Banner ads can be an effective tool for getting the word out about your company or promotion while your potential customers are surfing the web. Well-designed online ads work alongside other types of advertisements to reach the largest audience possible. Typical viewers see over 1,700 banner ads each month, and putting in the time and effort to make yours the one they click on can go a long way. Have you ever wondered if your brand's banner ads are truly effective at connecting with your target audience? Here are some tips for designing banner ads that can make them more engaging to users.
Design a Banner Ad That Is Relevant to Your Audience
Staying informed about the year's top trends in graphic design can help you select color schemes, fonts, and other aesthetic elements that appeal to modern audiences. For instance, including the Pantone color of the year, or using colors that evoke specific emotions depending on what you are trying to achieve can help the success of your ads. Also, make sure to only advertise seasonal items at relevant times of year. No one is going to click on an ad about your back-to-school sale in the middle of winter, so be sure to check on your old ads and keep them current in order to maximize your return on investment. Avoiding outdated designs, phrases, and references can insure that your ad, product, and company are in tune with the times.
Make Sure Your Banner Ad Is Visually Appealing
Banner ads that are visually appealing show viewers that you put some thought into designing an ad that deserves a closer look. Incorporate your brand's logo, as well as colors and fonts that match your branding. However, don't use too many colors, fonts, or words in order to keep your ad from being too busy. Incorporating animation can also be an effective way to catch a viewer's eye over the ad next to it.
When creating banner ads it’s important to make sure that you aren’t including too much content. The amount of text you include should be driven by the size of the banner ad, as well as the size of the logos or other photos used. While you want to make sure that you’re including all of the necessary information that a prospect would need, you don’t want to run a banner ad that is cluttered and overwhelming to the audience. Consider focusing on the pertinent details: the who, what, when and where. Include the how and why if space permits, remembering to not over do it.
Create a Banner Ad That Is Relatable
Most people are more likely to purchase products from brands that they can connect to and find relatable. Therefore, it is important to consider your target audience when designing banner ads. Different age groups, genders and other demographic groups often have different values and interests, so it is important to think about what speaks to your target audience. Having this in mind during the design process can help you create an ad with an overall message that matches their lifestyle.
Optimize Your Banner Ad for Mobile Readers
Today, many people spend more time browsing the internet on their cell phones than on laptop or desktop computers. Constant access to the internet through smartphones gives your audience more opportunities to see your ads throughout the day, but it also means that optimizing your ads for smaller screens is necessary in order to maintain their effectiveness.
Google Ads offers a new banner ad format called expanded text ads, which was created with smartphones in mind and gives ad creators more space to work with. When your banner ads are optimized for mobile, it creates a more pleasant viewing experience, making it more likely for users to follow your call-to-action. . Using the correct type of ad extensions can also help to ensure that your viewers see your ads correctly. Creating ads that look their best on phones, tablets, and computers helps ensure a positive user experience when they are being viewed.
Make the Value of Your Banner Ad Clear
Providing value shows your audience exactly why clicking on your ad would benefit them. Because you don't get very many words or much time to grab a viewer's attention, it's important to make sure every word counts. Whether you are advertising a promotion or discount, or bringing awareness to something new and exciting about your business, make sure that your message is obvious. Effective banner ads provide an at-a-glance look at what your viewers will get if they click on your ad and why doing so is worth their time.
A well-designed ad is more likely to grab your audience's attention than one that was thrown together in a couple of minutes. Viewers don't need experience in graphic design to be able to tell when something seems off, which is likely to make them uninterested in learning more. By making sure that your ad contains your company logo, provides value and a relevant call-to-action to your audience, and is placed in a location that better aligns with the message being presented, you can give someone a good reason to click on your ad instead of the one next to it.
Taking the time to create relevant ads that have value and let your brand shine is an effective way to catch the attention of the right potential customers. If you are unsure of how to create a clickable banner ad, working with a media company that specializes in graphic design and commercial placement can be a great way to boost the quality and reach of your message. By applying these tips to your next display ad creative, you can find more new customers that are interested in what your company has to offer!
