It’s no secret that advertising is migrating from traditional mediums toward the digital world. One of the most common digital mediums currently is the banner ad. Digital banner ads can be extremely cost effective and are trackable, offering the opportunity for key insights into your campaigns. Achieving a high click-through rate is essential to the success of any digital campaign. This goal is no easy task, however. With trillions of digital ads on the internet, how do you make your ad stand apart?
Following is a list of tips for designing banner ads and bringing in those vital clicks.
- Design for your audience
Remember to keep your target audience in mind when building your digital ads. With only seconds to catch their attention, your ad better speak to them. Your target audience should be reflected in your choice of wording, imagery, and call to action.
- Be clear about what you are offering
It takes much more than an attractive design to get your target audience to respond. Be clear about what you are offering by conveying one straightforward message. Keep in mind, a banner ad only lasts 15-30 seconds. This is an extremely limited amount of time to get your message across and encourage engagement.
- Keep it visually simple
You are already competing with trillions of ads on the internet. Don’t create competition within your ad. Keep the importance of basic design theory in mind. Your banner design should be visually simple. Utilize strong and readable fonts, impactful colors, and be brief with content. If you overstimulate users with fonts, animation, and color, it will dilute your ability to convey your message.
- Use animation, but sparingly
Animated ads usually outperform static banner ads and can be very effective in banner design. There is a fine line between compelling and overwhelming, however. Use animations sparingly and in an impactful way to draw attention to your ad, complement your message, and compel users to respond.
- Use buttons
Buttons are known to increase click-through rates. While the whole ad is clickable, a button can help create a visual cue that you are asking for a click. Use buttons tastefully while still creating attention. Consider using contrasting colors, and remember that visually they should be consistent throughout the set of ads.
- Load time
Nothing kills a media experience like delays in loading. Don’t waste your time and media dollars by missing the opportunity for your audience to see your ad. Make sure to save your files properly to ensure a quick load time.
These are just a few tips to make sure your digital banner ads stand apart from the crowd. Banner ads are often small in a world of digital clutter, so take the time to make yours stand apart and people will be responding in no time! And if you find creating compelling, clickable banner ads a little too challenging, consider hiring an expert to help you create a successful digital campaign.
