Learn the Ropes of Banner Advertising

Most humans, including you and us, tend to feel as if we know everything. And when it comes to advertising, we feel as talented as Emily from Paris.

But advertising has evolved in the last few years, especially with the expansion of the Internet. Today, it isn’t limited to traditional means, such as radio, books and TV.

When you go advertising, remember that you are catering to Gen Z and Generation Alpha – smart individuals born in the smart age. So obviously, you need creative and eye-catching means to grab their attention.

This is where banner advertising can help.

But what is banner advertising? Don’t worry. This guide walks you through the fundamentals.

Key Takeaways 

• Banner advertising is a lucrative way to generate revenue
• A rectangular graphic display spans the top, bottom, or sides of a webpage in banner advertising
• Writing a catchy headline for banner ads is important to grab eyeballs
• Banner ads should not talk about too many offers in a single ad

Banner Ads – Advertising Tool to Grab Eyeballs 

Before coming to the boring stuff, let’s talk about some fascinating facts. Do you know who launched web banner advertising?

Neither did we, but during research, what we found was super cool. The first banner ad launched on October 27, 1994, in Wired Magazine!

It was only a simple banner saying, “Have you ever clicked your mouse, right? You will.” The banner then directed the user to an AT&T campaign.

This ad became so popular that it also has its own domain – thefirstbannerad.com. Interesting, right?

Okay, let’s talk basics now.

Banner ads, known as display ads, are prettysimilar to digital billboards. A banner aduses images to garner attention to drive traffic to the advertiser’s website. Banner advertising uses a rectangular graphic display stretching across the top, bottom, or sides of a website.

Establishing Where You Fit – Placement of Banner Ads  

Do you know what most visionarymarketers do? They place banner ads in high-traffic locations on web pages.

This helps reach a wider audience, create brand awareness, and generate clickthroughs, leads and purchases.

But are Banner Ads Really Effective?

Banner advertising falls into the category of digital advertising, which is the most interesting and lucrative way to generate revenue.

In fact, digital ad sales hit a new record of almost $28.4 billion in the first quarter of 2019!

The secret to the success of banner advertising? It’s programmatic advertising, a term that defines how advertisers place ads. These applications’ software matches advertisements to the interests of website visitors.

Let’s imagine LinkedIn’s advertising department wanted to use Google AdSense as their display network. LinkedIn would then buy sidebar space on websites that professionals are more inclined to visit, such as Investopedia, through Google AdSense. This assures that LinkedIn’s overall income potential is increased.

Banner Advertising – Are There any Best Practices?

Have a Killer Heading  

Writing greatheadlines can skyrocket your business forward. If you sell protein powder, a heading like ‘We Offer the Best Protein Powder’ will not do much for your brand.

But if you use something like ‘The Only Protein Powder You Need to Achieve Fitness Goals’, it will draw potential users to your brand.

What else? Add some variation in colours and font sizes, different from the rest of your ad, to emphasize the banner heading.

Add Content and Imagery  

In the book ‘Secrets Laid Bare to Banner Advertising,’ the author focused on adding images and content to make banners catchy.

Yeah, we just made that up!

On a serious note, using the right images in web banner advertising can do wonders. But the content and images should be relevant to the product.

A beautiful lady dressed scantily will surely attract an audience and increase clickthroughs, but it won’t do much if you offer ant or pest control services.  Your content and images need to be on point!

Remember to be relevant.

Striking Call-to-action  

A strong call to action is important for every banner ad. Believe us; some users display web banner ads just like they see banner ads on the side of a road. They observe the advertisement and store it within their memory, completely forgetting that it is clickable.

Speak to your audience by adding a call to action like ‘Click Here to See Wardrobe Essentials’ or whatever your ad promotes. Plus, the CTA should be visually engaging, which can be done through an instinctively clickable shape and bright colours.

One Offer Per Ad  

Have you heard the most famous phrase of all time – ‘Don’t Overdo It.’ Okay, it may not be among the most used phrases, but it works.

You will confuse the user if you throw too much at once. Before you list every single product that’s on sale, think about saying ‘All Styles and Sizes on Sale’. It is crisp, more attractive and accomplishes the same task quickly.

Coolest Banner Ad  

People simply don’t pay attention to ads anymore, which is a real concern. The best way to get around in such a case is an eye-catching design.

Popeyes achieves this by using contrasting warm and cool hues and large, powerful text. The food is in the middle catches the eye and allows the image to speak for itself.

Banner Advertising – Should You Do It Too? 

Banner advertising can be a game-changer if you know the best practices and ad placement strategy.

But if you’re struggling to craft unforgettable and appealing banner ads, it is best to connect with a creative agency that can do it for you.

We, the creative team at AdLift, love to write snappy ads.

Connect with us today, and let’s make engaging banners for your brand, ones that your users will remember!