The Pros and Cons of Marketing on the Internet
Using Banner Advertisements
(Sample)
Many people seem to think that if they build a web site people will come. Unfortunately, the Internet is not a "Field of Dreams". For a business to be successful on the Internet, you must use non-typical marketing methods. Also, you must understand that advertising on the Internet encompasses banner advertising, pop-ups, Pay-per-Clicks, Cost-per-Clicks, and search engine optimizations. This document explains the process of using banner advertisements: • Create your own banner ads • Exchange banners with your friends and/or sign up with Banner Exchanges • Review things from time to time and edit
How to Create a Banner Ad
Collect the following pieces of information: 1. Graphics/Logo that you want placed on the ad such as a product picture. If this image will be scanned, it should be the best hard copy possible. If you don’t have the correct picture, use a substitute. Or, you may only want a text advertisement. 2. Pencil out some content for the ad on paper. This is what you want the ad to say. If you have the font (type style) you want, that will help. 3. Advertisement size and file type is important. You need to make your ad in the appropriate size (banner exchanges ask for specific dimensions). Below is an example of size information.
BANNER TYPE Full Banner Ad Half Banner Ad BANNER SIZE IN PIXELS 468 x 60 pixels 234 x 60 pixels BANNER RESOLUTION 72 dpi 72 dpi FILE SIZE 15 Kb 10 Kb
4. We also recommend placing a line completely around the ad to distinguish it from other ads on the same web page. 5. The format for the ad can be in .GIF or .JPEG and no spaces in the filename. The advertisement is a graphic that you create and the file should be saved to disk (you need to work with the file from a floppy, CD or attach it to your email). Create your banner advertisement: Create the ad yourself meeting the criteria above by using graphics software (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe
Illustrator, Quark Express, Adobe Page Maker, Aldus Freehand, Hayes Smartcom II, Corel Draw, PaintShop Pro, etc) or use the FREE self-service Banner Builder at http://martinmultimedia.us. Note: you
can create ads in Microsoft Word; however, you will not be able to save them in the appropriate graphics format such as .gif, .jpeg, or .bmp. If you don’t want to do the work of creating the banner, or you're lazy and want someone else to do the work and you don't want to spend any money, there are people who will make banners for free. The reliability of such free services is hard to measure. Usually, companies or individuals offer this service for promotion/other purposes (ie, linking to their site).
If you would like us to build your banner ads for you, and work with banner exchanges, our standard consultant’s fee apply. Email sales@martinmultimedia.us anytime. You should have the advertisement sketched out, include graphic placement and content, and we will take care of the rest! (Upload & PC training)
The Pros and Cons of Marketing on the Internet Be creative! Look at your competitor’s banners (they can be all over his web pages). There are three types of banner ads: static (non moving graphic), active (animated graphics) and interactive (offer the visitor some choices). There are many web pages displaying banner ads that have proven their CLUNKiness with low clickthrough rates. That means that few people chose to click on any of these ads. What do these bad banner advertisements have in common? 1. They're all confusing. 2. They're poorly designed. 3. There's no compelling reason to click. Good banner advertisements, on the other hand are banner ads that CLICKED, and give you quantitative proof. They score with high click-through rates. What's common among these winners that you didn't see among the previous examples? 1. The information is clear. 2. They're visually appealing. 3. They offer a "call to action." This helps viewers know that your ad is interactive, and not simply a graphic on a webpage. A call to action usually involves some form of "click here" button. 4. Many offer something for free. 5. You'll want to target (place) your ads on web pages with similar/appropriate content to work best for you.
Exchange Your Banners
How to create a banner ad campaign: When your banner ad is finished, there are two ways to exchange it and each has its own benefits: • • You can give a copy of the file to your friends for a banner exchange and ask them to insert the banner into their web pages, and hotlink it “back” to your own web page URL (be specific). Or you can put it on your website, and ask others to “grab” it - this gives you the “freedom” to change it easier.
When you accept banners from your friends (or link exchanges), you should insert it into your web page just like any other image or photo (HTML experience required) and be sure to hotlink it “back” to their website so you will be able to pass visitors back-and-forth. You can distribute banners to your friends by inserting or attaching the file to email or by copying it to a floppy disk or CD and delivering to them. Be sure to reciprocate and place their banner advertisement on your website.
Review things from time to time & make changes
Keep a list of places where you put your banner. Visit their websites and test your banner regularly (after all, if the hyperlink “back” to your website isn’t working, then the advertisement may be useless). You could include the banner on the bottom of your email stationery, distribute it as a coupon (watch those expiration dates). Note: You be charged a fee if a “free” exchange method ends in certain cases. Advertising one's business without having a web site reduces the size of your audience thesedays because there are computers in nearly every household. It is as though you were reaching out and missing your sophisticated viewers. Radio, television, and print mediums are great for creating awareness, but they are limited in the amount of information that can be provided. There are no limitations for marketing services on the Internet.
You can use the FREE Self-Service BANNER BUILDER TOOL at http://martinmultimedia.us to create several banner advertisements for your website and rotate/change them as often as you feel necessary.
If you would like us to build your banner ads for you, and work with banner exchanges, our standard consultant’s fee apply. Email sales@martinmultimedia.us anytime. You should have the advertisement sketched out, include graphic placement and content, and we will take care of the rest! (Upload & PC training)