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Banner Ad Design Tips
Banner ad design is an art unto itself. Creating effective banners ads can be an elusive task. Our banner ad designers have created a list of their favourite banner ad design tips, sharing what they have learned over the years. Different areas of banner ad design are discussed such as creative concepts, design techniques, messaging, and technical issues.
1. Optimize the file size of your banner ad
Most banner ad publishers have a file size limitation for each different size of banner ad. In many cases, you or your banner ad designer will be forced to reduce the banner ad file size to meet the publisher’s requirements. Professional design programs, such as Adobe ImageReady, that have built-in optimization tools can make this simple. Some ways to reduce file size include:
- limiting the number of animated frames, number of colours and photos
- reducing the amount of text
Reduce the file size down to a level that just starts to degrade its appearance and then stop. Remember that the smaller the file size, the quicker the banner ad will load, which can mean more people viewing your ad.
2. Use standard banner ad sizes
Banner ad size standards are set by the Internet Advertising Bureau and by the publishers of popular websites such as Yahoo. While there are many different sizes used today. Using these banner ad sizes will give your ads portability, which means you will be able to use them across a wide range of websites. If you are only going to create one banner ad, your best bet is to create a 468 pixel by 60 pixel banner ad. This has remained the most widely used banner ad size.
3. Understand Cost per CPM
CPM stands for Cost per Thousand Impressions. It is the price you will pay for your Internet advertising, based on a dollar amount you pay for every one thousand times your banner ad is displayed on a publisher’s site. If the publisher charges $4.00 CPM, you will be paying $.04 every time a banner ad is displayed on its website regardless of click through rate (CTR).
4. The difference between CPC, CPM, and CPA
The most common method of determining price of a banner ad is in Cost per Thousand Impressions or CPM. For every thousand times your banner ad is displayed, you will be charged x amount of dollars, regardless of how many clicks you receive. CPC or Cost per Click advertising means you will pay a certain price every time your banner ad is clicked on, regardless of how many times it is displayed. CPA or Cost per Action is similar to a revenue share model. In this format, you will not pay for clicks or impressions; rather you will pay each time a certain action is completed, such as a purchase completed. Each method has its pros and cons and each should be investigated when starting a new online advertising campaign.
5. What is a banner ad impression?
Simply put, each time your banner ad is displayed for a viewer to see, it is an impression
6. What is run of site (ROS) advertising?
Run of site advertising means that your banner ads will be displayed throughout an individual website, across all its banner ad real estate. ROS advertising is often less expensive than advertising in a specific area on a website. On portal sites, such as Yahoo.com or MSN.com, ROS advertising can be a dramatic savings over targeted marketing. While most products or services will benefit from targeted marketing, products or services with broad appeal can have very successful online advertising campaigns using ROS advertising.
7. What is click through rate (CTR)?
Click through rate is the number of times someone clicks on your banner vs. the number of times the banner ad is displayed by the publisher. This number is set as a percentage ranging from 0 to 100. If your banner is displayed 1000 times and it is clicked on 10 times, your click through rate (CTR) would be 1%. There are many tools online used for calculating click through rates, including this one. When looking to purchase ad space, ask the publisher what their average click through rates are. You can then determine how much traffic you will get to your website and whether the cost of the campaign is worthwhile.
8. Calculate your CPC
To see what you will pay for each visitor to your site, you would want to measure the Cost per Click (CPC) (http://www.webpencil.com/cpm_calculator.htm). In the above example of $4 CPM, a 1 percent CTR (10 visitors for 1,000 ad impressions) will cost $.40 per visitor. Calculating your CPC will help you make your online advertising decision.
9. Negotiate a lower CPM
Individual website publishers or resellers of their banner ad space set a CPM rates. This rate can be for Run of Site (ROS) advertising or for targeted advertising. Prices will vary, but are usually negotiable and are often set based on supply and demand. Generally, the more money you plan to spend, the more negotiable this price becomes. Find out what a publisher’s CTR have traditionally been. You can then calculate the number of visitors you can plan on receiving to your website and weigh that against what you are willing to pay per visitor. Feel comfortable offering to purchase advertising on their website at the price that meets your business model. In a buyers market, which online advertising usually is, most publishers are eager to work with you to reach an agreeable price.
