Banner Advertising's Effectiveness As A Marketing Tool
by Riki Trafford
http://www.1dmom.com

Are banners effective or have they totally lost their appeal? Some say banner advertising never really had an appeal on a medium that relies on the user doing the navigating rather than the medium calling the shots. Anyway, don't Internet users access the Internet through Search Engines rather than through advertising? Banner advertising went through stages since its inception to become a marketing tool that motivates people to action instead of merely an informational tool like a print ad or web site.

On the Internet, banners are everywhere. What makes advertisers think tons of exposure will move someone to click-through? Are advertisers hoping for product recognition? Sadly, research shows Internet users start to tune out banners and treat it like background noise. However, Internet marketing services still claim banner advertising can work if done right and in the right places.

Banner advertising campaigns will work, if done carefully so the Internet user is receptive to your banner's message. The banner must be positioned so the viewer's attention is captured in a positively manner rather than in an annoying fashion. Some advertisers consider animation as a useful attention grabber rather than an annoying distraction. Also, some advertisers include special advice such as "Do [this] and you get rid of [that]!" Another banner ploy is to offer freebies. If the freebie has no catch, viewers are more likely to click-through. As long as a banner does more than inform and asks for a certain action, then viewers feel motivated to click-through.

Some critics say banner advertising is nothing more than exposure and draws in site tourists better than ready customers who are leaning toward making a purchase. Is this really the attention that the banner advertiser was seeking? Furthermore, today's Internet user is much savvier than the wave of Internet users in the '90s who didn't mind following a banner to new and exciting spots. Truth be told, today's users are more cautious and skeptical of so called "freebees" and other gimmicks.

Banner advertising also falls short of its potential because many Internet users plainly don't like them and block them. Unfortunately, identity theft and other risks are associated with Internet banner ads. True or not, users believe all banners contain destructive or invasive programs like spy ware. As result, many website creators are seeking alternative ways to transmit their offers and announce their web address than through negatively perceived banners.

According to some studies, a website has 8 seconds or less to seize a visitor's attention before he either decides to stick around or leave. If a banner slows down the loading time, many website owners will opt out on certain banners rather than risk loosing buying customers.

Banner advertising can bring an extra source of income to many websites if visitors click-through. However, if the banner starts to bother some visitors, many websites will stop running it. For this reason, more websites carry simple banners rather than complicated, flashy ones.

So, can a banner advertising campaign be effective online? What really draws in visitors to the banner ~ navigators on search engines or the banner itself? The answers depend on the goals of the banner campaign and an understanding of its position in a complex medium.

Copyright 2005 Riki Trafford. All rights reserved.
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Riki Trafford is the webmaster and operator of Direct MO Marketing which offers low cost keyword-targeted web traffic. For comments and questions visit his web site: http://www.1dmom.com/
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