There are many ways that you can go about getting an advertising banner. You can try to use free banner creators, but if you want a professional looking banner then you should look for a designer.
No matter where you decide to look for a banner ad designer, follow these simple tips to get the best service:
Your Budget
The first thing to look for is the price. Prices for banner ads range a lot. Many designers offer package deals, so make sure you do your research and select a banner ad designer that offers the option of packages and just custom web banners within your budget.
Look at their Samples
You want to select a designer that has experience. The best way to gauge a designer’s experience and the quality of their work is to look at their samples. If they have no samples to show you, that should raise a red flag.
Turnaround Time
Turnaround time varies by designer. While some designers will offer you a fast turnaround time for an additional cost, others will just include it or have an already speedy turnaround time. However, if you are on a very tight deadline, you will probably have to pay a little extra for a 24 hour service.
Customer Service
When you are looking for a banner ad designer, especially online, check out how they prefer to be contacted in case you have a question. There should at least be an email address, but preferably, they should tell you how long it will take for them to respond to your questions or concerns.
Revisions
No matter what you pay, make sure to at least get one revision included when working with a banner ad designer. This is important, you don’t want to pay to have a custom web banner made, only to see an error and then find out you have to pay a lot of extra fees for a revision.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Does Your Banner Ad Have a Call to Action?
Banner ad campaigns are used for many things such as building brand awareness, improving traffic to your web site, increasing sales, gaining new customers, etc. However, no banner ad campaign will be effective without a call to action.
What is a call to action?
A call to action put simply, asks your viewers to do something. This could be anything from filling out a form, to clicking on your link, to participating in an interactive game. The point is that it makes a specific request. For online banner advertising, the most likely call to action is to click on your link and therefore be transported to your web site. On your web site you can have a separate call to action such as filling out a form or making a purchase.
How to create an effective call to action?
An effective call to action can do wonders for your banner ad campaign, your CTR, your sales and your company branding. Advertising banners are for the most part small and viewers don’t get a lot of information from them, so an effective call to action is essential to get them moving towards learning more about your business or your products. When creating a custom web banner or reviewing your current advertising banner, you should make sure to do the following:
Convince the viewer of their need to follow your call to action.
Provide only one call to action – don’t ask viewers to do too much at once. You only want them focusing on one thing at a time.
Be very direct in your advertising banner. Tell the viewer exactly what you want them to do, like “Click Here”.
Make it stand out from the rest of your advertising banner with things like contrasting colors, bigger font or animation.
Offer an added bonus or something extra to sweeten the call to action.
Make it seem urgent, like a limited time offer. By changing your offer, this is a good way to keep your banner ad fresh.
Back up your call to action by providing your potential customers with what they are looking for when they click through on your advertising banner.
What is a call to action?
A call to action put simply, asks your viewers to do something. This could be anything from filling out a form, to clicking on your link, to participating in an interactive game. The point is that it makes a specific request. For online banner advertising, the most likely call to action is to click on your link and therefore be transported to your web site. On your web site you can have a separate call to action such as filling out a form or making a purchase.
How to create an effective call to action?
An effective call to action can do wonders for your banner ad campaign, your CTR, your sales and your company branding. Advertising banners are for the most part small and viewers don’t get a lot of information from them, so an effective call to action is essential to get them moving towards learning more about your business or your products. When creating a custom web banner or reviewing your current advertising banner, you should make sure to do the following:
Convince the viewer of their need to follow your call to action.
Provide only one call to action – don’t ask viewers to do too much at once. You only want them focusing on one thing at a time.
Be very direct in your advertising banner. Tell the viewer exactly what you want them to do, like “Click Here”.
Make it stand out from the rest of your advertising banner with things like contrasting colors, bigger font or animation.
Offer an added bonus or something extra to sweeten the call to action.
Make it seem urgent, like a limited time offer. By changing your offer, this is a good way to keep your banner ad fresh.
