Offering valuable content extends the engagement cycle

Historically, digital banner ads average a .05% click-through rate. So what’s happening with the other 99.95% of the viewers that see your online advertising? Mostly, the viewer already knows what is waiting on the other side of the ad — your website. That’s not to infer that your website is of poor quality or lacking content, but most aviation industry websites are electronic brochures with a “contact us” page.

Online advertising is not linear

The aviation industry, with a few exceptions, is still holding on to the one-to-many communications model established in the 50’s and 60’s. It has not embraced the digital communication model of people-to-people.  Print advertising is linear – publications provide the content and advertisers rent space in the magazines to display their ads.  Publishers have taken this old model a step further and have tried to implement it on their publication websites with advertisers tagging along.  In the digital environment, publishers can provide a rear view look as to the viewers’ interests, based on analytics of how many times your banner was clicked.

Old school vs. new school

People-to-people marketing takes into account that the viewer’s time is a limited, valuable asset.  Only under certain circumstances are they willing to share it, if they are rewarded with content that they deem valuable. Therefore, it is important for digital advertisers to offer something more than a visit to their website.

Astute aviation marketers use their online advertising to offer the viewer something valuable. This may take the form of an E-book, a white paper study, photographs of a prototype, or a thought leadership article. In exchange for this content, the marketer may request that the viewer share some information such as their name, company affiliation and email address. This agreement to share information accomplishes several things:

• Initiates the first step in having a conversation
• Captures data for future follow up engagements
• It provides the marketer with customer insight as to their interest and response to the offering
• Starts to build a relationship with the interested party leading to brand preference

I’m interested in hearing from my fellow aviation marketers. What are your strategies for continued customer engagement? Please share your experiences in the comment section below.