Less Is More in Digital Marketing and Advertising

Everywhere we look, it seems that a brand is just waiting to entice us with flashy marketing or advertising. Influencers are everywhere, ads now proliferate on every platform we use on a daily basis, and even our smart speakers are starting to talk back to us and tell us what we should buy. Brands have gotten smart about where to find their target consumers, but one of the risks of the “ads everywhere” approach is that consumers can become jaded and sick of always being sold to.

In fact, studies show that ads can actually be more effective with a more minimal, less intrusive approach. The idea of being in the right place, at the right time, with the right message is one that pervades the digital marketing industry and presents an ongoing challenge to marketers.

Respecting the consumer’s time and attention is key when it comes to learning how to most effectively strike a balance in marketing. If anything, taking a “less is more” approach can pay off more for brands who strive to strike up long term and authentic relationships with their customers.

What is involved in taking a less is more approach to marketing? For one, being smart about the ad buys that a brand partakes in can help. The approach to ad buying differs from brand to brand. Some prefer to tackle marketing from all possible angles, choosing to spread their content out among several platforms in an attempt to cast as wide a net as possible. For others, more specific targeting may be the key to reaching the right demographic. But no matter what approach a brand takes, being sensible with their ad purchases can make a difference.

Another factor to consider in ad purchasing is the other brands that will be marketing alongside you. Consider the option of putting an ad into a viral video on Facebook. The social networking platform recently began allowing advertisers to purchase ads that run in the middle of a viral video, usually before an exciting key part of the video happens. Before making the purchase for the spot, consider both the content that the ad will be placed alongside as well as any other advertisers who may also be in that space. Does this make sense? Does the content and that of the other brands align with that of your brand, or does it detract from the quality of your ad?

All of these factors need to be considered when making media purchases. Taking the time to evaluate these different angles can serve to identify more opportunities to make genuine connections with consumers. Remember: research shows that viewability suffers when space is too crowded with ads, particularly ads of poor quality. So instead of taking the more is more approach and attempting to be everywhere with sub-par content, look for opportunities to up the quality of the marketing. Even if this means the brand will have less advertising space, try to make the most out of that space and maximize the quality of every interaction a consumer has with the ad. You may just find that this approach pays off in even larger quantities.