10. Video banner ads
As broadband Internet connections become more prevalent, placing video within a banner ad is becoming very popular. Many online advertisers have invested money in creating commercials, and want to pass that them on to their online audience. Recent advances in Macromedia Flash have made the creation of video banners and the streaming of online video much easier. You will need a digital version of your video. Acceptable formats include, MPEG, QuickTime, and AVI. Adding video can be done in Macromedia Flash or by using a third party Rich Media solution such as PointRoll, Eyeblaster, or Eyewonder.
11. Expandable banner ads
Expandable banner ads fit into advertised space reserved for standard banner ad sizes, but expand out upon user interaction. This allows for a more diverse advertising. Leading the way is a technology called PointRoll. While other technologies are available, PointRoll marries an easy-to-use technology with very advanced features like streaming video, advanced tracking capabilities, and online polls. Creating expandable banners should be left to experienced developers and should be used for large ad runs.
12. Rollover banner ads
Rollover banners are expandable banner ads that grow in size when the cursor is placed over the banner ad. The primary advantage is a vastly expanded advertising area. Tracking of brand interactivity is also an advantage. With traditional click through banner advertising, there is no way to measure whether the ad was actually viewed. With rollover banner ads, you can measure interactivity with the ad, even if no click through action is initiated.
13. HTML banner ads
An HTML banner ad uses a combination of HTML and images to create a banner ad that is interactive. In an HTML banner ad, you can include a form from your website, use dynamic dropdown lists, or simply gather peoples email addresses. Anything that can be done on a web page can be done in an HTML banner, as long as you work within the limits of the size of the banner and any technical specifications supplied by the publisher.
14. Floating banner ads
Floating banner ads are ads that float around the web page over the top of the web page content. These are done using DHTML and Flash, and can be created with professional design tools or can be created using technologies such as PointRoll or Eyeblaster. These eye-catching ads really get the message across. They are hard to avoid and when used in a limited fashion, are very productive. Utilizing the transparency features inherent in Macromedia Flash, you can create banner ads that pop out of the page, or partially overlap it, or have the your ad move from side to side.
15. Creating interactive banner ads
One of the best features of Internet advertising is the ability for users to interact with your brand, in this case your banner ad. Creating a banner ad with interactive features is a great way to get your message across while entertaining your audience. There are a limitless number of interactive features available for Flash banner ads – games, polls, movies, or forms to collect data. When someone interacts with your banner ad, not only will you get the click through to your website, but you have created a lasting impression of your brand in their minds.
16. Best colors for your banner ads
Colour preference for your banner ad will differ for each advertiser, but there are some general rules to follow. Avoid yellow at all costs. It is a proven fact that a banner ad that is primarily yellow will have a smaller click through rate than other colours. If you are using banner ads for branding purposes, avoid bright fluorescent colours or flashing colours as they tend to aggravate the web surfer. Look at the page your banner ad will be going on, to get a feel for what colours will work best. For example, a banner ad with a white background placed on a web page with a white background does not allow the banner ad to stand out and be noticed.
17. Create text ad links in an HTML banner ad
One popular use of an HTML banner is to create numerous text ad links within it. Use a professional HTML editor such as Macromedia Dreamweaver. Set a table to the size of your banner ad and type in your text. Hyperlink the text areas that you want to click to your website and set the target to “_blank”. Use inline styles to set your font attributes so that your fonts will be consistent across most browsers. Using relative font attributes such as size=1 is not a good idea, because browser font settings can override what you intended the banner ad to look like. Instead set your fonts to an exact font size use points or pixels.
18. Online advertising on a private website
So you have found the perfect website to advertise on and are certain your target audience frequents it. In order to advertise on a private website, one that does not sell its advertising space through a third party, you should contact the website administrator and inquire about advertising on their website. Ask about pricing and where your banner ad will be placed. Negotiate a price, or revenue share that will work for the both of you and send them your banner ads to get started.
