Banner Advertising\'s Effectiveness As A Marketing Tool

Do you expect your same banner ad used in print and on TV to draw the same attention online?  Some say banner campaigns online don't work as well online as they do in other media. Maybe this due to the Internet user's navigating power. Simply put, Internet users have the power to use search engines to get where they want to go rather than relying on advertisements for direction.  As result, banner advertising online has evolved beyond an informational marketing tool into a motivator that calls the Internet user to action.


Banners are found everywhere on the Internet.  Do advertisers expect their exposure to increase recognition? Or, do advertisers want their exposure to lead to a click-through?  Unfortunately, research shows that too much banner advertising online is a turn-off for the Internet user who actually starts to gloss over banner advertising. Still, Internet marketing services assert that banner advertising will work as long as its done right and placed in the right spots.


Banner advertising that does work has to be in the right place, at the right time where the Internet user is most receptive to that banner's message.  It has to get right in front of the viewer's face and catch their attention in a positive and not annoying way.  Some ways that advertisers are finding banner advertising useful is by employing animation.  Animation can get attention, but keeps the viewers eyes moving and can just become an annoying distraction.  Another way to use a banner effectively is to pose a useful question like if you do [such and such] then you get an additional [such and such].  Banners can also offer freebees.  Everyone loves a freebie, without a catch. For instance, offer a chance in a drawing or a free trial offer. Banners that position themselves to do more than inform create a desire that the viewer wants to act upon.


Is banner advertising nothing more than excessive exposure that draws in more traffic than valuable customers?  Banner advertising must be created to target the right audience and motivate a click-through and purchases.  Today's Internet user is much savvier than the first time users in the 1990s who didn't think twice about a click-through to a new location.  Instead, today's user are much more discriminatory about their selections and highly suspicious of gimmicks like freebies.


Banner advertising also falls short of its potential because many Internet users plainly don't like them and block them. Unfortunately, identity theft and other risks are associated with Internet banner ads.  True or not, users believe all banners contain destructive or invasive programs like spyware.  As result, many website creators are seeking alternative ways to transmit their offers and announce their web address than through negatively perceived banners.


According to some studies, a website has 8 seconds or less to seize a visitor's attention before he either decides to stick around or leave.  If a banner slows down the loading time, many website owners will opt out on certain banners rather than risk loosing buying customers.


Some web sites rely on banner ads for an extra source of income, especially if visitors follow the banner to its destination.  However, the web site itself also wants to maintain its visitors and customers who don't want to be bugged by advertising and slow downloading times. Sometimes simpler banners are more effective than complicated flashy banners.


What's the appeal in an advertising campaign that uses online banners?  What makes a banner effective - savvy navigators or the banner itself?  The answer lies in the banner's planning.  However, even the best laid out plans can be hit and miss in a very wide spread medium.


Copyright 2005 Riki Trafford. All rights reserved.


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Riki Trafford is the owner of Direct MO http://www.1dmom.com


which offers low cost keyword-targetted web traffic. For comments and questions visit his web site:http://www.1dmom.com/


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