Internet Advertising Tips
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The world of internet advertising changes constantly so it's very important to keep up with trends. We're not saying you should necessarily follow them, but at least know what's going on out there. Infotech websites and magazines are a good resource - they frequently run stories on internet marketing.
The following guidelines relate to traditional banner ads but can apply to most forms of online advertising.
Target Your Banners
Make sure they are on websites which fit your market. Banners which are linked to keywords in searches perform much better than random placements.
Get Attention
Conventional wisdom says you should try to grab attention through animation, bright colours, etc. The idea is sound, but be careful. Gaudy is not always good and visitors may be put off by "in your face" ads. Sometimes understatement can work wonders - a subtle ad might actually be what sets you apart.
Try Different Banners
Use a variety of banners and track their click-though statistics (the number of people who click on them). Be systematic - find out which ones work best and concentrate on them.
Call to Action
Banners allow visitors to take immediate action and you should take advantage of this. Use words like "Click here".
Make it Obvious
Although intrigue can sometimes work, the general rule is to make it obvious. Make sure the viewer knows exactly what the ad is for and what they can expect to happen when they click on it.
Be Honest
If you try to deceive people into clicking your ad, there are two things which will happen:
(1) The viewer's first impression of your business/product will be that you deceived them, i.e. you can't be trusted.
(2) The viewer's pointless visit to your site will have cost you in click-through rates, bandwidth and/or other resources.
Unless you're running a grossly unethical business the only useful visitors to your site are those which are genuine. The others are just slowing you down.
Be Specific
It may help to limit your message to a particular area of your business. Instead of advertising your business name, advertise a direct link to a particular product or special offer.
Involve the Audience
Interactive banners have been shown to work well. Again, be careful not to overdo it.
Change Your Banners
If they are going to be seen by the same people many times, keep them fresh.
Keep the File Size Down
Most banners should be under 15KB.
Labels: Advertising Tips
posted by Ville @ 2:35 AM,
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7 Tips for Writing Effective and Profitable Ads
There are many type of online ads, some of the most common ads used by entrepreneurs and webmasters are PPC contextual ads, classified ads, banner ads and online sales letters. In most cases, the purposes of these ads are to sell. To make your ads sell, you just have to write them as effective as possible and here are some tips that can help you:
- Refer your competitors products advertising material to get ad writing ideas. You can read their sale letters by visitng their websites, study their Google AdWords ads by going to Google and enter the keywords of your niche, etc.
- Know exactly the purpose of your ad copy. What you want your ad copy to achieve? It could be making a sale, generating a lead, driving more traffic, signing up your contest and so on.
- Emphasis on benefits, not features. Benefits are things that mean to your potential customers. Some example of products benefits are save money, solve a problem of your prospects, save time, etc. Whereas features are description on what qualities are product has.
- Focus on the headline of your ad. Write an eye-catching headline to attract your targeted prospects. Your headline should convince your targeted audiences that it’s worth a few minutes to read the body of your ads. A good headline promises some news and a benefit. Here’s an example of headline:
The headline is a news and highlighted a benefit. Webmasters who have problem finding unique content to publish on their websites will be interested to know about how the software can help them. And the headline successfully gets the targeted audiences to read the entire ad copy.
- If your ad copy is a sale letter. Include proven and supportive facts in your ad copy such as testimonials from satisfied customers, product reviews, result of customer surveys, a top-ten list, etc.
- Use a money back guarantee in your ad to convince your potential customers. Personally I’ll be more likely to buy a product with a money back guarantee because it removes my risk of loss. If the product doesn’t work as described, I just return it to the seller and get back my money.
- Let your potential buyers know what kind of after sale services they will get after they buy. It could be free tech support, consulting, free servicing, etc
Labels: Advertising Tips
posted by Ville @ 2:10 AM,
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