Internet Banner Advertising

As anyone selling any product online knows, it's hard to reach an audience, let alone the right audience, that is, the people who will buy your scented soaps, or books, or recycled material sculptures. Internet advertising can be very expensive and produce no appreciable return on investment (ROI). Even less costly ads can still be a waste of money, if not researched first. Who will see them? Will that audience open their wallets, finger their credit cards and then put them away without buying? Since you don't want them to do that, you need to spend time on research.

To some frequent surfers, internet banners have sprouted like mushrooms after heavy rains in a parched climate. You can't duck to one side or the other of the search you're on, without feeling them burst in all directions, often in your face. Banner ads particularly overwhelm those just coming off DOS-only machines. These web neophytes are people who had been regarding computers as souped-up typewriters. Computers were useful for getting legal briefs out of the way or grading student term papers; computers weren't seen as portals guarding vast catacombs of research treasure.

On the other hand, other expert surfers see internet banners as a natural part of driving the internet highways, much like the old Burma-Shave ads along the side of the road--in times of antiquity, of course. The ads are a bit more annoying and a bit less entertaining. But one man's groaning pun is another man's rib-tickler. So it is with internet banners. They may be exactly what you're looking for, thus serving a very useful purpose for the seller and the potential customer.

Always Keep Other Forms of Advertising, Too

Internet banner advertising is only one form of online advertising, of course. Other forms of online advertising exist and are also needed. Some visitors simply won't return to a site that uses flashing signs, while others are pleased to spot something quickly that relates to their needs. Static ads on other quality websites reinforce the message about your product. Keep in mind that each form of advertising reaches a different segment of the intended audience.

The traditional advertising venues of TV, radio, and magazines are out of the reach of a small business's budget. Flyers or direct mail may be more affordable. However, they sometimes lack the immediacy of instant ordering for the customer. It depends on whether or not a fax number or other 24-hour customer service contact is provided. However, a customer has to see your ad at least three or four times before it "registers" and usually a time or two more before he's comfortable enough to spend money on the product.

Expect Reasonable Results from Banners

Overall, banner ads cost less than more traditional advertising. They're usually 468 x 60 pixels and, depending on the contract, may be displayed on a network of sites. The customer may pay a flat rate per 1,000 times that a page is viewed, or may pay a few (or many) cents each time a visitor clicks on the banner to visit the customer's website. This is usually a better deal in terms of ROI.

Click-through rates, where a visitor goes to the website, will be much lower than page view numbers. Actual click-through may be as low as one half of one percent of visitors. Even highly targeted advertising banners may produce a click-through rate of only two or three percent. But if visitors to the placement site are sufficient, the click-through rate can produce a decent number of sales. There is a movement underway to widen the availability of services that only bill for the banner if a customer goes to the client's website and then places an order.