More than ever before there is great choice when it comes to
advertising banners. The different medium and variety of products is truly
amazing. In fact, you could almost say that the range has reached a point where
it could even be considered to be too great.
The selection can be overwhelming. And because of this it
requires a dedicated and highly knowledgeable marketing professional to pull
together the right mix. He or she must make the correct selection of collateral
in order to successfully deliver a campaign. The work cannot be random or done
quickly without research or forethought; that kind of approach will be
ineffective and will waste money.
This article will give an overview of some of the different
types of advertising banners on offer and how they can work for your
organisation so that initiatives can yield the results you desire.
Billboard – Giant poster and transport ads are amongst the
oldest in the industry. Yet interestingly they are one of the most enduring and
effective. Why? The reasons are not hard to figure out. You're able to exposure
message to a large number of people very quickly and, compared to television
and radio, they are relatively inexpensive. As everyone knows, people don't
have to use the public system to be exposed to these options. If you're
travelling in a car, particularly during rush hour, you will see this kind of
product and it'll capture attention.
However, these things do have their drawbacks. The number of
words is a limited and some people would actually consider them a shallow
format. You can't get a very lengthy message on the back of the bus or even on
a billboard. Another limitation is that performance is highest in urban areas.
If you need to reach many people in different settings, including rural or even
isolated locations, they won't work. So it would be unwise for you to allocate
your complete budget to this one option alone. But they can be used very well
for product launches and new initiatives.
Online – Options have evolved tremendously since the dawn of
the Internet in the early 1990s. There are many different kinds of adverts you
can opt for but they should be used very carefully. These can also be expensive
and generally speaking today only yield good results on high traffic websites.
You need to explore the pricing model. If it's paid per impression is going to
be accruing costs even though the visitor doesn't click through the ad and take
a look at your website. Usually, pay per click is the best option. It shows
that your ad has captured attention and someone wants to have a look - at the
very least that's the first step towards making a sale.
Overall, web adverts have fallen in popularity in recent
years. It appears that customers want to focus more on content when they are online
and not be drawn to messages that push products or services. This is quite
different when compared with print because we all know that individuals pick up
a newspaper or magazine to actually browse through display ads. However, don't
feel that this should be ignored. It still has its place and should be used
alongside other formats as part of your channels.
You need to think about the technical file format. If you go
with Flash there will still be some people using browsers who can't accommodate
that file type.
Print - despite our on-going embrace of all things web,
magazines and newspapers still have an important role to play when it comes to
promotions. As with the opportunities outlined above, your first steps should
be to understand who you're trying to reach and then explore what they read. If
it's a niche audience then go with specialist products. If it's broad and
general, then pick lifestyle mags and some mainstream press.