Before making changes, the first step is to determine if you are accurately tracking results of various media, and to review your creative to make sure that it is effective for your target audience and marketing goals. Often a change in the medium and/or creative lead to better results. Most advertisers find a mix of traditional and online media work best today, but there are instances when advertising exclusively online provides more efficient results. There are also instances where a better traditional media plan is the best option immediately, while an online strategy is being be developed and phased in over time.

Behavioral targeting uses information collected on an individual’s web-browsing behavior, such as the pages they have visited or the searches they have made to select which advertisements to display to that individual. Behavioral marketing can be used on its own or in conjunction with other forms of targeting based on factors like geography, demographics or the surrounding content. Practitioners believe this helps them deliver their online advertisements to the users who are most likely to be influenced by them. Many online users and advocacy groups are concerned about privacy issues around doing this type of targeting. This is a controversy that the behavioral targeting industry is trying to contain through education, advocacy and product constraints to keep all information non-personally identifiable or to obtain permission from end-users.

There are several metrics that need to be understood in order to determine the effectiveness of banner ads. First, is the audience clicking on the ad and getting to your website (click thrus,) or are they viewing your ad and searching for your website (view thrus.) Is one particular creative implementation better than another? When someone lands on your website, what do they do? Stay, look around or leave? How long do they stay and what do they look at? The answer to these questions and others can be understood through tracking the user from the point where an ad is displayed through all the actions they take as they interact with that ad and then your website. Tracking and analysis is the key to determining and increasing your return on investment (ROI) and is what drives efficiencies in the online world.

Email governance (The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003) includes the right of the receiver to opt out of receiving your emails at any time. That is why an unsubscribe feature is included on all emails that are received from legitimate sources. There are several other elements to complying with the CAN-SPAM Act having to do with content and sending behavior. Breaking the compliance rules is punishable with fines and prison. Furthermore, sending Spam may lead to your Internet service provider (ISP) dropping or making your account inactive.

Email advertising has evolved over the years. Today’s best practices include double opt in solicitations so that your email goes to someone who has twice considered accepting it. Emails can be a welcome source of information providing attractive offers about products and services that the receiver cares about. Developing ongoing communication with a customer or potential customer is a hallmark of today’s online marketing, and proper use of email is a cornerstone of most online marketing plans.