There’s more to creating a banner ad than just opening up a multimedia/creativity software product and throwing together some pictures. Sure, you have great ideas, and your mother probably said it was the hippest thing she ever saw (because that’s the kind of stuff moms say), but the success of your banner advertising campaign can easily be ruined by a bad design.
Just a couple of things to consider when designing your banner ads:
Size matters, folks.
That’s right, I said it. You have to consider what the layout of your page is. It is important to design your banner for the space available so that the ad doesn’t become distorted. There are a lot of ad sizes and formats to pick from. Make sure that you choose the one that fits the page you are working with.
Make it match.
Focus on clear branding. Your banners ads should resemble your other forms of advertising for a cohesive banner campaign. Consistency in an ad campaign is essential. If Bob owns a car lot, and his print ads, television commercials, and website feature Cowboy Bob in a ten-gallon hat in front of a convertible Caddy with steer horns on the front, a banner ad featuring Corporate Bob leaning on the fender of a brand new Cadillac SUV isn’t going to do the job. Keep it consistent to make it effective.
Short and Suh-weeet!
Have a great tagline. Something short and attention-grabbing. Make it say exactly what you want it to say. So frills, no fluff, no questions. Cowboy Bob’s tagline could say, “You can trust Cowboy Bob to help you pick out the right car that fits your family, and your budget, and your style,” and hope that the target audience has an impressive attention span. Or his tagline could simply say, “Cowboy Bob won’t steer you wrong.”
A picture says a thousand words, because you REALLY don’t want to put a thousand words in your banner ad.
Anyway. Get a great image for your ad. Hire a professional photographer or use stock photography. What’s the first thing we are going to notice when a banner ad pops up and we see a hot red Mustang and a reflection on the passenger side door of Cowboy Bob’s sales manager holding up his cell phone to get a picture of the car? Yup. We’re gonna notice the sales manager and his old first-generation smartphone. Have the photos done right so they will say what you want to say.
Lights, Camera, CALL TO ACTION!
Your call to action needs to be something that will entice the viewer to click through to your website., words that urge your viewer to take an immediate action. Something like “Chuck…tell them what they’ve won,” or “Find your dream car now!”
Sometimes you feel creative, sometimes your brain hurts just trying to put together a matching outfit in the morning. Creating a banner ad can be that kind of thing too. Of course, you could make it easy on yourself and contact the experts at Holt Marketing Group for your next banner campaign. Yep, we can just design your creative, or you can hire us for the whole shebang. It’s easy to figure out…..just get in touch! (psst…that’s a pretty good call to action, huh?)