The answer lies in shifting your weekly print budget to digital display ads. 

Digital ads unlock a new world of opportunities for you to connect with your potential and existing customers. One of the key advantages is being able to dive deep and target specific demographics and geo-locations. By investing just a fraction of your print budget into these ads, you can ensure your message is hitting the right audience, in the right place, precisely when they’re looking to make a purchase. This hyper-targeted strategy not only makes your marketing budget work smarter but also ensures every dollar counts. 

We’ve compiled some handy tricks below to help you optimize your digital ad strategy and increase your in-store visits: 

1. Make sure you’re optimized for mobile devices

According to OuterBox, over 50% of all online purchases during the holiday season last year were made using a smartphone. On top of that, 80% of all shoppers used a mobile phone to find product reviews, compare prices, or find nearby store locations. In a digital age, you’ve got to go where your audience is. 

To cater to your online audience, make sure you optimize the mobile shopping experience, including the appropriate fonts, layouts, and formatting. Make sure your product links are responsive as well, and it’s an easy and secure process to complete their purchase, without having to bounce to another website. Minimize the number of steps required to complete a purchase and offer multiple payment options for your shoppers.

2. Display ads are everything, everywhere, all at once

So, we’ve established that your average customer is scrolling away across different apps and platforms. Especially in a remote world, many of your shoppers may be working and playing remotely. Still, very few may go directly to your website and spend more than a minute just flipping through different pages. This is where effective display ads come in. 

Make sure your display ads are optimized and targeted through geo-targeting. Mobile optimization ensures that your content is tailor-made for the smaller screens of smartphones and tablets, enhancing the experience and maximizing engagement. By aligning your advertising strategy with the devices that your audience uses most frequently, you not only capture their attention but also integrate your brand into their online experience.

3. Even if you’re not there, your competitors are

Need another reason to consider digital display ads? If you don’t take the plunge, we can guarantee your competitors are already there. A 2022 report by WPP’s GroupM revealed that the retail category already represents 10.7% of global ad spending, and forecasts that this will increase to 60% by 2027. These ads can be displayed at the “point of purchase,” when a shopper is actively building their cart on an app, significantly improving their conversion rates.

Investing just a fraction of your print budget into digital display ads will make a world of a difference in staying top of mind for your shoppers and attracting new customers to your website.

4. Keep things creative and eye-catching

Your customers are living in a digital age where content, trends, themes, and taglines come and go at the speed of light. What was a popular craze last month is old news now! In response, you need to be able to create eye-catching, trendy content that resonates with your audience at a specific point in time. 

Static ads of a product are boring and overdone. Retailers need to stand out with creative, dynamic content that inspires customers to shop with them. They also need to be able to make adjustments on the fly to leverage a specific trend or buzz moment. 

Finally, you can determine your own budget, control spending with precision and monitor their performance. If a particular ad isn’t performing as expected, you can tweak it without waiting for the next print run.