About 30% of users online say that banner marketing is distracting and annoying. Yet, when done correctly, banner marketing can yield up to 70% more conversions. So, what’s the secret?
As a marketer or business owner, there’s a thin line between creating a nuisance for potential customers and reeling them in. Successful banner advertising is about staying true to your brand and highly targeted to your audience.
Our introductory guide to banner advertising will walk you through everything you need to know. Find out how to design an effective ad, target new customers, measure results, and more.
What Is Banner Advertisements?
Banner ads are usually a form of pay-per-click or PPC advertising. PPC means that you’re charged every time a user clicks on your ad. True to its name, banner ads are visual ads that appear on different websites.
You can also set up banner ads for awareness or reach. In this case, you’ll be charged for the number of impressions or displays of the ad. Your advertising goals should dictate how you use your banner ads.
You can use banner ads to create more brand awareness as long as the design is tied to your brand. You can also use banner ads to entice users back to your site by displaying content they may already be familiar with.
When to Use Online Banner Ads
As we mentioned before, users are becoming wary of banner ads. If a banner doesn’t provide value, it’s just an annoying obstruction.
If you’re thinking of using banner ads, the best use cases are for native advertising and remarketing. Native ads mean they look like the same content that’s on a specific site or platform. According to studies, consumers interact with native ads up to 60% more than with standard banner ads.
One of the best examples of native advertising is social media. For example, when you log into Facebook, the ads are designed to look just like the organic posts. Native advertising that blends into a platform is more engaging because it’s less obtrusive.
Remarketing means you’re marketing to a user with information that you already have about them. If a user browses your site and clicks on products but doesn’t make a purchase, you can use that user behavior. Your banner ad might include similar products they clicked on, enticing them to return and make a purchase.
How to Design Effective Banners
Your banner ads design can determine how effective it is. Users will only engage if it’s relevant, clear, and eye-catching. When designing banner ads, you also need to be conscious of which platform you’re using. Different sites will have different requirements.
Size and Ratio
Before designing your banner ad, you need to make sure it will upload correctly to the platform you’re using. Most platforms accept a variety of rectangular and square banner sizes. Some common specs include:
300 x 250
738 x 90
300 x 600
160 x 600
320 x 50
120 x 600
You can think of banner advertising like bidding on real estate. It’s best to upload as many sizes as possible so the platform has more options to place your ad in open real estate. Banners need to come in different sizes so they can fit horizontally and vertically across platforms.
Background and Image
With banner ads, you don’t have much space to develop your creativity. The ad needs to be eye-catching while also remaining uncluttered for the viewer.
As a good rule of thumb, use a solid-color background if you’re featuring a product, illustration, or mostly copy. A neutral background will make sure those elements pop without competing with other imagery.
If you aren’t featuring a product, you can use a photograph as your background. In this case, make sure the photograph isn’t competing with your logo or copy.
Copywriting
Copywriting for banners is one of the most difficult forms of writing. Your copy needs to be very concise while driving some type of action.
When copywriting, make sure you’re driving a point in one or two sentences. Users should be able to glance at your banner and immediately know what it’s about. Use active voice and always include a call to action.
How to Target Your Display Advertising
Many marketers and business owners make the biggest mistakes when it comes to targeting. You could have the best ad creative in your industry and fail to engage by not targeting specific audiences.
If you haven’t already, consider the persona who you want to target. A persona should include demographic information like age, gender, and location. Beyond demographics, also consider the users’ interests and search intent online.
The more specific, the better. Users will enjoy your ads more when they’re relevant to their interests. Specific targeting also helps you gain a better return on investment since the users who are clicking will be more likely to convert.
Measuring Banner Ad Results
There are many different ways you can measure your banner ad results, and it all depends on your goals. Most display advertising platforms will offer the following analytics:
Impressions: Number of times your ad was displayed online, regardless of whether it was viewed
Reach: Number of unique viewers who saw your ad
Clicks: Number of times a viewer clicked your ad, whether they converted or not
Click-Through Rate: Number of ad clicks divided by impressions to determine the rate at which users engaged
Conversion Actions: Depending on the platform, you’ll need to set up your conversion goal ahead of time. Conversion actions might be form submissions, page loads, purchases, and more.
Getting Started With Banner Marketing
Banner marketing is a great way to generate brand awareness and funnel your audiences toward conversion. When used for the right reasons, banner ads give users a simple way to interact with brands online.
Contact us today to get started with banner marketing. At Savant DSP, we offer a wide reach online along with campaign measurement.