{"id":84143,"date":"2025-03-03T19:07:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T19:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glosario\/digital-advertising\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T21:44:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T21:44:19","slug":"digital-advertising","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/digital-advertising\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital advertising"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Digital advertising is the set of ads a brand runs on digital channels, such as search engines, social media, websites, apps, video platforms or email.<\/strong> It is also called online advertising or internet advertising.<\/p>\n\n

Its big advantage over traditional advertising is that you can choose who sees each ad and measure its results in real time.<\/p>\n\n

What is digital advertising?<\/h2>\n\n

It is any advertising message that reaches people through an internet-connected screen. For example, an ad on Google, a sponsored video on social media, a banner<\/a> on a news website or a newsletter with an offer.<\/p>\n\n

You almost always pay a platform, such as Google or Meta, to show your ads to a specific audience. That is why it belongs to paid media, as opposed to owned media (your website or your email list) and earned media (the mentions you get without paying).<\/p>\n\n

Digital advertising vs. traditional advertising<\/h2>\n\n
Aspect<\/th>Digital advertising<\/th>Traditional advertising<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Channels<\/td>Search engines, social media, websites, apps, video, email<\/td>Television, radio, print, outdoor<\/td><\/tr>
Targeting<\/td>By age, interests, location, behavior<\/td>By the outlet’s general audience<\/td><\/tr>
Minimum budget<\/td>You can start with a few euros a day<\/td>Usually requires large investments<\/td><\/tr>
Measurement<\/td>Real time: clicks, conversions, cost<\/td>Estimated: audience, recall<\/td><\/tr>
Changes<\/td>You can adjust or pause an ad instantly<\/td>Difficult once aired or printed<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Types of digital advertising<\/h2>\n\n
Type<\/th>Where it appears<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Search (SEM)<\/td>In Google or Bing search results<\/td>An ad for \u201crunning shoes\u201d when you search for that term<\/td><\/tr>
Display<\/a><\/td>Banners on websites and apps<\/td>A graphic ad on a news website<\/td><\/tr>
Social media<\/td>Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn\u2026<\/td>A sponsored video in the feed<\/td><\/tr>
Video<\/td>YouTube and streaming platforms<\/td>A 15-second ad before a video<\/td><\/tr>
Native<\/td>Blended into a website’s content<\/td>A sponsored article labeled \u201cAdvertisement\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
Programmatic<\/a><\/td>Websites and apps, bought automatically in real time<\/td>Ads auctioned in milliseconds for each user<\/td><\/tr>
Remarketing<\/a><\/td>Websites and social media, aimed at people who already visited you<\/td>The product you looked at follows you on other sites<\/td><\/tr>
Email<\/td>Your own or sponsored newsletters<\/td>A newsletter with an offer for your subscribers<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

For Google ads, see our entries on SEM<\/a> and Google Ads<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

\"Types<\/figure>\n\n

How do you pay for digital advertising?<\/h2>\n\n

Platforms charge according to different models:<\/p>\n\n

Model<\/th>You pay for<\/th>When it makes sense<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
CPC (cost per click)<\/td>Each click on the ad<\/td>When you want traffic to your website<\/td><\/tr>
CPM (cost per thousand impressions)<\/td>Every 1,000 times the ad is shown<\/td>When you want brand awareness<\/td><\/tr>
CPL<\/a> (cost per lead)<\/td>Each contact you get<\/td>When you want subscribers or potential customers<\/td><\/tr>
CPA (cost per acquisition)<\/td>Each sale or action<\/td>When you sell online and track conversions<\/td><\/tr>
CPV (cost per view)<\/td>Each video view<\/td>In video campaigns<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
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Don’t lose the visits you pay for<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Capture subscribers with forms and turn them into customers with your Mailrelay newsletters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Advantages and disadvantages<\/h2>\n\n

Advantages:<\/strong> precise targeting, flexible budgets, instantly measurable results and the option to test several versions of an ad.<\/p>\n\n

Disadvantages:<\/strong> heavy competition for attention, ad blockers, rising costs per click in competitive industries and dependence on each platform’s rules.<\/p>\n\n

Digital advertising and email marketing<\/h2>\n\n

Ads bring you visits, but you pay for every click and many people leave without buying. Email helps you keep them:<\/p>\n\n