When it comes to grabbing attention, nothing works as well as an image. Combine it with compelling copy and CTA, and you have the perfect recipe for a banner ad.
Ad spending on online banner advertising is projected to reach US $174.4 billion in 2024. You can tell that it’s a favorite among all advertisers—and for good reasons. It’s way more effective when you have an image out in the open that represents you and what you have to offer.
Striking banner ads command clicks and increase conversion rates like no other. With this blog, let’s explore what makes banner ads such a cult favorite and how they can work in your favor.
What’s a Banner Ad?
Banner ads are a popular form of visual ads placed in prominent webpage locations with the aim of grabbing viewers’ attention. Think of them like digital billboards that are only open and visible to users who are most likely to find them relevant. They can either be static or dynamic, and you’ll find them mostly at the top or the sides and sometimes at the bottom of the web pages.
As the name suggests, static banner ads are static or unmoving. They are regular ads with an image, text, and CTA with no moving elements. On the other hand, dynamic banner ads are made with a specific audience in mind, which makes them extremely interactive.
What works better? Well, that depends on where your priorities lie. Static banner ads are quick and easy to make and are accepted by most websites. But if you want to boost ad engagement and have the time and money in hand, dynamic banner ads should be your thing. There are barely any limits when it comes to online banner advertising.
Here’s Why You Should Opt For Online Banner Advertising
If you’re contemplating whether you should invest in online banner advertising or not, here are some reasons to convince you in its favor.
They catch attention.
You probably saw this coming, didn’t you? Catching attention is one of the major reasons why banner ads exist. Text ads might get lost between all the website content, but a banner is definitely going to stand out and demand attention.
They are used to build brand awareness.
Banner ads can be a great approach when you need to spread awareness of your brand. Instead of sitting still and looking pretty, they serve as a gentle reminder to the visitors that you’re here when they need you. Brand recall and recognition increase once users have come across your ads multiple times.
They work well in location-specific targeting.
The best part about banner ads is that you can move them around to places most frequented by your target audience. No one scrolls to the bottom of the page? Bring them up. Heat map shows the most interacted with content? Place your banner near it. Want your ad to be visible throughout the user’s visit? Sidebar banner ads exist.
They are cost-effective.
Banner ads are relatively easy to make- all you need is a captivating graphic and a great hook. Most advertisers prefer to create on their own to save time and design costs. Moreover, the cost of displaying the ad depends on the banner size, website, ad network, and the niche your business operates in. This doesn’t mean that you have to display the biggest banner on the biggest site. Even a small banner on a decent-traffic website that targets your audience works well.
They follow an auction-style system.
With online banner advertising, you get the flexibility to choose between the various bidding strategies. CPM (cost per mille) works great with brand awareness campaigns, and advertisers pay for every 1000 impressions of the ad. CPC (cost per click) is for when you want to direct users to your website and have to pay every time your ad gets a click.
What about Banner Blindness?
Banner blindness is a term that scares most advertisers. What do you mean you’re making all that effort only for users to ignore or scroll past your ad? That’s a demotivator, for sure. Let’s understand why it happens and how you can avoid it.
Ads follow you wherever you go. Some are relevant and actually offer something valuable, but there’s no shortage of unsolicited ads, either. Psychologists suggest that the major cause behind banner blindness is information overload. People are so used to seeing unnecessary ads in the same location on all web pages that they have now learned to skip over the section they expect to see an ad on. Even a clutter of ads is off-putting.
So what do we do in this situation? Here are a few things you should implement in your online banner advertising.
Don’t make your ads look like ads.
The typical ad look that screams ‘Please buy our product’ is never going to work. If you can, think of the website you’re hosting on and try to integrate your ads with the website colors and content to make it less intrusive. It might be tempting to use bold and bright colors, but that’s just going to make the user catch the ad better. Use neutral colors and little text to keep things subtle.
Change the placement.
If leaderboard and sidebar ads are way too predictable, change up your placement game. It’s always better to place them near relevant content, but make sure you don’t interrupt the user’s content consumption. You can start by experimenting with different ad placements and sizes to see which ones yield better clicks and conversions.
Target the right audience with the right ads.
This might sound simple, but it is actually very important. If someone is looking for shoes, targeting them with ads for car parts makes no sense. It’s important to deliver your ads to the audiences who are actively looking for what you have to offer.
Another thing you should focus on is showing relevant content in your ad. Think of the stage of the marketing funnel your target user is in. For instance, in retargeting ads where users are already aware of your service and just need a little push to convert, displaying your testimonials will be better.
Create Banner Ads With 5 Easy Steps
To create a banner ad, you need to keep in mind a few steps and features for the best results.
Identify your goals and objectives
The first and foremost step should be the goal that you wish to achieve. Think of what you want your audience to do when they come across your ad. Should they click on it? Become more aware of your brand for future purposes? Take a quick action? Your ad will reflect these goals, so make sure you align them with your overall business goals.
Think of the audience
Your ad is going to be presented in front of your audience, so think of them before committing to anything. What do they want to see? What problems do they have? How can they be solved? How do they picture themselves after it is solved? Another thing you can look into is the stage of the marketing funnel your audience is in. When they aren’t even aware of your brand, serving them ads with discount offers won’t appeal to them much.
Make the ad creative
Now is the time to come forward with your creativity. Get started with your graphics, choose a high-quality image, and come up with a catchy one-liner that shows up through a readable text. Remember that your ad needs to beat banner blindness, so make it as innovative as you can.
Use a CTA
CTAs are a must for all banner ads. After seeing your ad, what do you want your audience to do? This will incorporate your goals and direct the users to the action- whether it’s visiting your website, making a purchase, or signing up for a newsletter.
Deliver your ads
Online banner advertising only works when your ads are delivered right. So once you’re all done creating your ads, it’s time to deliver them. You can make use of an advertising network like 7Search PPC to run targeted ad campaigns. Make sure to keep track of how your ad performs once the campaign goes live. Your banner ad is a success once it gets the desired number of clicks and conversions.
Are They Worth It?
Is online banner advertising worth all the effort? Banner ads have been a staple in advertising for years. From traditional billboards that look over the big streets to digital ones, we have come a long way. And so comes the biggest challenge of banner blindness.
But online banner advertising is limitless once you know how to tackle it and get people to care about your ads. Not only can you raise awareness, but you also grab attention better than any native or text ever could.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I find the best placement for my banner ad?
The best placement for your banner ad would be where your audience can easily scan over it without interrupting their content consumption. This can be either at the top or left, or right side of the web page. A general assumption is that horizontal ads on the top perform best for mobile ads, while sidebar ads perform well on desktops.
What are the main elements of online banner ads?
The main elements of online banner ads are the brand logo, image, ad copy, and CTA — all coming together in perfect visual harmony.
How can I stand out with my online banner advertising?
You can stand out with your online banner advertising by making them innovative and exceptional. Try to make your banner ads more interactive, animate them, and use concise and simple language.
How to measure the success of banner ads?
The main KPI used to calculate the success of online banner advertising is CTR or click-through rate. But the success of your ads will also depend on what your main advertising goals were initially.
How can I make online banner advertising more effective?
To make your online banner advertising more effective, try to resonate with your audience. Write compelling copy, use striking visuals, and a CTA that would appeal to them.
