Proven Laws of Banner Advertising

LET'S DISCUSS WHAT GREAT BANNER ADS NEED

SCREAM- LOOK AT ME!

YES. YES. YES.ES. YES. YES.

When dealing with seconds, and sometimes fractions of a second, YOU NEED to grab the attention of the viewer, it's vital that your ad screams LOOK AT ME NOW. You accomplish this goal primarily through, and in the order of: your copy, color, graphics. Therefore spend as much time on the AD of those five to ten words that little box has space enough for as you did practicing to ask for that first date.

USE COLOR!
Bright colors almost always out perform the reds and the blacks which are less effective. Use Yellow, Orange, Blue and Green. These are the ATTENTION GETTERS.

Your Banner Ads have a few seconds to Impress - Make a LOUD noise.

ANIMATE!
Animated banners have multiple advantages over static or single screen banners. With animation, you can layer in additional copy. A three screen animated banner easily provides enough room for five to seven words per screen. Just make certain the copy that you choose for the first screen is compelling and attention getting.

Focus on your web site's premium benefit. Why do people visit your site? What's in it for them? Build your headline, ie: the first screen, or your static banner, based upon your single most prominent, compelling benefit.

LOAD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!
Banner size, should be maintained at 3-5K which is ideal if you can accomplish your copy and creative objectives. If not, up to 7 is OK. Never more than 10 as it takes much longer to load and you run the risk of the visitor not seeing your banner at all.

FREE! FREE! GIVE IT AWAY!
The number one drawing card in banner advertising is the use of the word FREE. Put your creative talents to task here. Write a free report that solves a problem, and post it at your site. Offer a free drawing, free subscription to a e-zine. Free advertising, free trial offer, free download for software, etc., etc.

ALWAYS HAVE THE WORD CLICK ON A BANNER!
Never assume your viewer knows what to do next. Always, in one or more places, insert the words click here, or, click here now, or show a drop down box with a click arrow prominently displayed.

TEST, TEST, TEST!
Test, test, and test some more. Once you've got the perfect banner working, design another one because sooner or later even the best banner runs out of steam. It's generally accepted that after a prospect sees a banner for the third or fourth time, the likelihood of a click through plummets. When testing, always test the next new design on the same site or on the same network, so you are indeed comparing apples to apples. Testing is a continual ongoing, dynamic process. Review your stat pages on a daily basis and be prepared to act quickly when results begin to lag. Remember the three most critical elements of your banner. First the copy, next the color, and next the graphics. Once a successful banner has been created, tweaking and modifying these elements can keep it alive and producing strong click-throughs for many months.