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.
Monday, March 29, 2010
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.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Banner Ad Creators
There are a number of do-it-yourself banner ad creation sites which utilize preexisting templates in which you can insert your desired text and images to create a basic looking banner.
1.Adready – Includes multiple templates and an easy to user interface for creating simple banners quickly and easily. Adready does not make money off this tool. In order to take advantage of the banner you’ve created you must use their program to manage your campaigns across the networks such as Google and Yahoo. Adready takes a cut from every dollar you spend on the campaign.
2.Google Display Ad Builder – In an attempt to convert its text advertisers into banner advertisers Google created a simple tool for building banners. The tool is very easy to use but the templates are extremely generic and the banners end up looking like YOU designed them.
3.Mybannermaker.com – A free tool primarily used by myspace users who want to create banners and slap them on their profile page. This is a bare bones banner creator which should probably only be used for testing purposes.
If you do not have an in house graphic designer, these banner creation tools can be a cheap practical solution if you’re going to run a quick test campaign with a budget of less than $100. However, if you plan on spending a decent amount on a banner ad campaign we recommend using a professional banner design service since that may make the difference between a successful campaign and a failed one.
1.Adready – Includes multiple templates and an easy to user interface for creating simple banners quickly and easily. Adready does not make money off this tool. In order to take advantage of the banner you’ve created you must use their program to manage your campaigns across the networks such as Google and Yahoo. Adready takes a cut from every dollar you spend on the campaign.
2.Google Display Ad Builder – In an attempt to convert its text advertisers into banner advertisers Google created a simple tool for building banners. The tool is very easy to use but the templates are extremely generic and the banners end up looking like YOU designed them.
3.Mybannermaker.com – A free tool primarily used by myspace users who want to create banners and slap them on their profile page. This is a bare bones banner creator which should probably only be used for testing purposes.
If you do not have an in house graphic designer, these banner creation tools can be a cheap practical solution if you’re going to run a quick test campaign with a budget of less than $100. However, if you plan on spending a decent amount on a banner ad campaign we recommend using a professional banner design service since that may make the difference between a successful campaign and a failed one.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
10 Banner Ad Design Tips
When you want to run a successful web banner advertising campaign, you must create a good banner ad. The one true thing that will make your advertising banner stand out more than any of the other factors is your design. Here are 10 banner ad design tips for you to keep in mind when you create your advertising banner design:
1)Keep the design simple. You only have a few seconds to impress a potential customer, so don’t lose them right from the start by having an over the top, complicated advertising banner.
2)Keep your wording simple. Use short, simple, specific language to convey your message. A good rule of thumb is to try to use seven words or less to convey your message.
3)Provide a call to action. You want to make sure you are asking your potential customer to “Click Here” or “Submit” for more information.
4)Use enticing words. Everyone likes to get something for free, so if you are offering it, throw in the words “Free” or “Special Offer” to increase the CTR on your banner ad design.
5)Use bright colors. Using bright colors will help attract attention, however, be careful not to use too many colors. Try for three contrasting colors at the most. If you have logo or brand colors, ask your banner designer to use them.
6)Use an eye catching font. If you use fewer words, you can use a bolder, larger font. If you must use more than one font, use two at the most.
7)Choose images carefully. In keeping your banner advertising simple, don’t go overboard with images. Choose one or two that send the right message and aren’t over the top.
8)Use animation wisely. Choose animation that will draw attention, but won’t scare potential customers away by being too flashy. Choose something that rotates at a relaxed speed and limit it to just a few cycles.
9)Add contrast. Make sure that your background, your font, your images and your animation contrast with each other to draw attention to your custom banner and the message you are trying to convey.
10)Do not be misleading. Sometimes in advertising it is tempting to show something that has nothing to do with what you are selling just to grab a person’s attention. Don’t do that. Make sure your banner ad portrays the truth. Also make sure that if someone is going to click through on your banner ad that it takes them directly to the information that they are seeking like the product page, not your home page.
1)Keep the design simple. You only have a few seconds to impress a potential customer, so don’t lose them right from the start by having an over the top, complicated advertising banner.
2)Keep your wording simple. Use short, simple, specific language to convey your message. A good rule of thumb is to try to use seven words or less to convey your message.
3)Provide a call to action. You want to make sure you are asking your potential customer to “Click Here” or “Submit” for more information.
4)Use enticing words. Everyone likes to get something for free, so if you are offering it, throw in the words “Free” or “Special Offer” to increase the CTR on your banner ad design.
5)Use bright colors. Using bright colors will help attract attention, however, be careful not to use too many colors. Try for three contrasting colors at the most. If you have logo or brand colors, ask your banner designer to use them.
6)Use an eye catching font. If you use fewer words, you can use a bolder, larger font. If you must use more than one font, use two at the most.
7)Choose images carefully. In keeping your banner advertising simple, don’t go overboard with images. Choose one or two that send the right message and aren’t over the top.
8)Use animation wisely. Choose animation that will draw attention, but won’t scare potential customers away by being too flashy. Choose something that rotates at a relaxed speed and limit it to just a few cycles.
9)Add contrast. Make sure that your background, your font, your images and your animation contrast with each other to draw attention to your custom banner and the message you are trying to convey.
10)Do not be misleading. Sometimes in advertising it is tempting to show something that has nothing to do with what you are selling just to grab a person’s attention. Don’t do that. Make sure your banner ad portrays the truth. Also make sure that if someone is going to click through on your banner ad that it takes them directly to the information that they are seeking like the product page, not your home page.
