Making the most of your Advertising

Banners are everywhere! As Internet users, they are on almost every site we visit. It is obvious the power that banner advertisements have as a means to promote your business. We want to go out of our way to intensify future growth for your business. However, whether you’re an industry leader or an emerging company, the difference between a poor banner design and a great one could see your ROI and site traffic go through the roof. It’s essential that your banners stand out from the crowd. How can you create a banner that will generate high click-throughs, or have a strong brand impact? First, we need to understand the current trends in Web advertising. Once you have covered this, you’ll have the foundations to prepare effective banners for your business. Even though the Web has been around for some time it is still a relatively new advertising medium.

This serves as an explanation why most banner adverts to date have focused on the generation of a direct response. Those who make advertising decisions are also less willing to take risks with a new medium, and demand to see direct results from their advertising spend. This is also why banner adverts have gained popularity so quickly – they are easy to track, and make ROI calculations simple. The problem with this model is that advertisers have come to demand an instant response from banner advertising and if it fails to deliver an immediate ROI, decision makers want it slashed from ad budgets. The reality is, due to the recent decline in advert rates, click- throughs, and the general effectiveness of direct response banners, many companies have retreated, unsure which way to turn. To remain competitive it is up to you to design a banner that encourages click-throughs that drive traffic to your site.

So how do you design your banner for maximum click-throughs?

Try incorporating some of these ideas into your advert to increase the number of clicks it generates.

Use prompting words: Using words that prompt the user to take action, will have a positive effect on the results of your adverts. For example words such as “Click Here”, “Click to Visit”, and “Visit Now!” can increase the likelihood of click-through.

Create a sense of urgency: In order for a visitor to click on your banner, they must get the impression that the information on your site is more important than the site they’re currently viewing. Create a sense of urgency by including phrases such as “Hurry!, Only while stocks last” and “Available for a limited time!” Keep it simple: Keep your banners clear and simple. Optimise your banner space with elements that generate click-through. Remember that it’s the job of the banner to get the user to click through and it’s the job of the Web site to provide information about your products and services, not the other way around!

Format for success: Your banner’s colour scheme is very important. Keep your colour scheme constant throughout especially if you’re using animation. Complimentary colours that grab the users’ attention work best to ensure key words stand out.

Target your audience: By using our sites your target audience is already construction oriented. Be sure to think about the subject matter this audience would be familiar with, interested in, and are likely to click on.

Security: New security features implemented by Microsoft for Outlook users will prevent a .gif animation from looping through all frames. So please ensure that all relevant information is displayed in the first frame, to accommodate these clients. Also, please keep in mind the fact that the effectiveness of banners decreases over time, so it’s a good idea to create new banners every few months.

About Taryn Duckham

I am a lover of awesome design, customer centricity and the art of influence. Being able to effect this through analysis, written or visual content and front-end design is part of my work, my great love of creatively solving problems that reach across as many parts of Leads 2 Business as I can.