How to Create Attention-Grabbing Banner Ads

For the past three weeks, this blog has been immersed in the world of creative design. We’ve provided tips to help our readers create billboards, logos and business cards that are a step above the competition. For the final installment, we will present some best practices for creating effective banner ads.

Digital display advertising has increased in popularity among marketers in recent years because of its aptitude for targeting, tracking and cost effectiveness. In particular, banner ads are an excellent way to create brand awareness and encourage viewers to click on the ad to learn more. Below are four tips to help you make the best impression with your ads and attract the most clicks.

Size and location. First thing’s first. Let’s talk about the size and location of your ad. For banner ads, the size options you have to choose from depend on the location of the ad in terms of how best to attract your audience’s attention. Click here to view detailed descriptions of each ad size along with images to illustrate where each ad would be located on a site.

Content. Because there is such a limited amount of space to work with, the content of your ad must be direct and to the point. Consequently, apart from the brand’s logo and the image, there are two major parts of a banner ad: the message and the call to action. It is customary to keep the message to around 2-10 words to communicate value to your audience by calling attention to the deal, sale, product or service your ad is featuring. The call to action is meant to motivate and instruct the reader to click on the ad.

Buttons. Even though the entire ad is clickable, including a button in the ad makes it even more evident that this is the desired action. A button might be that last bit of visual motivation your audience needs to actually click on the ad.

Don’t overdo it. Especially with the larger banner ad sizes, you might get the temptation to add more to your ad to make it bigger and better. This can be too distracting for the viewer and result in the entire ad being ignored. An effective banner ad is one that is simple and straightforward with one image, one message and one call to action.

Does your company need to rejuvenate its current logo? Is your business card starting to look a little stale? Are you interested in exciting and eye-catching design ideas for your next advertising campaign? Weise can help!