Online advertising is one of the most effective ways to get people interested in your offer. Only when it's well designed, of course – the wrong content and a bad creative is the perfect recipe for blowing the budget and getting poor results. How can you capture the attention of internet users during the campaign? How do you make users want to click on a banner ad?
Banner campaigns and their content
There is a reason why content marketing is an integral part of a brand's online presence strategy. The Content Marketing Institute Report shows that a whopping 80% of B2B marketers used content to successfully increase brand awareness among potential customers. However, the effectiveness of the campaign is not only based on creating and publishing the content – its distribution is also important. A massive 81% of those surveyed confirmed that they use paid advertising for this. It's no secret – the places where banner ads appear are saturated with content. On news websites, each headline fights for the attention of the audience, and on social media, posts from friends are interspersed with thousands of different ads. The competition is fierce, and you have a split second to capture the attention of your potential customers. How do you do it?
The banner title and subtitle are key
It all starts with the headlines. They should be short, specific and catchy – there's no room for filler or complex metaphors. The most effective titles contain 2 to 6 words. So, you have limited space to present the essence of your campaign and grab the attention of the audience.
What you can't fit in the title can be set out in the text below. However, remember that the subtitle should be consistent with the headline – it's best if it expands on the main slogan or provides more details about it. In addition to logical consistency, it's also important to make the two texts different in size.
Banner ads – what should they say?
Of course, it all depends on the specifics of the campaign and the needs of your audience. The content should promise a specific benefit or value to future customers. There are a few universal aspects that you should pay special attention to when designing the texts for banners:
USP (Unique Selling Proposition), i.e. a unique feature that sets the product or company apart. Don't be afraid to convey the aspects that make your company stand out from the competition.
Numbers. Data always captures the attention of the audience and adds credibility to your message, so refer to statistics, reports, and research.
https://moat.com/advertiser/deloitte
Limited time only. To encourage potential customers to read the details of the promotion, make it time-limited and state the end date on the banner.
https://moat.com/creative/e5502b511adcafd8504aea65005af9b8?regoin=US
You can also use a few copywriting tricks for creating effective headlines. The following work well:
Lists. Tell the user about a specific number of solutions to their problem, e.g. 5 steps to (...), 7 ways to (...).
https://moat.com/advertiser/microsoft
Mistakes. None of us like to mess up – a list of ways to avoid common mistakes will definitely be popular.
Questions. When opting for this type of headline, address the audience directly. Create questions that your potential customer will want to know the answer to.
https://moat.com/advertiser/deloitte
Is banner personalization the key to success?
It's rare for a brand to have a single target audience – your customers differ from each other in terms of demographics, personality, expectations, needs, and taste. Instead of sending the same message to everyone, create several personalized versions of the banner. Sometimes, even mentioning the place where the user lives in the content of the message will increase the chances of getting their attention. And their click.
Designing banner ads – what should you avoid?
People don't like to be deceived, so you need to be honest in your campaign. If you encourage someone to download a free e-book, it can't then be free only after purchasing a training course for PLN 2,000. Do not mislead potential customers, because you will definitely put them off your brand. Also, remember not to make empty promises to users. So, think about what you can realistically offer as part of your campaign. If you deceive the audience, the best-case scenario is that they won't take advantage of your offer; in the worst-case scenario, they could cause a major image crisis.
How do you design a banner ad? Looks matter!
Even the best content won't bring the desired results if it's presented in an uninviting, unattractive way. The form is as important as the message, so when designing the banners for a campaign, you shouldn't ignore the graphics.
How do you ensure that the banner looks good so that the potential customer doesn't feel as though the graphic designer was crying while they designed it?
A mini guide to making effective web banners
Make the banner readable – don't overdo the amount of text or distractions.
Don't forget about contrast – the text should stand out from the background.
Less is more – only put the most important elements on the banner.
Add margins – the edges should be free of text.
Arrange the elements in a logical way – so-called light makes the design more readable.
Basic graphic design mistakes for banners
Using illegible fonts (too fancy or too thin).
Content written in all caps.
Using colours in a way that goes against the brand book. Corporate identity matters!
Poor choice of colours; inconsistent graphic design.
Photos and graphics that are unrelated to the content displayed on the banner.
Of course, remember to respect copyright law when choosing photos and graphics for your campaign. We hope that it goes without saying!
How do you design an effective CTA? Tell the audience what they should do next
Last but not least, the heart of the banner: the call to action. If you tell your audience clearly what action they should take after seeing the banner, you increase the chances that they will actually take it. The simplest type of CTA are short messages like "Check it out", "Buy now" or "Learn more". However, it's worth trying out different options.
It's important to ensure that the content of the call to action is specific and reflects what the user will see after clicking on the banner. Leave the clickbait to the tabloids.
You should also remember that calls to action which tell the user that they will have to perform additional actions ("Register", "Create an account", "Complete the form"), tend to discourage users from clicking. That's why it's better to focus on the benefits that future customers will gain by using your brand.
Base:
B2B Content Marketing - Brenchmarks, Budgets, and Trends - Insights for 2022 - https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/B2B_2022_Research.pdf