Back up your call to action by providing your potential customers with what they are looking for when they click through on your advertising banner.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Contextual Targeting vs. Placement Targeting
Contextual targeting and placement targeting seem to be the buzz words in online banner advertising right now. But, do you really know what they mean and how they can help your banner ad campaign? Let’s explore.
Contextual Targeting
Contextual advertising in its simplest form means to place your advertising banner on a web site that has similar content. The reason behind contextual targeting with banner ads is that it is assumed that if there is a web site that is addressing a specific subject and you place a banner ad on that web site for a product that also addresses that subject then the readers of that web site are more likely to click on your ad and find out about your products.
For example, say that there is a web site teaching teenagers how to have healthy skin and you place an ad on that web site for an acne treatment, the chances of a teenage reader clicking on your banner is way higher than them clicking on an ad for deodorant appearing on the same site.
Placement Targeting
Placement targeting is similar to a contextual targeting, but a little bit more specific. Instead of matching up your advertising banner with a general web site you aim to match your banner ad up to a specific page within a web site and a specific place on that web page. In this case you are concerned with content and visibility in order to generate a higher CTR.
Let’s look at our healthy skin example again. If you want to use placement targeting for your acne treatment banner ad, then you would find a web site teaching teenagers how to have healthy skin, you would find the particular web page that recommends how to treat acne and then you would request that your web banner be placed as the leaderboard ad, or as a rectangle ad in the top portion of the page. Now your banner ad is even more likely to be clicked on because teenagers that select this page are in need of acne treatment. When they open up the page – bam, there is your advertising banner offering them the exact solution they are looking for.
Which is better?
It’s a tossup. In contextual targeting you reach a broad range of people that probably already have a passing interest in your product, where in placement targeting you reach a smaller range of people, but a very specific group that is actively seeking a product just like yours. The bottom line is both targeting practices are good and for the best banner ad advertising campaign, you should use both to generate a high CTR.
Contextual Targeting
Contextual advertising in its simplest form means to place your advertising banner on a web site that has similar content. The reason behind contextual targeting with banner ads is that it is assumed that if there is a web site that is addressing a specific subject and you place a banner ad on that web site for a product that also addresses that subject then the readers of that web site are more likely to click on your ad and find out about your products.
For example, say that there is a web site teaching teenagers how to have healthy skin and you place an ad on that web site for an acne treatment, the chances of a teenage reader clicking on your banner is way higher than them clicking on an ad for deodorant appearing on the same site.
Placement Targeting
Placement targeting is similar to a contextual targeting, but a little bit more specific. Instead of matching up your advertising banner with a general web site you aim to match your banner ad up to a specific page within a web site and a specific place on that web page. In this case you are concerned with content and visibility in order to generate a higher CTR.
Let’s look at our healthy skin example again. If you want to use placement targeting for your acne treatment banner ad, then you would find a web site teaching teenagers how to have healthy skin, you would find the particular web page that recommends how to treat acne and then you would request that your web banner be placed as the leaderboard ad, or as a rectangle ad in the top portion of the page. Now your banner ad is even more likely to be clicked on because teenagers that select this page are in need of acne treatment. When they open up the page – bam, there is your advertising banner offering them the exact solution they are looking for.
Which is better?
It’s a tossup. In contextual targeting you reach a broad range of people that probably already have a passing interest in your product, where in placement targeting you reach a smaller range of people, but a very specific group that is actively seeking a product just like yours. The bottom line is both targeting practices are good and for the best banner ad advertising campaign, you should use both to generate a high CTR.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Behavioral Targeting for Advertising Banners
In a previous post, we talked about contextual and placement targeting and how both methods can help your advertising banner campaign. Today let’s talk about another form of targeting called behavioral targeting and how it can help you with your online banner advertising.
What is Behavioral Targeting?
