In 2007 68% percent of internet users did not click banner ads in a given month. In 2009 that number increased to 84%, and only 8% of internet users represented 85% of all clicks. These results are from ComScore research.
Now Collective Media released new research showing 99% of internet users do not click ads. If your marketing plan is dependent on a click, your audience is getting smaller. A lot smaller.
Two things are particularly notable about this trend for marketers.
Fewer Clickers and the Same Click Rate?
Even though the percentage of users that click banner ads continues to drop, the click rate on banner ads has remained very steady. Who are the remaining banner ad clickers, clicking at a higher rate than ever before?
Collective’s research sheds some light, and it is probably not your target audience. Those who click on banner ads tend to be older and have lower incomes than the average internet audience. In addition, these people are likely to click on the same ad multiple times, leading one to question if banner clickers, a group that is on average older and less likely to be employed, are losing control of their faculties.
What if Click Rates Drop to Zero?
Most marketers have moved away from click rates as a success metric but many still assume a click is part of a response. Particularly in direct response campaigns, the call to action is always built around an immediate response. Although consumer marketers with recognized brands use view-through tracking to get around this to a degree, view-through has been very slow to catch on in B2B marketing.
What happens to your campaign if no one clicks? Are you prepared for someone to respond to your online campaign without clicking? Or is your advertising promoting a walled experience, only accessible to the 1% of people who might click your ad?
Is your marketing integrated? Is your marketing ready for the day no one is left to click?
This post was originally published as Is Anyone Left to Click Your Ad? on the author’s personal blog, Digital B2B Marketing.
Interesting and sobering. Btw, what is view-through tracking?
Noel, view-through tracking is when marketers track that you “saw” a banner ad and came to their site, even if you didn’t click. Marketers it seems can track nearly anything online, which is another sobering trend in the industry.