A presentation of the possible Digital Advertising opportunities for a sports brand that has an e-Commerce project in 2022. And why Advertising is only one segment of your traffic channels ride.
The list of Digital Advertising channels
With Digital Advertising we mean any kind of Paid Advertising running on a digital channel. An example below from Tropicfeel.
Let’s start with the list and make considerations later. Generic networks:
- Google Ads: Search, Shopping, Video, PMAX, Youtube & other Google networks.
- Meta Ads: Facebook, Instagram & other Meta platforms.
- TikTok Ads: for a younger audience.
- Linkedin Ads: for a B2B audience.
- Microsoft Ads: Bing, Yahoo, and other Microsoft networks.
- Marketplace Ads: Amazon Ads, Zalando Ads, eBay Ads, and similar.
- App Ads: Apple Ads (IOS) + Google Ads (Android) if your brand is mainly an App (e.g. Komoot).
- Affiliate Ads: Awin, Webgains, and similar. To get affiliate accounts with sports interests.
Specific networks:
- Strava Ads: Challenges for cyclists, runners.
- Eurosport Ads: TV, App, Social, Web. GCN, Golf TV, and similar.
- Komoot: to explore when some specific Ads will be available.
Note about TV Ads, Press Ads, Radio Ads: Sky Sport, Dazn, and other TV streaming channels with a sports focus (as an example for Italy / Europe). This goes a bit out of Digital Advertising and becomes more of a Media Advertising list. But take a look at the trend below: Digital Ad spending overtook Traditional Media Ad spending in 2019.
Content is key for a successful Digital Advertising
Every channel and every platform has its own features, considerations, and targeting options. But content is key. Content is the tool for branding, marketing, and communication. All of these come with great content and a great message, that stands in the customer’s mind. In this article, if found some good examples. My favorite example is from Nike with the campaign “Find Your Greatness”.
Focus on not paid/owned channels
The first goal of the channels above is to communicate a message to an audience. The final goal is to drive a customer from a message to an action (a form submit, a purchase, a download, a call). Always remember that the action usually happens on your website/platform. So the more the direction is to the place where the action can happen, the better.
But there are other channels to drive customers to action. Why focus on other channels even more important? The previous list is a Paid Ads list. It means you need to pay a provider to have your content live. The list below is about owned/earned channels. You don’t need to pay a provider for these channels, but people, time, effort, and knowledge are required.
- Organic traffic: intentional research from a customer that expresses a desire on a Search Engine (Google, Bing, and similar).
- Direct traffic: a direct link to the website from a PDF, a message on a chat tool, and similar.
- Social traffic: a post, story, reel, or video that can drive a follower to take action.
- Email traffic: an email that communicates about new products, offers, suggestions, and reminders to your email database.
- Referral traffic: a link from another website like a blog, a journal, a magazine, a sponsor, a team, an athlete (e.g. lebronjames.com), a club, and similar.
A note about Social/Email/Referral: you’re not only driving traffic to your platform with these tools. You’re always building a community, an audience, a fanbase, and a loyal group of people that can follow you and react to your brand messages.
Immagine di un blog post di sport (atleta o squadra)
Budgeting and a Media Mix are critical
Some considerations, gold rules, KPIs, and ideas I learned on how to forecast a budget for the spend. Before spending the company money on any of these channels, ask yourself:
- Which percentage of the customers actions should come from Ads?
- 80% is too much: not a mix with owned/earned channels.
- 10% can be good if you want to do some tests.
- Which percentage of my results (revenue) can I invest in Ads?
- If you’re investing 80% of your Revenue into your Ads maybe there’s something wrong with your plan. Define it with your finance team when possible.
- Which return (ROAS) value should my Ads have?
- a return of 5 means that if you invest 1€ on Advertising you expect 5€ back (in Revenue if you have an e-Commerce project).
- a return of 1 can be critical. You’re spending your money but not bringing profit to the company.
- Split your budget by Advertising goal:
- performance budget: this kind of Advertising should have high returns.
- communication/marketing budget: this list of campaigns should have higher costs and brand return over the revenue.
- lead generation budget: to acquire new emails, and new customers that will pay back long-term (Lifetime value logic).
- Split your budget based on the business goals:
- by country
- by legal entity
- by channel
- by provider
- by product category
- by website
Actions after reading
If you need help with your Advertising plan or your e-Commerce traffic channels strategy, please contact me. I’ll be glad to improve your Advertising planning.
Email: andreafagan93@gmail.com
Side notes, credits, sources
- Articles: Youtube.com, Creatives.com, Plytix.com.
- Images: Strava.com, Youtube.com, Plytix.com.