Behavioral targeting is the practice of showing consumers banner ads for things that they have proven they are interested in. For example, let’s say that a consumer has recently been looking at and comparing computers online. If you sell computers, you want your banner ad to be visible to them. In addition, if a consumer has recently bought a computer, then you want to expose them to your banner ad relating to their recent purchase such as banner ads for printers, a mouse, speakers, etc.
Ho w Do You Know What a Consumer is Interested in?
The answer to this question is all about a little thing called cookies. The cookies on a person’s browser record what web sites that person views, what they purchase, what they search for online and what banner ads they click through on. As you can imagine this provides a lot of information about a potential consumer that can be very useful in advertising banner campaigns.
Working with Ad Networks for Behavioral Targeting
The key to using behavioral targeting to make your online banner ad successful is to make sure that you are working with an ad network that observes many consumers behavior and an ad network that can place your custom web banner across many networks. It is also important to determine how the ad network you are working with defines your target audience. For example if you want to target potential customers that conduct computer related searches then you need to see how your ad network defines that consumer. Not all ad networks define consumers in the same way.
Will Behavioral Targeting Help Your Advertising Banner Campaign?
In short, absolutely. Many consumers like to see advertisements for things that they actually have an interest in, making them much more likely to click through to your web site. However, just because behavioral targeting will improve your banner ad campaign, it does not mean that you should ignore all other forms of targeting. Keep in mind that behavioral targeting is not a complete solution and it truly works best when combined with contextual, placement and demographic targeting for your advertising banner campaign.
What is Behavioral Targeting?
Behavioral targeting is the practice of showing consumers banner ads for things that they have proven they are interested in. For example, let’s say that a consumer has recently been looking at and comparing computers online. If you sell computers, you want your banner ad to be visible to them. In addition, if a consumer has recently bought a computer, then you want to expose them to your banner ad relating to their recent purchase such as banner ads for printers, a mouse, speakers, etc.
Ho w Do You Know What a Consumer is Interested in?
The answer to this question is all about a little thing called cookies. The cookies on a person’s browser record what web sites that person views, what they purchase, what they search for online and what banner ads they click through on. As you can imagine this provides a lot of information about a potential consumer that can be very useful in advertising banner campaigns.
Working with Ad Networks for Behavioral Targeting
The key to using behavioral targeting to make your online banner ad successful is to make sure that you are working with an ad network that observes many consumers behavior and an ad network that can place your custom web banner across many networks. It is also important to determine how the ad network you are working with defines your target audience. For example if you want to target potential customers that conduct computer related searches then you need to see how your ad network defines that consumer. Not all ad networks define consumers in the same way.
Will Behavioral Targeting Help Your Advertising Banner Campaign?
In short, absolutely. Many consumers like to see advertisements for things that they actually have an interest in, making them much more likely to click through to your web site. However, just because behavioral targeting will improve your banner ad campaign, it does not mean that you should ignore all other forms of targeting. Keep in mind that behavioral targeting is not a complete solution and it truly works best when combined with contextual, placement and demographic targeting for your advertising banner campaign.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Banner Exchange Programs
If you are on a strict budget and looking for cheap banner advertising, then a banner exchange program might be in the cards for you. Banner ad exchange programs are quite simple - you just allow banners to be placed on your web site in exchange for a banner exchange program placing your ad on another advertiser’s web site.
Because this is usually a free or very cheap program, you usually agree to advertise more banners on your web site in exchange for your banner to be placed. So say you have one banner ad you want placed, well you may need to allow two banner ads on your web site as the exchange. Most banner exchange programs run a ration of 2:1, but there are some that run a ratio as high as 5:1, so shop around to get the best deal.
