• Mar
    30

    Banner advertising has changed the way people use website real estate since it was first introduced to the web. While many marketing companies were concentrating on print advertising, this new virtual billboard was taking the Internet by storm. Because websites have a limited amount of space for advertising, marketers were forced into coming up with a different form of advertising that caught attention while remaining unobtrusive. As a result the concept of banner advertising was born.

    After much research and time, early Nielsen studies of web advertising discovered that by using small, unobtrusive ads placed in certain positions on a webpage, they could successfully entice web visitors to click on the ads which led to increased sales for advertised products and services.

    Banner advertising has gone though many changes since it was first introduced, and because this type of advertising was used so much, it became largely ignored by many people. It was found that click thru rates actually went down when banners were flashing images and virtually screaming at the reader. It was also found that more subdued advertising that was relevant to the webpage on which it was placed worked much better with higher return on investment.

    Creating a banner ad that works to the advantage of your site requires some basic knowledge of how to be a successful display advertiser. First, you should research your topic prior to starting a banner advertising campaign. This is essential, because it is impossible to compete without learning as much as possible about your competition. Take some time to visit popular sites that are in your industry, and look over the banner ads that are already displayed. Make comparisons between those you find appealing and the ones you dislike to see what makes one attractive and other less so.

    Keep your advertising simple. Avoid flashy, blinking advertising that is in bright, neon colors or covered with glitter. This has been proven to detract from the advertising message. Banner advertising ads are like billboards - you can't read a long, flashy billboard at 60 miles an hour. The message needs to be simple and brief. It should be understandable and uncluttered.

    Remember that less is more in banner advertising. Use large bold fonts for your main message and keep the word count to a minimum. People dislike reading long, drawn out messages. They want to know what you are advertising in a short and easily comprehendible way. They don't want to spend long periods trying to figure out what you're selling. Make your impact and lead to the click thru. Make sure that your ad is relevant to the information on the webpage, and your chances of getting the click to your product or service is that much higher.

    If you take the time to do some research about what is on your competition's website, keep your message simple and direct and avoid flashy, complicated advertising, you will see that your advertising will ultimately turn prospective customers into satisfied, spending clients.

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