Three Things Digital Advertisers Must Test in 2021

Digital marketing is getting more competitive every year, and 2021 is no different. To get the best results from your digital marketing, you should be constantly testing new platforms and targeting options. Here are three you should try this year.

Paid Ads and Organic Search on Pinterest

Pinterest is an image-based platform aimed to inspire their users. Heavily used for home improvement, fashion, and recipes, promoting your products on Pinterest can help you get more traffic, leads and sales. Although the majority of Pinterest users are women, current demographics reveal that it’s becoming more popular among men.

Here are some ways to leverage Pinterest for advertising.

• Target ads by keywords and interests: You can create Pinterest ads using similar targeting methods available on Google and Facebook. You can target based on interest category or go more advanced, targeting specific search terms.
• Shop tabs: Pinterest recently added “Shop” tabs that let users easily find in-stock items sold by merchants. They can shop directly from posts (known as “pins”) via tagged products that, when clicked, drive users to a merchant’s website.
• Merchant storefront profile and discovery: This is a new Pinterest feature that makes it easier for customers to find your products. When shoppers search for a certain product, they’ll get recommendations for merchants. To get the most out of this feature, make sure your profile is updated with your latest products so shoppers can find what they’re looking for.

When posting on Pinterest, it’s best to make sure your products are used in imagery that can spur inspiration. If you’re a clothing retailer, post images of models in outfits made up entirely of your latest line. If you’re a furniture retailer, post pictures of entire rooms to show how everything can be tied together.

Google Custom Audiences

While Google Ads has long been the world’s leading digital advertising platform, many advertisers don’t make full use of some of the most efficient targeting options. With Custom Audience, you can target extremely specific groups rather than casting a wide and expensive net. Targeting options include:

• Purchase Intent / Interest
• Individuals who visit specific websites
• Individuals who use specific apps
• Based on the type of places where individuals go, like “grocery stores” or “travel & tourism” spots

How can each one of these be used? Let’s take a the example of a gym owner. They can use Google Custom Audiences to target individuals who have an interest in “gym classes near me.” They can also target individuals who use their competitors’ websites or apps. Finally, they can target individuals who go to “gym and fitness centers.”

There are a bunch of really great opportunities. Find these options in Google Ads’ “Audience Manager” setting:

Podcast Advertising

With the rapid growth of podcasting, there’s a whole new opportunity to reach both a large audience or a particular niche. It is estimated over 100 million Americans tune in to podcasts every month on platforms like Spotify, Pandora, SoundCloud, and Stitch. There are also native apps for Apple and Android.

There are several options when it comes to running campaigns on podcasts. On some platforms like Pandora, you are able to buy digital display and audio ads that are targeted to the user directly. However, the most commonly used advertising medium is episode-sponsorship / live-reads.

Working directly with the talent, you provide a script for the podcaster to read on the episode at an agreed upon point. These are great because they are embedded in the episode’s content, so you can reach listeners of a particular show no matter what podcast platform they use to listen. Also, it allows for your brand to be discussed by a voice that is familiar to the dedicated audience.

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