Tue. Feb 18th, 2025

When it comes to display advertising, many entrepreneurs immediately think of the flashy big brand banners that seem to be buying up the entire internet. ‘That’s not for us,’ think small business owners and startups. But in reality, display advertising can be a powerful tool for any budget — if you approach it wisely.

In reality, small businesses and startups can make display advertising work for them, too. You just need to figure out how to approach it wisely. Today, we’re going to break down 5 practical tips and one display ads example that will help you get results without spending too much.

1. Targeting: stop wasting money

Display advertising is good because it allows you to reach a very specific audience. But if you don’t set up targeting correctly, your budget will be burned for showing banners to people who won’t even be interested in your product.

A simple example. Imagine you’re selling organic cosmetics and your banner is shown to a 55-year-old man who has never been interested in skincare. Obviously, this is money wasted.

Solution:

The key here is not just to specify who your audience is, but to understand where they are. Use geo-targeting, customize user interests, add data on age and habits. Companies in digital advertising like SmartyAds offer quite flexible tools for this.

And don’t forget about retargeting. This is when adverts catch up with those who have already been to your site. This way you’ll get back those who left without completing their purchase. You can save up to 80% by taking this approach.

2. Design: think like your client

Have you ever noticed that some banners catch your eye, while others don’t generate any interest at all? That’s because good design speaks to the user in their language.

You don’t want to overload your banners with text. One strong message is enough. For example, instead of ‘Buy our products, it is high quality and inexpensive’ write something more specific: ‘-20% on your first purchase until the end of the week’.

Another important point: your call to action (CTA). This can be a phrase like ‘Try it for free’ or ‘Download now’. The main thing is that it should be clear and evoke a desire to act. Ideally, the design should lead the user to the target action in just three steps: clicking on the advert link, selecting the item, placing an order and making a purchase. 

And yes, if you don’t have a professional designer, that’s not a problem. Advertising companies have their own design departments, or you yourself can use services like Canva or Crello; the lasts make it possible to create attractive banners without special skills.

3. Analytics: learn from your data

One of the biggest mistakes is to run an advert and just expect it to work. To really get results, you need to constantly analyze your data.

Let’s say you see that on one site, your banner is being clicked a lot, but no one is making a purchase. This could be a signal that your landing page is not meeting user expectations.

Analytics can help you:

  1. Understand exactly where your adverts are performing well;
  2. Identify what needs to be improved;
  3. Optimize your budget.

For example, A/B testing is a way to compare two variations of a banner and choose the one that brings more results. Even a small edit to the text or color of a button can increase clickability by 10-20%. For example, SmartyAds also uses A/B testing to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. But they went further: based on a huge database, they already have patterns of behavior of the narrowest audience. This considerably shortens the period of testing messages. Learn more about how AI-enhanced digital advertising with A/B tests works from Digital Marketing Institute.

4. Personalization: make advertising personal

In a world where we are surrounded by thousands of adverts every day, it’s hard to stand out. But there is one way that works almost always: personalization.

For example, if a user has already searched online for trainers, and you show them an advert with the words ‘Buy trainers at a discount today’, it immediately attracts attention. People love it when adverts appeal to their specific interests.

Personalization is possible not only in the text, but also in the visual design. Add elements that match the expectations of your audience. For example, bright and dynamic banners are suitable for young people, while something calmer and more conservative for an older audience.

5. Work with constraints, not against them

One of the reasons why many entrepreneurs are afraid of display advertising is the feeling of limited resources. No money, no time, no experience.

But look at it this way. Limitations force you to find creative solutions. For example:

  1. If you don’t have a lot of money, focus on narrow targeting. Only let your ads be seen by those who are truly interested. 
  2. If you’re short on time, use pre-made templates and automation.

This way, limitations may not be your enemy, but your best friend.

Conclusion: Summarizing the results and looking to the future

Display advertising is a powerful tool that can work for you, even if you’re a small business with a limited budget. Our colleagues at SmartyAds summarize. Set up targeting so that your adverts hit the exact target — this works on a limited budget. Pay attention to design and message: people respond to visuals and clear appeals — it’s about personalization. Finally, analyze results, correct mistakes and test new approaches.

It sounds simple, but only in words. In reality, it takes time and patience. If you have doubts, start small. Try at least one of the ideas we’ve talked about. And, of course, don’t forget the main thing: advertising is not only a way to sell, but also an opportunity to build relationships with customers. And that’s far more valuable than quick clicks and one-off purchases. The differences and similarities between advertising and sales and their roles in business are interestingly written about by Indeed Editorial Team

If you’re ready to change your approach to advertising and make it really effective, start now. Try setting up a new campaign or request a consultation. Your customers are already waiting!

By Backlinks Hub

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