Friday, March 5, 2010
5 Most Popular Banner Ad Sizes
When it comes to banner ads, size definitely matters. Not only do you need to base your ad size on what will get the most click throughs, but also on what web sites are willing to work with. Most advertisers work with a handful of standard size ads and will give you spec sizes that you must conform to. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has defined three groups of online banner advertising. They are as follows:
1-Rectangles and Pop ups
2-Banner and Buttons
3-Skyscrapers
It is recommended that you have several standard sizes of your banner ad made so that you can easily place your ad to meet your advertiser’s size requirements. It is important to note that the sizes of advertising banner ads are measured in width by height in pixels. Here are the five most popular sizes from the IAB categories:
1)Medium Rectangle 300x250
2)Square Popup 250x250
3)Leaderboard Banner 728x90
4)Full Banner 428x60
5)Wide Skyscraper 160x600
When you are looking at what size to make your banner, also remember that you want to generate click throughs and create branding for your web site or business. Although some advertisers will charge you more, larger banner ads tend to generate more click throughs and more branding, specifically rectangles. It is up to you to decide if the extra price is worth more brand recognition and click throughs.
Another thing to think about with advertising banner sizes are non-standard sizes. These can be virtually any size you choose and if you find an advertiser that is willing to place them on their web site then you are in luck. By not conforming to the size standards, your banner ad is likely to get more recognition and click throughs. The trick is finding web sites that will accept non-traditional banner ad sizes.
1-Rectangles and Pop ups
2-Banner and Buttons
3-Skyscrapers
It is recommended that you have several standard sizes of your banner ad made so that you can easily place your ad to meet your advertiser’s size requirements. It is important to note that the sizes of advertising banner ads are measured in width by height in pixels. Here are the five most popular sizes from the IAB categories:
1)Medium Rectangle 300x250
2)Square Popup 250x250
3)Leaderboard Banner 728x90
4)Full Banner 428x60
5)Wide Skyscraper 160x600
When you are looking at what size to make your banner, also remember that you want to generate click throughs and create branding for your web site or business. Although some advertisers will charge you more, larger banner ads tend to generate more click throughs and more branding, specifically rectangles. It is up to you to decide if the extra price is worth more brand recognition and click throughs.
Another thing to think about with advertising banner sizes are non-standard sizes. These can be virtually any size you choose and if you find an advertiser that is willing to place them on their web site then you are in luck. By not conforming to the size standards, your banner ad is likely to get more recognition and click throughs. The trick is finding web sites that will accept non-traditional banner ad sizes.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
5 Design Tips for Flash Banners Ads
Last week we discussed what flash banner ads are and how they can help your online banner advertising campaign. However, in order to have a successful banner ad campaign that incorporates custom flash banners, you should follow some basic design tips.
1) Keep the file size small. We discussed this a little bit last week, but web sites don’t like big files and will charge you more for a flash advertising banner with a bigger file. To cut down on file size, try using a limited number of colors, gradients, and dashed or dotted lines.
2) Increase readability by using the best font. Font has to do with the size and the type. For size, you want to make sure that it is big enough for people to read your custom flash banner on the screen. An 18 point font or larger will work well. For the type of font that you use in your flash banner ad, make sure that you use a font that is safe for the web and will translate to all programs. Good examples of this are Arial or Verdana. It will also help your readability if you bold your font.
3) Always include a close button. Readers want to feel in control. Therefore, give them some control. If your custom flash banner opens up or expands when the mouse rolls over it, or if your flash banner ad moves across the page, be sure to include a close button so that your potential viewers can control when they see your advertising banner.
4) Limit animation and video time. Your flash banner is an ad, meaning that while you want to get people’s attention, you don’t want to completely pull them away from the page they sought out. You should try to keep your advertising banner animation and videos short and to the point. In general your custom flash banner animation should last about 15 seconds and your videos should last no longer than 30 seconds.
5) Include a pause button. Your purpose here is to grab potential customer’s attention, not to annoy them. Sound will direct their attention to your custom flash banner, but it can also annoy them if they can’t turn it off. Just like with a close button, always give your viewers the control and add a pause button when you include sound in your flash banner ads.
1) Keep the file size small. We discussed this a little bit last week, but web sites don’t like big files and will charge you more for a flash advertising banner with a bigger file. To cut down on file size, try using a limited number of colors, gradients, and dashed or dotted lines.
2) Increase readability by using the best font. Font has to do with the size and the type. For size, you want to make sure that it is big enough for people to read your custom flash banner on the screen. An 18 point font or larger will work well. For the type of font that you use in your flash banner ad, make sure that you use a font that is safe for the web and will translate to all programs. Good examples of this are Arial or Verdana. It will also help your readability if you bold your font.
3) Always include a close button. Readers want to feel in control. Therefore, give them some control. If your custom flash banner opens up or expands when the mouse rolls over it, or if your flash banner ad moves across the page, be sure to include a close button so that your potential viewers can control when they see your advertising banner.
4) Limit animation and video time. Your flash banner is an ad, meaning that while you want to get people’s attention, you don’t want to completely pull them away from the page they sought out. You should try to keep your advertising banner animation and videos short and to the point. In general your custom flash banner animation should last about 15 seconds and your videos should last no longer than 30 seconds.
5) Include a pause button. Your purpose here is to grab potential customer’s attention, not to annoy them. Sound will direct their attention to your custom flash banner, but it can also annoy them if they can’t turn it off. Just like with a close button, always give your viewers the control and add a pause button when you include sound in your flash banner ads.
Monday, February 8, 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 leader board 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 – ban, there is your advertising banner offering them the exact solution they are looking for.
Which is better?
It’s a toss-up. 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.
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