How to Advertise With a Banner Ad
If you've ever noticed a large, rectangular ad above or beside the content on a web page you were reading, then you're acquainted with the power of banner advertising. Banner ads work by catching readers' attention, even among the main content of the web page and any other ads it contains. You can make your own using image editing software and animation tools. The most difficult part of banner advertising is finding an effective spot for your ad. With a little trial and error, this too can be relatively simple.
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Instructions
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Sketch ideas for your banner ad animation on a sheet of paper. Compose each idea with at least two frames, but not much more than three so that you catch peoples' attention and make your point before they lose interest. Don't waste space by including your website address since the ad itself will link to your site.
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Use image editing software (see Resources) to make the frames of your banner ad based on your sketches. Save each frame with a file name that includes your business name, the pixel size of the banner ad and the number of the slide in the sequence; for example, "pollyspeanuts-120x240(1).gif."
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Use animation software (see Resources) to compose your ad. Choose an animation speed that allows viewers to read the ad quickly; that means a speed that is slow enough to be legible but not so slow that people may lose interest waiting to see the point. Save the animation with a name such as "pollyspeanuts-120x240bannerad.gif."
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Find websites relevant to your target audience that sell banner ad space within your price range. Contact the owner of each website to ensure that it gets at least 89 unique visitors per week, since this is normal for a small business according to the HubSpot Internet marketing company. Place your ad on a site only after you determine that the owner uses a reliable ad tracking system that you can monitor yourself. Without ad tracking, you can't determine the effectiveness of any of your ads.
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Monitor how many people visit your website using the banner ad link from each ad host's website. Ask the owner to move an ad to a new, more relevant location on his site if it performs poorly compared to your other ads, or remove the ad from his site altogether. Monitor sales as well. If the ads are working, your business's sales should increase. Do this monthly to keep track of how much value you get for your advertising money.
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Tips & Warnings
Feature your company colors, name and logo prominently in the ad to distinguish it from others.
Avoid using the edges of the frame for your banner ad design. By leaving the edges empty, you can trim your ad for websites that use non-standard banner ad spots.
