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SurfSMART Online Marketing Guide Banner Advertising Revised Everyone's saying it, banner advertising is down. Many of the "experts" are advising people to use other methods of promotion because the click through ratio is so low, you just will not get your money's worth. I disagree. While click-through ratio is important, it isn't everything. It's about time we all started thinking about banner advertising for what it is, as a means of creating brand recognition with the added benefit of allowing people to click-through to gain immediate results. We have been exposed to passive forms of advertising our whole lives. Think about this. When you place in ad in the newspaper or a magazine, can the person who sees your ad click and immediately visit your store? No, but they remember that there was an ad for this great new store up the street and within a few days, they just might stop by. Or how about when you advertise your business on something like a billboard, the side of your car, or any kind of drive by advertisement. Can the people who see your ad click, call or visit your store immediately? Of course not. Then why do it? Two words: Brand Recognition. People do notice these things and they do remember. The same is true with banner advertising. People do not always "act" immediately upon seeing a banner ad by clicking on the banner. But, the name will stick in their heads if the ad is presented properly. Of course, if you see a good sale from an advertisement in the paper, it might encourage you to get in your car and drive to the store. Banner advertisements can, of course, have the same effect, by encouraging some to click right away. Why banner Advertising rather than pay for top listings? I don't know about you, but I couldn't tell you half of the sites that are listed in a search result. Not even the ones at the top. I don't remember any of them, except, perhaps one that I clicked on and really liked. And then I probably still wouldn't remember it 3 months from now. But when I am looking for the same thing in the future, the ad that was displayed sticks in my mind. Look at Amazon, for example. When they first started on the internet, they offered an affiliate program for people to earn a percent of the sale by placing a banner on their website. Webmasters, small business, and anyone trying to find additional forms of income with their website, flocked to this offer. We began to see Amazon banners everywhere. Did you click on one of the banners? I know I didn't. But when I was looking to buy a book, Amazon.com was the first place I thought of. It was ingrained in my brain from all of the times I had seen the ad. I then joined the affiliate program and haven't made a dime from it! Banner ads are also much more interactive. You can attract people with animated graphics, colors, and special offers. One word of advise when designing your banner, use good taste. People do not generally like flashy banners with things blinking or bright colors and text. Animations are great, just don't make them too flashy. Remember, you want people to remember you, but in a good way. And properly designed banners that attract the visitors eyes without them wanting to scroll down the page to scroll the banner off the page, is what you are seeking. More Benefits of Banner Advertising So how does that make it any different than any other form of advertising? When you run an ad in the newspaper, your cost is based on the circulation number of the newspaper, not how many people will visit or call your store from the ad they saw. And it doesn't matter that only perhaps 1/1000th of the people who are in the circulation number will actually turn to the page where your ad is. With top of page banner advertisements, your ad will be seen by everyone who visits that page. So when the website bases their price on the number of visitors (circulation), you are guaranteed that you will receive that many eyes, 100%, looking at your ad, rather than a small percent. It is like advertising on the cover of a magazine, only at a fraction of the cost. How can you beat that for getting your name out there? So why pay for banner advertising and not just start an affiliate program to get free banners like Amazon did? Well, if you have an online store and the means to set up and support an affiliate program, it is a great way to get people to put up your banners and advertisements, in exchange for a % of the gross price. But, you cannot guarantee that they will even display your banner. And if they do display it, it may not get top of screen placement. In addition, you will have a small percent of people who will join simply so that they can earn money back for the things they want to buy. So if you want control over your advertising and placement, and want to keep that extra percent of your gross profit (that you would pay to an affiliate) to put back into your advertising budget, then banner advertising is the way to go. As the Advertising and Marketing Manager for FloridaSmart.com for the past 5 years, I have seen the good, bad and ugly when it comes to banner advertising. I have watched it peak, and I have watched it slow down. Now it is time for everyone to take a new look, gain a new perspective, and see banner advertising for what it is, a means to increase brand/name recognition with the opportunity for immediate click-through results.
By Patti Tarell |
Want us to market your site for you? Contact Us. The most important, "THINKING" about selling something on the Web? Anyone can!
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