When you are trying to decide on a banner exchange program, also keep in mind that you will be giving up a lot of control when it comes to where your ad is placed and what ads are placed on your web site. Although banner ad exchange programs for the most part try very hard to match up banner ads to web sites appropriately, they can’t always. At some point you might have an ad on your web site that you don’t like or your advertisement might be placed on a web site that isn’t the most optimal for your business. To avoid this, you can shop around for banner exchange programs that have specialties or for banner exchanges that try harder than others to appropriately match banner ads to web sites. Sometimes, for this added service it might not be completely free.
Here are some banner ad exchange programs that have lower ratios and are available by category:
LinkBuddies
Bpath.com
HotCandle.com
Because this is usually a free or very cheap program, you usually agree to advertise more banners on your web site in exchange for your banner to be placed. So say you have one banner ad you want placed, well you may need to allow two banner ads on your web site as the exchange. Most banner exchange programs run a ration of 2:1, but there are some that run a ratio as high as 5:1, so shop around to get the best deal.
When you are trying to decide on a banner exchange program, also keep in mind that you will be giving up a lot of control when it comes to where your ad is placed and what ads are placed on your web site. Although banner ad exchange programs for the most part try very hard to match up banner ads to web sites appropriately, they can’t always. At some point you might have an ad on your web site that you don’t like or your advertisement might be placed on a web site that isn’t the most optimal for your business. To avoid this, you can shop around for banner exchange programs that have specialties or for banner exchanges that try harder than others to appropriately match banner ads to web sites. Sometimes, for this added service it might not be completely free.
Here are some banner ad exchange programs that have lower ratios and are available by category:
LinkBuddies
Bpath.com
HotCandle.com
Monday, March 29, 2010
Banner Advertising Terminology
When you decide you are ready to dive into web banner advertising it is important to get the lingo down so that you can understand and get the most out of your advertising banners. Here are some important key terms to get you started:
Page Views or Page Impressions: the number of times a page is requested.
Traffic: the number of page views per month to a web site.
Creative: refers to the graphics and design of your custom banner sign.
Rotating Ad: an advertising banner design on the page that changes every time the page is reloaded.
Static Ad: a banner ad creation that does not change, but remains the same every time the page is reloaded.
Text Ads: advertisements made up of text, which are backed by hyperlinks and when clicked on will take the potential customer to the advertiser’s web site. There is much debate about which is better for advertising - text ads or banner ads. We will address that in an upcoming post.
Banner Views: the number of times a page view lasts long enough for a banner ad to completely download.
Click Through: when a potential customer clicks on your banner ad and goes to your web site.
CTR: the click through rate that is measured in percentages, it is the percentage of visitors to a web site who actually click through a banner advertisement. This is typically a very low percentage with anything over 1% being very good.
Conversion Rate: the number of customers who click through to your web site and then actually make a purchase, essentially converting them into customers.
Landing Page: the first page that a potential customer sees upon clicking on your advertising banner. A landing page is like the short version of the message you want to convey, it gives basic information and provides a call to action for the potential customer.
CPC: the cost per click. If you set up a CPC banner ad advertising arrangement, that means that you will only pay for your ad space when someone actually clicks on your banner ad to go to your web site.
CPM: means cost per thousand with the “M” representing the Roman numeral for one thousand. If you agree to CPM banner ad rates, you will be charged based on every thousand page views the web site your banner ad is on receives regardless of click throughs to your web site.
Cost Per Sale: a way of calculating how much cost a company puts into one sale. Banner advertising is included in that cost.
Page Views or Page Impressions: the number of times a page is requested.
Traffic: the number of page views per month to a web site.
Creative: refers to the graphics and design of your custom banner sign.
Rotating Ad: an advertising banner design on the page that changes every time the page is reloaded.
Static Ad: a banner ad creation that does not change, but remains the same every time the page is reloaded.
Text Ads: advertisements made up of text, which are backed by hyperlinks and when clicked on will take the potential customer to the advertiser’s web site. There is much debate about which is better for advertising - text ads or banner ads. We will address that in an upcoming post.
Banner Views: the number of times a page view lasts long enough for a banner ad to completely download.
