Great banner ads. Make the destination worth the trip.

{by Dana} - February 20, 2012

No doubt, digital banner ads have changed the face of advertising. For almost two decades banner ads have attempted to entice Web viewers to click through for more content. The problem is that as banner ads have become a more popular advertising vehicle, it is increasingly difficult to engage the viewer. More complex graphics, animation, an overload of content, and more banners per page than you can shake a stick at often overwhelm the viewer to the point that the mind simply shuts them out. What’s the solution? Here are a few key things that The Visualab considers when creating a banner ad that will not only make the viewer sit up and take notice, but will increase click though through rates by engaging the viewer:

1. Keep it simple. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it can sometimes take a skilled professional to distill your message down to a few key words or a graphic that will engage the viewer yet quickly present a worthwhile message. Think about it. If you try to say to everything in your banner ad, what reason does the viewer have to click through?

2. Make it interactive. Like an ancient proverb states, “Tell me and I’ll forget; Show me and I may remember; Involve me and I’ll understand.” Engage the viewer and entertain them. Odds are, not only will they click through, but your message will be remembered.

3. Make the destination worth the trip. There’s not much benefit to simply connecting the viewer to your Web site home page. Reward the user for clicking. A custom landing page will complete the intriguing messaging presented by the banner and will ultimately help seal the deal.

4. Track the results. Banner ads are only effective if they are supported by solid back-end programming that converts eyeballs to sales. Tracking clicks, compiling and analyzing data allows us to make your ads even more effective in the future. Think of it as a mini focus group. It’s a great time to let the public give their reaction to your messaging. With this feedback we can tweak colors, graphics and messaging in a way that will make your advertising pay off.