Marketing Monday #10 – Exploring Advertising Through Banner Ads.
Banner advertisements are a type of advertising used on sites outside of your own, which tend to be banners posted across the top of a web page. At times banner ads can be seen on the side of a web page in a vertical format or, occasionally, other formats. The most popular format used is the full size, top of the page banner. The purpose of these ads is to entice the sites visitor enough to click the ad in order to bring them to your site. It is said that the click rate of banner ads is low, however, it is nothing to ignore. The combination of the right ad and placement does create an effective marketing campaign.
Every holiday and some days of significance, Google changes their logo into a drawing or some type of art to grab people’s attention. In order to find out what is being celebrated, you have to click on the logo art. This is how banner ads should work. However, once I’ve seen logo art enough times I skip it in order to find what I’m searching for. Google seems to know this so sometimes their logo is a game and I can never stop myself from playing the game, just to see what happens. Take a lesson from Google and apply it to your banner ads. People get so used to them that they tend to ignore them, however, if your ad is eye-catching the chances that people will click on it increase significantly. Staying along these lines, a great option is to use animation ads to bring attention to your ad. Pairing the animation with a promotional offer increases the click rate of banner ads.
There are a few ways to sprinkle the Internet with your banner ads. Your budget will, most likely, dictate the method you choose to use. Google Adwords is the easiest way to post your banner ad, which has the functionality to assist in posting ads. Log into your account (or create one) and look for the Adgroup option. If you are already using Adwords then it will integrate your ad with what you already have set up. (For more information on what Google Adwords is and/or how to use it, click here.)
Another way to get your banner ad posted on other sites is to utilize search engines to find sites that appear to attract your target audience. Create a list of a few of these sites and visit them in order to attempt to gauge the number of visitors the site regularly receives. Once you decide which sites you feel will be beneficial, reach out to the web site owner and propose the idea of posting your banner ad on their page. This usually works in your favor if you are open to, or make an offer to, posting their advertising on your site also.
A relatively inexpensive and, sometimes, free option are Banner Exchange programs. These programs will post your ad on another site if you allow them post a few ads on your site. You chance giving up your authorization over the type of site your ad is posted on and the same goes for what the exchanges decide post on your site. However, this is an easily accessible option for posting banner ads and driving traffic to your site.
Incorporate banner ads into your marketing plan today! If you need any assistance feel free to contact us. We would love to help with your banner ad.
