Don’t believe anyone that tells you “banner blindness” has rendered banner ads obsolete!
Revenue generated by banner ads is expected to continue to grow by nearly 9% by 2023.
We’re going to get you started with using banner ads for mobile devices so you can grow your own revenue with them.
Keep reading to find out how to create mobile banner ads, what to include in them, and how to use them for maximum impact.
The Three C’s of Mobile Banner Ad Creation
When coming up with any banner ad, there are three principles you have to follow. These will be the basis for creating ads that convert.
Clear
If your message isn’t clear, your ad will be skipped over. You need to ensure that readers will know exactly what your ad is about within a couple of seconds of seeing it.
Concise
Banner ads have limited space which means you have to contain a large amount of information in that space. If you try to fit too much text or imagery in a single ad, it will turn people off from clicking it.
Compelling
An ad needs to compel someone to take an action. In most cases, that means getting them to click on your ad to find out more about what you’re selling.
What to Include in Your Banner Ads
To create a compelling banner ad that people want to click, there are a few elements that it must have.
Color
Understanding the psychology behind color will help you choose the best color for your banner ads. You will want to use your brand colors that best represent your business, but colors that encourage clicks are also important.
Generally, warm colors like red and yellow are good at grabbing attention and can help you attract more people to your ads.
Imagery
A picture is worth a thousand words, and an essential part of creating a mobile banner ad that converts. Pick images that are compelling and clearly express your product or service will draw more clicks than text alone.
Movement
You don’t need to have flashing lights and blinking text to draw attention to your banner ad. However, a simple animation will help set it apart from the text a person is reading.
In some cases, video ads are even better and obviously include both movement and sound.
CTA
Don’t forget to include some type of call-to-action in your banner ad. You want to prepare people for their next step before they even end up on your website. A simple “click for more” will usually suffice.
Mobile Banner Ad Tips and Tricks
Mobile banner ads are a bit different than those found on computer screens. For this reason, it’s important to follow these tips that will help you get the most out of every ad you place.
Size Matters
The first thing to think about is size. The size of the banner can have a bigger impact on clicks than you may imagine.
Mobile banner ads come in three sizes:
300 x 250 pixels
320 x 50 pixels
320 x 150 pixels
Generally speaking, the medium-sized rectangle that’s 300 x 250 pixels performed the best compared to other sizes. This was also the banner size that performed best on computer browsers as well.
Location, Location, Location
Another important thing to consider is where your ad will be placed. Ads that are above an article’s title or at the bottom of the screen don’t perform nearly as well as those which are found within the text.
Check out a website before placing your ad there to see where they have most of their ads placed. Hopefully, they’ve done their own research and used optimal ad placement. If not, keep looking for better locations for your ad.
Avoid Animation Issues
Not every mobile device is going to run quickly enough to load and display your animated ad the way it was intended. For that reason, you have to take some steps to avoid animation issues.
When creating the ad, be sure that each frame can stand on its own. That way, if a device isn’t loading your ad properly, the reader will still have the chance to see what it’s about and may click anyway.
You may even need to go through the finished ad frame-by-frame to make sure it’s going to convey your company’s message the whole time.
Consider Context
The final thing you want to consider before placing your ads is context. You want it to match the website so your ad doesn’t look too out of place. When an ad is in context, it’s going to convert better than one out of context.
For example, the last thing you want on a YouTube video is a static ad. People are on YouTube for videos, so your YouTube ads should be both seen and heard. They also need to out-shine the video a person is waiting to watch so they don’t skip it.
Think about the context of each ad before you place it. This will allow you to create the perfect ad for its placement which in turn generates more clickthroughs.
Do A/B Testing
Don’t forget to test your ads once you start running them. Start with at least two designs and run them the same way. Use analytics to determine which one did the best and then work to improve it.
Although it’s impossible to achieve a 100% clickthrough rate, constantly creating new ads and tweaking your current ones can help you improve that rate.
Need Help with Digital Advertising?
Now you have everything you need to start creating eye-catching mobile banner ads that will generate more leads and sales for your business.
One of the best ways to take all the guesswork out of digital advertising is to use industry experts. Our company has the knowledge and experience to help your company grow through advertising.
Contact us today to find out more about how our experts can meet your needs.
