Advanced Web

Creating Effective Banner Ad Campaigns

When first introduced on the Internet, banner ads changed the face of advertising. While most marketing companies and professionals were thinking about print ads, the concept of banner ads, with their limited space, visibility and size, was revolutionary. Marketers were forced to think outside the box and craft new designs within new boundaries. Time and research showed that their efforts were not wasted. An early study by Nielsen / NetRatings in 2000 found that using the right approach in creating banner ads was successful in drawing users into actually clicking on those banner ads. Thereby followed much study and research on what constitutes the best practices for creating effective banner ad campaigns. Banner advertising has seen some changes since their creation. A recent study by the same group in 2006, found that banner ads were causing “banner blindness”, and like the plague- were being avoided by clickers. Now instead of screaming flashing multicolored banner images, more emphasis is placed on making the ad simple and relevant to the page it is placed on.

Here are a few tips to help create banner ads that will work to your site’s advantage.

1. Research. You simply can't compete without knowing who your competition is. Visit some popular websites related to your industry and take a look at the banner ads on display. Compare the ones you like to ones you don’t, and see if any common factors jump out at you. Is it a clean design or cluttered? Which ones would you click on and which banner ads would you avoid?

2. Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS). The second rule of creating effective banner ads is to keep it short and simple. Banner ads are displayed amongst a large amount of other information, competing with several other factors on the page for the user’s attention. Unlike print media, where an advertisement can grab the entire page or appear as a two-page spread, banner ads get limited display area. So it is imperative to keep the banner ads simple, easy to understand and to the point. Brief is good. Clutter is not. A study by Ad Relevance found that banner ads that have too much going on result in lesser clicks and lower brand recall.

3. Word Magic. Less is more when it comes to banner ads. Use larger fonts with fewer words. Potential visitors simply don’t have the time or the patience to read long-winded messages in tiny text to figure out what you are selling. Make an impact by using keywords relevant to information found on the site the potential clicker is on.

4. Small Banners Load Faster. About 40kb is the IAB recommended file size for a banner ad. Most websites you advertise on will have size limitations, so those numbers will often be given to you. However, if there is no limitation, it benefits to have fast loading banner ads to appeal to all audience groups, so stay clear of making the file size too large. A good rule of thumb is to examine your target market when determining the file size. For example, if you’re selling advanced computer software- chances are you don’t have to worry about an audience with slow load times. If you’re selling computers, you may want to appeal to those with slow loading times.

5. Follow up banner ads with action on the website. The worst thing that could happen to your banner ad campaign is that you get a great click through rate, only to realize that your website is failing to cash in on the visitors. Banner ads are only effective if they are supported by internet marketing that converts visitors to customers. You should also track your clicks to help improve your ads in the future to help you achieve the highest ROI (Return On Investment).

With some work and research on your part, you can create effective banner ads that will inevitably lead customers to your site not just to visit, but to purchase. Happy Advertising!