Online Advertising Tools & Software
Display ads allow you to place visually engaging ads that stand out on websites and social media platforms. They help you target users that have already interacted with your brand or could potentially be interested based on their targeting profile. There are also native ads, which blend in seamlessly with the look and feel of the rest of the content on a web page or social media platform.
Both display and native ads provide small businesses with an affordable and effective way to build brand awareness, drive traffic and increase leads and conversions. If you don’t have the budget to outsource to an advertising agency, don’t worry. There are some great tools on the market to help you create and run and manage your ads.
How do you get started with digital advertising?
There are many opportunities to promote and grow your business with display and native ads, but to create campaigns that convert, you’ll need to use the right tools and platforms. But before you choose your tools you need to determine which ad networks you’ll run your ads.
What is a digital advertising network?
To run a display or native ad campaign you will first need to choose an ad network and then purchase ad space on your chosen network. A digital or online advertising network allows you to show your ads on different websites and platforms based on your targeting options – they’re essentially an intermediary that connects your ad to your target audience. Some of the most popular online advertising networks include:
- Google AdSense
- Facebook Audience Networks Ads
- Apple Advertising
- Yahoo! Network
- Taboola
Once you’ve chosen your ad networks, you can move onto the tools.
What are display and native advertising tools?
Purchasing advertising space, also known as inventory, involves bidding and competing with other businesses to show your ads on platforms or pages that contain your target keywords or audience demographics – as you can imagine it can get quite competitive!
As the campaign runs you need to constantly review and optimise your ad and placement/bidding strategy to ensure it’s delivering the best results. The last thing you want is to be overpaying for an ad because you didn’t know your competitors reduced their bids.
Then there’s the task of designing the creative assets for your ad including images, GIFs and videos and then testing them out to see what works.
Digital advertising tools allow you to manage your display and native ads with ease. From website banner design and retargeting to ad publishing and campaign analytics – there are tools to help you with all stages of your campaigns. They can help you design ad creatives that convert, and track and measure various metrics along the campaign lifecycle so you can adjust your campaigns as needed. They ultimately help you improve efficiency, minimise waste and maximise your return on investment.
What do I use display and native advertising tools for?
There are many different types of tools with features to help you with an entire online ad campaign including:
- Analyse your competitors
- Determine a digital advertising budget
- Identify your target audience demographics
- Set up a campaign
- Create eye-catching banner ad designs and other ad formats
- Conduct background audits
- Set up retargeting campaigns
- Automate processes to reduce ad spend
What are the best display advertising tools
Below are some of the most popular display advertising tools for small businesses:
- AdRoll
- ReTargeter
- Google Marketing Platform (incl. Google Ads)
- Bannerflow
- AdPlugg
- Facebook Ads
- Choozle
- SEMrush
What are the best native advertising tools?
Some of the most popular native advertising tools for small businesses include:
- StackAdapt
- Nativo
- Evadav
- Pressboard
- Taboola
- TripleLift
- NativeAds
What are the best ad design tools?
The best part about the display and native ads is their visual appeal. With the number of design tools on the market today you don’t need to be a skilled graphic designer to create stunning visual and video assets for your ads. Most tools have premade templates, easy editing and drag and drop features to make the process quick and easy. Some of the most popular tools include:
- Canva
- Giffy
- Stencil
- Soapbox
- Bitmoji
- PicMonkey
How much do display and native advertising tools cost?
Display and native advertising tools are usually paid for on a monthly or annual subscription basis. They’re usually pretty affordable and can start from as little as $15 per month. It’s usually better to purchase an annual subscription as you get a discount. Take advantage of any free trials before you purchase to see what works best for your team.
How do I choose the best tools for my needs?
Not all tools are equal, so it’s important to have a good overview of your objectives and the networks you want to advertise on. Below are some considerations to help you choose the right tools:
- Number of users: Some tools have a limited number of users so check this before signing up for an account if you have multiple users.
- Features: Make sure a tool has the full range of features you need to
- Ease of use: Choose a tool that’s easy to use and allows you to create and test out different images, videos and graphics quickly.
- Integration capabilities: For analytics and reporting tools, it’s important to check that your chosen tool can integrate with your CRM, CMS, etc if needed.
We have a number of offers for digital advertising tools on SavvySME. These offers have been curated with small businesses in mind.
