Pay Per Click Banners

      Banner Ads

     The death of the banner ad has been greatly exaggerated. While not the final marketing solution, banner ads used correctly can deliver new customers, promote brand awareness & trigger sales. They are still a big part of the Internet landscape, and a familiar, acepted method of advertising your site.

     Banner ads come in many shapes and sizes, the most popular of which is a horizontal banner measuring 468 x 60 pixels and 256 colors.

     Banners need to be configured to accepted standards. Too big, and it won't fit the space, too small and it looks weird, too many colors and it won't display properly, too much animation and it takes too long to load, and too much information and nobody will read it.

     Creating effective banners is an art!

     Effective banners display messages with a minimum of design complexity. Simply put, less is more! In simple banners, the words are the message, but you can increase your click through rates, (CTR's), by using a few tricks:

     a) Add the words "Click Here" in your banner ad. Even though people understand a banner is a link, the words Click Here prompts a call to action. Placing the words in a button further defines what you expect the viewer to do.

     b) Making the background transparent makes the banner look less like a banner and more like part of the web site displaying it.

     c) Putting a blue border around your banner makes it look like it's a linkable graphic.

      d) Adding elements people are accustomed to clicking on - multiple choice questions, scroll bars, etc can be effective.

1.      Banner ad messages must be short and sweet. Often compard to billboards, your banner ad has got to get your message accross quick! Whether at the top of the page, scattered thoughout the page content or as a skyscraper along the side, you've got to get your point accross in a few choice words. Find the words that triggers action.

2.       Make sure your banner sends your customer to the right place. If you're using banners for site branding it's OK to send users straight to your home page, but banner ads that promote special offers often lure people to a home page, then leave them wondering where to go from there. What happens? The frustrated user moves on without purchasing. They just don't have time to figure it all out.

    Therefore, instead of sending users to your home page, link them to your tour or demo page, and give them a good look at what your site is all about. Ideally, you'll duplicate your demo page or perhaps supply a redirect to it and track response through your log files. This way, you'll know people responded to your banner even if they didn't act on it.

3.     Target your ads. Your must make sure you're fishin' in the right pond if you want to achieve banner ad success. Banner farms display banners on many sites, but how meaningful & effective are they? Campaigns targeted to your specific audience will yield far better results. Placing ads on large search engines, for example, is not targeted marketing, and won't do you much good unless you're selling soup, soap or cigarettes - someting that appeals to a general audience. Far better to go with The National Law Journal or Writ if you're selling something appealing to lawyers, or The Gardener's Network or You Grow Girl if you have a site for gardners. You get the idea.

     Our Gay Adult Marketing campaigns are always targeted to specific gay audiences, zeroing in on demographic groups of people who have proven to be interested in hot sites and gay action. We make a them part of your marketing campaign, because used correctly, they can work to get your site known.

4.     Add enhanced media to your banner ads. Adding animation, sound and other special effects to your banners ad can have a big effect on your campaign and produce more action. Pros? Messages are more noticeable and memorable, leading to better results. Cons? This so-called 'rich media' requires specialized programmers, and download times are generally slower. The jury is still out on the overall value of rich media as not every computer or Web site is equipped to support it, but banners using embellished graphic presentations are outpolling standard banners significantly. We believe that banners featuring enhanced graphics are far more effective, if done judiciously, and are worth the extra time and expense.

5.    Click-though rates don't tell the wholoe story. Banners with high click-throughs may not be the best at obtaining "conversions," where the user actually makes a purchase or signs up for your site. This may mean that your banners aren't reflecting the style, personalty, products or services your site offers - a common error in banner production. Remember, the yardstick of success is driving users to action. Conversions, also known as "completions," in the final analysis _are_ the bottom line, and we here at Gay Adult Marketing make this our ultimate goal.

For recorded info please call 1-800-GAY-4166

Gay Adult Marketing
1525 State St #210
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Toll free: 1-800-429-4822
Phone: (805) 896-2607
Email: sales@gayadultmarketing.com