Click Through: when a potential customer clicks on your banner ad and goes to your web site.
CTR: the click through rate that is measured in percentages, it is the percentage of visitors to a web site who actually click through a banner advertisement. This is typically a very low percentage with anything over 1% being very good.
Conversion Rate: the number of customers who click through to your web site and then actually make a purchase, essentially converting them into customers.
Landing Page: the first page that a potential customer sees upon clicking on your advertising banner. A landing page is like the short version of the message you want to convey, it gives basic information and provides a call to action for the potential customer.
CPC: the cost per click. If you set up a CPC banner ad advertising arrangement, that means that you will only pay for your ad space when someone actually clicks on your banner ad to go to your web site.
CPM: means cost per thousand with the “M” representing the Roman numeral for one thousand. If you agree to CPM banner ad rates, you will be charged based on every thousand page views the web site your banner ad is on receives regardless of click throughs to your web site.
Cost Per Sale: a way of calculating how much cost a company puts into one sale. Banner advertising is included in that cost.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Banner Advertising for Beginners
What is Banner Advertising?
Banner advertising is a form of online marketing. It is the creation and placement of ads on various web pages to direct potential customers to your web site or to create awareness of your web site. Banner advertisements are similar to ads you would see in newspapers or magazines, but, instead of the potential customer having to go searching for your product, an advertising banner can be clicked on and voila! The potential client has landed right on your web site. Advertising banner ads can be colorful, animated and designed entirely how you want them in order to grab a potential customer’s attention and direct them to your web site. Unlike print advertising, online banner ads can change images, have sound clips and more to entice the potential customer’s eye. Banner advertising is a great tool to add to your online marketing arsenal.
How can online banner advertising help you?
First and foremost, you want your custom banner ad to prompt a person to click on your ad, go to your web site and make a purchase. If that doesn’t happen, you want a person to click on your ad and at the very least visit your site to learn more about your service or product.
The second thing that you want to happen with advertising banners is branding. Even if a customer doesn’t click on your ad then and there, you want them to look at your ad long enough to create some awareness of your product. The goal is that the next time a person needs your product, they will remember your ad, feel somewhat familiar with your product and choose you over your competitors.
How can you get a custom banner ad?
There are a few programs out there that can walk you through designing a custom web banner yourself, but to have a really good banner ad, hiring an expert is the way to go. A banner ad designer will be able to take your text and graphics and turn your ad into a unique, enticing and professional banner that will go a long way to help your online marketing campaign.
Banner advertising is a form of online marketing. It is the creation and placement of ads on various web pages to direct potential customers to your web site or to create awareness of your web site. Banner advertisements are similar to ads you would see in newspapers or magazines, but, instead of the potential customer having to go searching for your product, an advertising banner can be clicked on and voila! The potential client has landed right on your web site. Advertising banner ads can be colorful, animated and designed entirely how you want them in order to grab a potential customer’s attention and direct them to your web site. Unlike print advertising, online banner ads can change images, have sound clips and more to entice the potential customer’s eye. Banner advertising is a great tool to add to your online marketing arsenal.
How can online banner advertising help you?
First and foremost, you want your custom banner ad to prompt a person to click on your ad, go to your web site and make a purchase. If that doesn’t happen, you want a person to click on your ad and at the very least visit your site to learn more about your service or product.
The second thing that you want to happen with advertising banners is branding. Even if a customer doesn’t click on your ad then and there, you want them to look at your ad long enough to create some awareness of your product. The goal is that the next time a person needs your product, they will remember your ad, feel somewhat familiar with your product and choose you over your competitors.
How can you get a custom banner ad?
There are a few programs out there that can walk you through designing a custom web banner yourself, but to have a really good banner ad, hiring an expert is the way to go. A banner ad designer will be able to take your text and graphics and turn your ad into a unique, enticing and professional banner that will go a long way to help your online marketing campaign.
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