19. Online advertising on a network of websites
Advertising on a banner ad network gives you a diverse audience with excellent targeting opportunities. There are numerous banner ad networks to choose from ranging from the inexpensive bCentral network to the industry leaders, DoubleClick. Search online for banner ad networks or take a look at this banner ad network list. Inquire about pricing and what sites are included in the network. Also inquire about targeting opportunities, as some networks cater to certain industries or audiences.
20. How a banner ad can stand out in a crowd?
When a page is littered with banner ads, what does it take for your ad to stand out? A combination of appealing colours, clean layout and design and a clear, concise messaging will set your banner ad apart from the crowd. Nicely flowing animation will attract a user’s eye, not too fast, not too slow. Irritating animation, namely very quick animation frames, may catch people’s attention, but rarely will it attract an educated web surfer looking to do business with a professional company.
21. Choosing a target market for your banner ad
Running banner ads to a general audience may not always provide the best results. Target your banner ads to your desired audience. Sometimes, it is easy to identify your target market. But if not, ask your customers what websites they frequent; that will tell you where to advertise online.
22. How to choose a banner ad designer
When selecting a banner ad design firm for your next online advertising campaign, there are a few simple ways to ensure you get good quality work. Work with a banner ad designer who matches your price point. In general, you will get what you pay for and the quality of the work will be proportional to the price you pay. Review samples of their work to see if their style matches what you are looking for. If you see a banner ad you like, ask for something similar. This helps a designer get a feel for what you like, without knowing anything about you. Work with a banner ad designer that gets back to you quickly. If they reply to your inquiries quickly, you can expect them to reply quickly in the future when you have additional questions.
23. How many banners should you run for a single online advertising campaign?
Try running at least 3 different banner ads for each campaign, even if you simply switch the messaging on each banner ad. Monitor your results closely when the campaign starts and eliminate or replace any ineffective ads. The banner ads themselves generally cost much less than the advertising campaign and ad space, so experiment with different looks and messages until you find one that fits the bill.
24. Branding your company in a banner ad
When branding a company is the primary goal of an online advertising campaign, banner ads are effectively at reaching a wide audience and targeting potential customers. Additionally, interactive banner ads can be used to increase the amount of time a web surfer views your brand. Tracking the interaction gives you a great way to measure the return on your advertising dollars, when click throughs are not the primary goal.
25. Setting up an affiliate program
Creating an affiliate program allows others to spend their dollars marketing your products or services, in exchange for a commission on a sale. This is one of the best ways to increase your marketing without spending a lot of money. You will need to set up an affiliate program and create numerous banner ads and text links to distribute to your affiliates. A list of affiliate marketing technologies and services can be found here. After you set up your affiliate program, create a series of banner ads in all the popular sizes and place them online for download by your affiliates. Offering the creative yourself will give you a consistent brand image and make it easy for your affiliates to start advertising immediately.
26. What is the most popular banner ad size?
The most popular banner ad size by far is 468 pixels by 60 pixels. This ad size has been used since banner advertising started and most websites have space dedicated to this size ad. If you are going to create just one banner for your business, this is the size you should use.
27. Do banner ads work?
Yes. This is why they are still the primary vehicle for advertising online. When banner ads first came online, click through rates were very high. This has changed and click through rates can often times be disappointingly low, but that does not mean banner ads are ineffective. Utilizing newer technologies, such as better targeting technology, and ad placement will help create a unique experience that will increase the click through rates.
28. Creating a landing page for your banner ad campaign
When you run an online advertising campaign using banner ads, you often market one specific item or service. Sending a user to your home page once they have clicked on your banner ad is not always the best idea. If you are advertising a specific product, create a page specifically for that one product and have your banner ad click through to that page. If users are enticed with your offer, they will appreciate being sent immediately to a page where they can take advantage of that offer rather than having to search around your web site looking for it. A landing page can be a larger version of your banner ad along with additional messaging. On your landing page, include a clear call to action at the top so that, upon arrival, the user knows exactly what he is there to do.
We hope you found these tips helpful.
The Linkwizz team.
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