Nearly two-thirds of businesses invest in online advertising. And why not? After all, 89% of Americans rely on the Internet to shop for products and make purchasing decisions. Whether students want to hire essay writers or chefs want to know about new recipes, all of them tend to rely on the Internet for quick solutions. Now the question is what the fastest way to generate quality leads and revenue in online advertising?
The answer is short and simple: Display banner ads.
As per the latest eMarketer research, display advertising is expected to grow by 18.5% in 2021. In fact, display ad spend is expected to rise to $26 billion in Western Europe as well. Though 25.2% of US Internet users implement ad blockers on their connected devices, display ads are still a priority for all advertisers and marketing teams.
You should keep your target audience’s needs and demands in mind while designing the banner ads. Here is a detailed stepwise guideline on how to create banner ads that guarantee undivided attention from your target audiences.
#1. Use an effective, standard banner size
Certain advertisement sizes have become the status quo throughout the history of the Internet. The banner sizes shouldn’t consume the majority of your website space. Your website visitors should be able to see other pieces of content on your website, such as the content, order page along with the banner ad. As per Google Adsense, the most effective and standard sizes for banner ads are:
- Leaderboard – 728×90px; offers space for text and a small image.
- Half Page – 300×600px; offers text and images, interactive buttons, test results, awards and advertising messages.
- Medium Rectangle – 300×250px; offers space for images, texts and possible inventory performance.
- Large Rectangle – 336×280px; offers space for images and texts.
These are the most popular banner sizes. All of them cover a large portion of your advertising needs. Thus, it would be better if you focus on these four sizes while designing banner ads for the first time for your website.
However, remember that the graphics for your banner shouldn’t be larger than 150kb. The suitable image formats are. PNG and. JPG including animated ads as well.
#2. Settle on a suitable background for your banners
Take a look at the banner ad sample below:
Isn’t it difficult to figure out the context of this banner? It’s because the background doesn’t suit the text and image on the banner. What’s the point if your target audiences aren’t able to understand the message you want to convey through your banner ads?
You can go either of two ways while picking a background for your banners.
- The solid colour background
- The photo background
When to use a solid colour background?
- The image given above is a basic example of how a solid colour background looks like. You can add pictures or texts like ‘Hire essay writers at discounted prices!’
- It is wise to use this type of background if you have to promote products that already have a lot of stuff happening on it. Let’s say you want students to buy essays online so that they can enjoy free reports, complimentary services and impressive discounts. Your product itself has a lot of details. Cluttering the banner with images or videos may distract your target audience from the real message.
- You can also use a solid colour background if you want to use people in your ads. They usually work great against this type of background. Similarly, a strong slogan or product message also does great against a solid colour background.
Advantages of using a solid colour background:
- Highlights the message and creates a natural contrast to the CTA
- Avoids distractions from the headlines
- If using a product photo, it is clearly visible when using a solid colour background.
The main purpose of solid colour ads is to get your message across without any loopholes. And you would want to do so without bringing in a lot of distractions. Right? So, try to avoid as much clutter as possible when you are using a solid colour background against your banner.
When to use photo background banners?
- Let’s say you want students to get help from essay writers. But, you don’t want to show the writers’ faces on the banner ads. In that case, it would be wise to use a photo background.
- Photo background is perfect when you don’t have a physical product to flaunt in your banner ads.
- You can also use a photo background if there are no famous people or actual products in the ad. So, using an impressive background makes your message look even brighter, thereby capturing the attention of your target audiences.
Advantages of photo colour background:
- Attracts the attention of more visitors thereby increasing your website traffic
- Highlights the object or subject so that your website visitors can’t ignore your message
- Communicates a different mood and tone to the image in your banner
You may be tempted to use a messy background for the banner ad. Make sure the message is clearly in contrast with the background. The photo is not the focus of your banner, but the message is. Your banner should catch the viewer’s eye with impressive imagery before they decide to scroll on to the next section of your page.
#3. Craft realistic, impressive headlines
Banner ads aren’t anything like other forms of online advertising. In the case of the former, you get limited space and you have to fit both images and texts within that limited space. Do not include too much information into your banners.
That just makes your banners look disorganised and messy. Your banner ads may have a headline and some texts. But, your target audiences are most likely to check out the headlines first and then decide whether or not to click on the ad.
Tips for creating compelling headlines:
- Communicate clearly – Your target audiences are busy people. They don’t have time for your chit-chat. So, try not beating around the bush while communicating clearly with your visitors. What do you want to offer? How can your target audience benefit from your offer? Explain that clearly in the banner ad.
- Keep it short and sweet – Let’s say you wrote a 5-sentence headline in your banner. Who has the time to stop and read such a long headline in the ad? Nobody. So, you must try to wrap up your headlines with a maximum of 2 sentences.
- Be witty – Using clever slogans can always help you have the upper hand when it comes to targeting a specific set of audience.
Encourage people to do something- You can also use a physical verb while crafting the headlines in your banner. Some of the most common physical verbs are:
- Celebrate
- Come
- See
- Go
All banners want their audiences to perform an action. Some may encourage more orders, while others may urge people to buy a new product. No matter what your intention is, the right headline can help you achieve that. Let’s say you want to create headlines for your Facebook ad. So, it would look something like this:
“5 things to know about essay writers” or “3 things about essay writers that would surprise you.”
#4. Use precise sub-headings
Now that you know how to craft the headline, let’s take a look at the rules for writing a sub-heading. A sub-heading is a sentence or two that goes below your headline and justifies it. You may feel after writing your headline that you need to explain the message further.
That is when the sub-headings come into play. Make sure the sub-heading is relevant to your headline and the message that you want to convey through the banner.
The tips for writing proper sub-headings are:
- Explain more – Does your product or service needs a bit more explanation? Try expanding on it with your sub-headline. Do not make it too long. Adjust the sub-heading within a few sentences only.
- Talk about the benefits – You can encourage your audience to take any action in the headline of the banner. In the sub-heading, try talking about the benefits of taking that particular action.
- Encourage action – The sub-headings are a great way to get your target audience to do something with the banner ad. Whether you want them to call you or buy a product, a precise sub-heading can encourage them to click the CTA button in the banner.
The nature of your sub-heading relies on the type of headline you have used in the banner. Explosive headlines spark interest in your audience’s mind about your products or services. And impressive sub-headings encourage them to take the action you want them to take.
Wrapping Up
The right banner ad can expand your reach to a wider set of an audience all over the Internet. All the four parts, as described above, are essential for marketers to design a compelling banner ad that would drive quality sales and revenue.
Your banner reflects your brand image along with mission, values and ethics. Create an impressive one and you will have tons of website visitors flowing into your website.
About the Author!
Clara Smith is a web developer at a reputed firm in the United State. She is also one of the essay writers at Allessaywriter.com. Clara loves to spend time with her daughters whenever she is free.