With the mix of online and traditional media to balance, advertising budgets have gotten more complicated. But they’ve also gotten more efficient. For instance, online advertising can be strategically placed on websites that are popular with your target audience. Think local news and entertainment sites for restaurants in your neighborhood or for big events in your community.

Search engines also keep track of what its users are seeking and can serve up ads that mirror this interest. Think of how ads for appliance stores appear in search engine results as you look for deals on new washers and dryers. Or how ads for car dealerships and particular makes and models appear in the websites you frequent after you’ve searched for vehicle deals.

Online advertising helps you get in front of the audience that is “pre-qualified” in a sense. The individuals are either expressing an interest in products and services you provide – or they’re in the right location for making a stop in your location.

And here’s where the advertising budget gets even more efficient. Once you’re in the online locations where someone is likely to have an interest in your business – you can choose a type of ad that only costs you money when someone expresses actual interest by clicking that ad and visiting your landing page.

That’s the principle of pay-per-click advertising. You only pay as your prospect clicks your ads. Among the variations, sometimes you’re bidding on key words prospects are likely to use. Sometime you can choose a fixed price. And you can place a cap on how many clicks your budget will allow.

The important point is that pay-per-click advertising is used to drive the right people to your website – and not just to your site but to a landing page where they can take an action. For example, if it’s an event, the click goes to a registration page. If it’s a product, it goes to an order page. Or if it’s a free newsletter, it goes to a sign-up page.

Now, here’s the really good news. We can help you with all parts of your online advertising – from landing page design and development to pay-per-click ad design and placement to the copy and design of your email autoresponders. And we’ll balance this part of your campaign with traditional media that incorporates your brand identity in every part of your message.

We’re 24 Communications, a full-service advertising agency in Montgomery, Alabama. Give us a call and let’s talk about your marketing plan – and how we can help.