand managed to increase their reach by more than 500K. And their promotional posts managed to gain more than 10K likes.
4. Ads Aren’t Multi-Channel Friendly
Mostly digital ads focus on placing a banner on websites. There’s no way or repurposing them on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. On the other hand, you can repurpose content created by influencers across all social platforms to promote yourself.
Because influencer content can be used on so many social platforms, it’s easier for a brand to enter a new market. By using multiple social platforms, brands can successfully increase their reach.
For instance, to promote their new products, Moto Mods, and Moto Z, Motorola teamed up with YouTube influencers. Their primary target audience was Generation Z. So the brand partnered with 13 YouTube influencers to produce 13 videos for their campaign.
Image Source - YouTube
The campaign was a huge success - the videos generated more than 11 million views. This was followed by 122K clicks to Motorola’s website. This is one of the best examples of brands and influencers using YouTube as a platform to promote their products.
Final Thoughts
Due to the increasing use of ad blockers, digital ads can no longer cater to a brand’s needs. They look spammy and therefore affect the credibility of the brand. Influencer marketing is certainly a much better alternative that can ensure that your money is put to good use.
What are your thoughts on spending money on digital ads? Please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
Shane Barker is a digital marketing consultant who specializes in influencer marketing, content marketing, and SEO. He is also the founder of Content Solutions. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities.
