Banner ads are one of the most prolific forms of marketing used in today’s online world. All companies use them in one form or another because they’re an affordable, measurable way to increase brand awareness. We just finished multiple web banner ads for Twentieth Television. As this is still on our brain, we wanted to take you through some key tips that have helped us create awesome web banners for our client. First, it’s helpful to think of the banner ads in terms of content hierarchy. This means they contain 3 basic components, the company logo, the value proposition, and the call to action, all described below.
- Company logo: Your company logo must be included to build brand awareness. Make sure that it’s visually dominant but not as dominant as the value proposition and the call to action.
- The value proposition: The value proposition showcases the service/product your brand provides and calls attention to itself with attractive products, special offers such as “Modern Family weeknights, 6:00pm.” It should take up the most space in your ad and be the first thing that you viewers’ eyes are attracted to.
- The call to action: Not all banners have a call to action, but if you required, it is usually made of text or a button with phrases like ‘Click Here,’ ‘Learn More,’ ‘Watch Now,’ or ‘Register Here.’ It should be a standout focal point of the ad, prompting viewers to click on it.
Once you have these 3 basics down, use the simple tips below to help you create awesome banner ads for your clients:
- Keep it simple – Keep it simple visually and content-wise. Viewers are probably only going to glance at your banner for a second.
- Make your text instantly readable – Try to make the headline and body copy different sizes, try to avoid copy smaller than 10 pt, unless for disclaimer or copyright.
- Use imagery well – Choose relevant images, graphics or photos that enhance your message and that are directly related to your client’s product. No abstract concepts here.
- Keep file sizes small – The smaller the better, under 150 kb according to Google Adwords. Your ad needs to load fast on that webpage before viewers scroll down and miss it.
