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August 15, 2005 |
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By: Louise Rijk - Bio - Blog |
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| Making Banner Ads Work for You:
| | 8 Strategies for Success
The banner ad recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Back in their heyday, banner ads made up the majority of online advertising. Times change, however, and now that rich media ads are on the rise and performing, on average, 5 times better than static or animated banner ads in terms of click-through rate, one may wonder whether there is still a future for the traditional banner ad.
Although there are many advantages to online rich media advertising including a higher click-through rate, rich media ads have not killed the traditional, static, or animated banner ad.
Banner Ad Basics
 Banner ads, also known as online display advertising, are a form of fixed placement advertising used to generate traffic (click-throughs) and/or to promote a product or service via brand awareness. At the most basic level, banner ads are graphic images, animated images, or video that advertise products and services. As the name suggests, fixed placement advertising is placed in a fixed position on a Web site page, email newsletter page, or search engine results page for a predetermined period of time.
The 468 x 60 pixel banner ad is still the most popular banner ad format, but the trend is toward the larger formats such large rectangle, leaderboards and skyscrapers.
Most fixed placement advertising is sold on a CPM basis or CPA basis. CPM is Cost Per Thousand refers to the number of times the banner ad appears within the page. CPA or Cost Per Acquisition, while much less available, is the preferred choice of advertisers because the publisher only gets paid when a lead or sale is produced from a click-through. Contracts for ad placement typically run anywhere from 30 days to up to 12 months.
One of the benefits of fixed placement advertising is that it locks out competitors from high visibility spots on a popular Web property for the length of the contract, and even longer when the contract includes the first right of renewal. Banner advertising is relatively easy to manage and easier to track than other forms of online advertising, such pay-per-click.
Why the Banner Ad Still Works
Banner ads are still around because they work. A good banner ad, launched within a well- executed banner ad campaign and placed in a contextually targeted environment can get a 1 percent click-through rate, which is far above the average of between 0.2 and 0.3 percent. Even small display banner ads, like buttons, may stand a good change of delivering acceptable results without alienating visitors when they are properly placed.
The reasons for the longevity of static or animated banner ads are that they are relatively cheap to buy, easy and inexpensive to produce, generally accepted, and perform reasonably well in terms of click-through rate. The latter, however, can only be achieved when certain criteria have been met.
9 Steps to a Successful Banner Ad
Static and animated banners ads have often been criticized for their low performance. Messaging, design, and placement play a role in a banner ad's success. To ensure your static or animated banner ad performs well, follow the following eight steps:
- Set campaign goals
Define the purpose of the banner ad campaign before starting on the creative, e.g. is the goal to increase sales or leads or creating branding-awareness.
- Placement environment
Although animated banner ads typically get 2 to 3 times more click-throughs than static banner ads, static banner ads perform better in contextually relevant environment such as blogs, RSS feeds, email newsletters, news Web sites, and other content rich environments where interactive advertising can easily distract the visitor from the content. Also, when banner ads blend in with the color scheme of the page they are placed on, they typically get better click-through rates.
- Call to action
There should be a call to action in the copy. "Click here" or "submit" are the common phrases often used to improve the click-through rate, but a good offer is more effective. Using the word "free" can dramatically increase clicks. Offering free downloads, free demos, free white papers, free info kits, free shipping or another incentive such a percentage or dollar savings will compel users to click faster and more frequently.
- Visual appearance
Historically, banners ads with bright colors have had a higher click-through rate. Try placing the ad close to relative content and design the ad to fit in within the surroundings in terms of colors and font styles.
- Messaging
Keep the message simple, short, and focused. Aim to communicate one easy-to-understand message that includes a benefit statement for clicking the ad or offers a solution to a potential problem e.g. saving money, improving productivity and losing weight.
- Landing page
Land the visitor on the most appropriate page after the click-through. Ideally you want the visitor to land on a page with content that expands upon the message in the banner ad.
- Content Freshness
Refresh banner ads regularly. Studies have indicated that click-through rates of banner ads start to drop off after 2 to 3 weeks and that click-through rates increase when new banners are introduced.
- Testing and tracking
Often minor changes to the ad colors, font style, or the message can lead to an increased click-through rate. Performance of banner ads should be continually tracked, tested, and improved to increase the click-through rate throughout the duration of the ad run.
After more than 10 years, it's difficult to imagine an integrated online marketing campaign without a static or animated banner ad. With a little help from media buyers, advertisers, and creative professionals, it may have a chance for a long and healthy life.
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Advanced Media Productions, Inc.
251 West Central St., Natick, MA 01760, USA
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