Creating banner ads that generate sales

September 2007

Banner ads have been around since the beginning of time – or at the least since the beginning of the dot-com era. Over the years, they’ve had their share of critics. But banner ads are still around for one reason: They work. Let’s clarify that: Good banner ads work. How can you create a banner that will generate high click-throughs? Here are some tips:

Set campaign goals
Define the purpose of the banner ad campaign before starting on the creative. Ask yourself, “What is the goal?” To increase sales leads? To create brand awareness?

Make the right offer
After you’ve set goals, decide what you will offer. A prospect is much more likely to click if they are going to get something in return. The promise of a quiz, a case study, a white paper, an info kit, etc. will compel users to take action, or click faster and more frequently.

To determine what offer is best, step outside of your internal organizational box and put yourself in the prospect’s shoes. You’ve heard the saying "what makes them tick?" You must determine "what makes them click?"

Good design is worth a thousand words
The difference between a poor banner design and a great one could see your ROI and site traffic go through the roof. So it’s essential that your banner stand out from the crowd. Keep the design clean and simple, with one or two main elements that grab the reader’s attention.

Catch their eye
Rich media banners, which include animation, movement, blinking and other special effects, can increase your response rate. In fact, research shows that animated banners outperform static ones by a significant margin. This is because an animated banner is more likely to get noticed. But keep it tasteful and make sure to work with an experienced designer, rather than a novice who tends to put every possible special effect into one banner. And try to stay away from static banners that only change when the page is reloaded.

Choose color carefully
Your banner’s color scheme is also very important. Choose complementary colors that grab the users’ attention, and keep the color scheme constant throughout the banner, especially if you’re using animation.

Keep it brief, but powerful
Once you’ve caught their attention with animation and color, what your banner says is going to be the determining factor in whether your ad gets clicked. As an example, let’s watch the evolution of ABC Company’s banner ad campaign. The first banner ad read:

"ABC Customer Relationship Software offers an integrated end-to-end solution. Click here for more information."

The 6-month campaign suffered a pitiful 0.1% click-through rate. Not only was the statement too vague and ambiguous, but the overused “Click here for more information” was uninspiring. So ABC changed the ad to read:

"How one CRM campaign led to the best product launch ever Download a free case study"

The resulting click-through rate jumped to a full 4%. By changing the message, grabbing the reader’s attention and promising them something of value – in this instance, a case study – more prospects clicked.

KISS: Keep it singular, simple, straightforward
The more ideas you force your banner to communicate, the more muddled it will be. Choose one easy-to-understand point, and drive it home with as few words as possible.

Pick the place
Our MediaBrains SEO expert says targeted marketing outperforms mass marketing by 2 to 1. So choose a venue that’s targeted to your audience. Advertising on a website where your prospects are already visiting means your ad is reaching a 100% qualified audience. (We interrupt this newsletter for a moment of self promotion: MediaBrains has 5 banner ad positions in each of our 80 industry directories. Click here to find the directory that serves your market.

Make your banner site-specific
Once you’ve chosen a targeted website where your prospects are visiting, design your banner for that website.

Perfect the landing page
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. If you’ve promised a white paper, make sure your landing page delivers, or you instantly lose trust and creditability. The home page is usually not the best page for a landing. More tips on landing pages.

Reduce the weight
If your banner is too heavy, it can reduce the speed at which a webpage loads. As a result, you can lose potential browsers of your banner ad. Most websites restrict the size of banner ads, so check with the publication before you build.

Evaluate performance
Once your banner is live, click it to make sure the link works – mistakes can happen, and you lose prospects if they click and get a “Can’t find web page” error. Next, reviews the stats of your banner on a regular basis. If your ad is not producing an acceptable return rate, then switch it out with another version.

Whether you’re a fan of banner ads or not, as long they’re around – and we’re predicting they’re here to stay – you can get the best possible performance from yours. To do so, you can’t leave valuable click-throughs to chance with a poor ad. Spend the time to make your ad the best it can be, and put your banner to work for you.