LeadMastersUSA

Are you wasting money on online advertising that promises the moon but delivers incomprehensible stats and low sales?  The future of banner advertising is alive and well, but only if you understand the difference between online and offline advertising.  Make sure you never waste another dime on banners that get ignored. Here are 3 ways that advertising online is distinct from advertising offline.

Banner ads have been the rock of monetization for online advertising

Many small business marketers think banner advertising is dead because they treat the internet just like a newspaper or magazine print ad. It seems like a simple thing, we have all see newspaper, magazine and print ads. You put out the ad and wait to see how many customers call, order or walk through the door. If a bunch of them do – whoopee- your add has been successful. If not, well ad reps will advise you to keep it in there all year for “branding” and building “viability” Great thought – if you can afford to “brand” without sales.

Crafting a good banner ad has changed over the past few years

Many smaller and medium sized businesses jump to the internet expecting to use their print adverting layouts or campaigns as is. The idea behind it is: Just take your print ad, find a place where your audience hangs out and pay to have your banner displayed there. It’s worked for years in traditional print advertising so why redesign it for an online customers – after all, aren’t they the same people who responded to this ad when it was in the newspaper? Yes, these could still be your same customers, but the media is different which causes the people to respond differently.

It’s different world

There are several key reasons why traditional print ads simply don’t work online – no matter how beautifully the present your product or how skillfully they were created. Here are 3 ways to improve your banner ad performance. Once you understand these important distinctions it is relatively easy to shift the focus of your campaign and get higher ROI.

The viewer is in control

1. The primary reason advertising online is so dramatically different is because the consumer is in complete control on the web. They can choose what, when and how they want to experience any message of piece of information. There is NO interrupting people online. (remember pop ups?) People must CHOOSE to interact with your banner, even to read it. Make the information shown is relevant to them, and include a clear action  for  a higher level of engagement.

People online ignore advertising

3. The second reason because people have literally trained themselves to avoid looking at anything resembling advertising. Yes, eye tracking confirms this, peoples eyes leap away from ads. (or anything that looks like ads.) The more “ad -like” your banner, the more people’s eyes drift away. This is why your beautiful print ads fail miserably online. It’s called banner blindness and the more savvy people get – the more selective the become. Keep the images and message simple and relevant to the target group. Use a banner to entice them to act on the next step.

Banners should sell the click – not the product

3. The point of a banner is to SELL the CLICK – not the product. This one is the hardest concepts for small business owners to embrace.  Here is one side of a recent conversation ( I am paraphrasing) “What? I am not supposed to sell my product? That is the whole reason I am putting up the banner in the first place. I  saw an ad like this on (pick your major site) plus I need to make sales”

Being a business owner myself I can wholeheartedly understand this point of view. I too thought the same way, until I realized that I could either embrace the change or get left behind. Larger companies with bigger pockets can afford to use banner ads as branding tools. They can also afford to do more testing, SEO optimization , updated keyword research and cross marketing.  Ironically this still doesn’t mean that their banner ads are more effective, you just see them more often. As a smaller business you have a distinct advantage because you can afford to be more specific in your message so it appeals to a very targeted niche.

Connect with your target niche

This equates to spending less money per lead or sale because you are connecting with your target group, not just flashing banners at them. When you connect with a specified group with a banner that is relevant, they come to your site with a more open mind &  willingness to hear what you have to say. So make sure the tone of your landing page matches your banner. The point of the page is to sell the CONNECTION.

Use the same imagery and theme if you can. Reinforce they are in the right place, they made a great decision click on that banner and landing on your website. After the visitor has connect with your web page – then move them through your online sales process.

Remember that any person online can click away to your competitors site in the blink of an eye. They don’t have to look at your ad or read your page. Banner ads can be the first step in attracting your target customer to your website or e commerce store.