With so much emphasis currently placed on mobile, Facebook, and other trends, it seems as though a lot of people are overlooking the display advertising channel. While mobile and Facebook offer exciting new opportunities and show massive potential for increasing ad revenue, let us not forget that display ads grew 26% worldwide in the first quarter of 2013 and continue to be a successful form of online advertising. In fact, it was predicted that by the end of 2013, display ad revenue would reach nearly $35 billion. Obviously that’s a hefty sum, and evidence that display advertising remains a viable marketing strategy. So keeping all of that in mind, we wanted to offer up our five best tips to help you optimize your display ad and help you tap into that $35 billion market share.
- Location, Location, Location—The placement of your banner ad is vital to its success, so why would you want it in a place where nobody can see it? Make sure that your banner receives a prominent position on the page, and always make sure that it’s above the fold.
- Target The Right People—Know who your target audience is, run some A/B testing to find out what they respond to best, and then use that information to create a banner that they can’t ignore. Make sure you are using geo-specific and behavioral targeting as well—this will enable you to narrowly target users that are more likely to click your banner and purchase the product.
- Write Engaging Copy—Your banner ad is only as good as its content. If your copy is dull and boring, don’t expect to generate a lot of traffic, clicks, or conversions. You have one shot to captivate potential customers, so make sure that your content is exciting, easy to read, and tells viewers what to do. Furthermore, a strong and obvious call to action should be part of your copy strategy, as you want visitors to act instantly, not come back later.
- Optimize Your Design—Along with its unmistakable call to action and enticing copy, your design should also grab viewers’ attention. Make sure that your design is well thought out beforehand, and chose a color scheme and graphics that are most appealing to your target audience. But, regardless of the types of users you are targeting, your banner design should always be clean, creative, and aesthetically pleasing. In other words, avoid clutter, use appropriate language, and go with a color scheme that fits your brand, your offer, and your audience. Also, don’t be afraid to use custom graphics, photos, or GIFs, but if you opt for these extras, be sure that they don’t distract viewers from your offer and call to action.
- Study Your Results—As with any form of performance marketing, it’s important to track your results and study the statistics of your campaigns. By reviewing your clicks, impressions, and conversions, you can better optimize your banner, maximize its effectiveness, and improve your overall results.
While certainly not an exhaustive list, these are a few tips that should help you run a more successful banner ad campaign. Remember that location is everything, and that enticing copy and an intriguing design will help boost your clicks and conversions. But, even if you experience success, continue to test different variables in order to found out what the best possible ad is for your specific product or service.
If you have any helpful tips of your own that you would like to share, please leave them in the comments below.