Banner ads have become a regular occurrence on most web pages, which unfortunately means that ad blocking has become commonplace for many people who use the internet. The amount of online browsing the average person does daily means that they are generally exposed to 100’s of ads. However, the adoption of ad blocking services is beginning to threaten this model, and while the current impact isn’t widespread, the future of display advertising is definitely under threat.
While many internet users take these preventative ad-blocking measures, they don’t realise the adverse effect it has on revenue for publishers and advertisers. Digital marketers and advertising agencies rely on advertising to generate leads and grow businesses. Publishers rely on advertising to pay for the production of quality content.
Ad Blockers And Their Effect On Advertising
Ad-blocking software stops people from seeing pop-up ads, search ads, banner ads, and auto-playing videos. It’s a preventative measure which allows internet users to avoid becoming distracted or interrupted during their internet usage. Ad-blocking limits the possible views that an advertiser’s content can receive, negatively impacting their opportunity for turning a profit. Ads are paid for only after they’ve appeared on a web page, or have been clicked, which means that if an internet browser has an ad-blocker installed, publishers aren’t getting paid per site visit during the session, and advertisers aren’t able to serve relevant ads to the end user.
Ad-blocking software is estimated to be costing advertisers and publishers between ten to fifty per cent of the total revenue generated by ads. That’s a lot of money to lose if a large portion of profit relies on digital advertising.
What Can Advertisers Do About Ad Blocking?
Ad blocking is here to stay. So how can advertisers and publishers rescue their cost per impression?
To start with, digital marketers can make sure they create relevant content. Craft the right messaging for its customers and pique their interest to show that you know your audience, and cater directly to their interests. Embrace real-time marketing, to catch your audience when they’re in the mood to buy, and when they’re in the market to buy what’s advertised.
To keep generating leads in the future, you’ll need to embrace native advertising. The reality is that banner ads, and pop-ups are not going to be shared by internet users. However, consumers respond to native ads because they relate to the user they appear in front of if the user is interested in what’s being advertised, then the line between advertising and quality content is successfully blurred.
As digital marketers, our best bet is to pre-empt users from blocking ads by producing accurately targeted, and genuinely interesting adverts based on research. With better advertising efforts, we’ll continue to get the clicks we need.
