ADVANTAGES OF BANNER ADVERTISING

Banner advertising has clickability, taking the customer right to your product.
Banner advertising is most effective as part of an overarching integrated web-marketing strategy. The design and placement of web banners is critical to the success of this strategy.
Banner ads are more than just enticing imagery and catchy headlines.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

The most successful ad banner campaigns are implemented on sites that have relevant and topical information, ultimately producing the most conversions.

MAKE YOUR MONEY MATCH YOUR PURPOSE.

Our Internet marketing team works with you to calculate banner advertising rates. Based on which strategy better meets your business needs, we develop either a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-thousand (CPM) campaign.

Larger companies that are interested in furthering their brand outreach may see CPM as the best option for their advertising agenda. However, smaller companies may want to consider using banner programs that are tied to a specific and direct return on investment.

CONVERSION EUPHORIA

Beyond delivering a user to your site, you want to turn that "lead" into a "conversion." A conversion can be as simple as an e-commerce sale. However, it can also be measured in terms of engagement—a form submission or an email link, all perpetuating a viral message.

MicroArts Creative Agency strategizes, designs and executes banner advertising programs that are customized to each client's needs. Our unique ability to predict and prove a return on investment ensures your marketing dollars are accounted for.

The average click-through-rate (CTR) of banner ads is less than 0.25%. Follow these five steps to maximize the performance of your banner advertising campaign.

STEP 1. STRATEGIZE

STEP 1. STRATEGIZE

Confirm your audience and determine the most appropriate campaign (CPC or CPM).

STEP 2. DESIGN

STEP 2. DESIGN

Create a selection of varying banner ads with bold headlines (driven by brand positioning), images and a call-to-action (or even two). Be prepared to tweak.

STEP 2A. SIZE MATTERS

STEP 2A. SIZE MATTERS

Try ads of different sizes. According to Marketing Sherpa, the best response rates come from 300X250 ads—typically positioned in the top left corner of a web page.

STEP 3. TEST, TEST, TEST

STEP 3. TEST, TEST, TEST

Test variations of your banner ads on multiple sites relevant to your product or company. Optimize your banner by changing one element at a time. By changing multiple elements at a time, it will be difficult to know which element had the most impact. Repeat Step 2 if the results just aren't there.

STEP 4. MEASURE

STEP 4. MEASURE

Ensure your site is set up to gather stats—this is the easiest way to determine success. Track the performance of each banner ad over days, not hours. We all get eager when launching a new campaign. Give your statistics time to gather enough data to make a qualified decision.

STEP 4A. CTR vs. CONVERSIONS

STEP 4A. CTR vs. CONVERSIONS

Consider landing-page conversions before you abandon a site for a low CTR. Conversely, a site that provides a high CTR may not offer a high conversion rate. Reallocate your investment to sites that show the highest CTR AND conversions.

STEP 4B. TRACK YOUR SITE

STEP 4B. TRACK YOUR SITE

Remember to track your site traffic while running a banner ad campaign. While users may not click on your banner, the ad may prompt a user to perform a search on your product or company.

STEP 5. FINE TUNE

STEP 5. FINE TUNE

One of the true benefits of Internet marketing is the ability to make adjustments. This can be employed if the desired results are not being produced, if the message changes (think SALE or NEW PRODUCT), if a new market niche is determined or if variables change.

Connect with MicroArts today to create a "banner year" for your company!