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Banners - Common Questions Answered
This article discusses what types of
banners are right for your site, and deals with issues you may want
to consider before you sign up for any service.
We believe the Internet is still in
its infancy. An interesting fact is that more people on earth watch
TVs Baywatch than use the Internet (1 billion), and that can be hard
to swallow.
The reality of the Internet is that
no matter how great your site is, you still have to promote it. Long
gone are the days when building a brilliant resource intense site
meant instant traffic. Why? Because people have so many choices, and
it's often difficult to filter the time wasters from what you may
consider 'valuable information'.
One client of ours is mystified as to
why their brand new site is only getting 100 or so hits a month.
They understand the need for promotion, and spending dollars to
promote the site, but like so many others they have been over
exposed to various media claiming 'reach millions of people around
the world with a low cost, low maintenance Web site.' Low cost and
low maintenance is hardly the case, and the same goes for reaching
millions of people, who in the medias eyes are just dying to see
your brand new Web site. Not.
Web Site promotion comes in three
major forms. First, free online promotion. Search engine
registration, new sites guides, and other free links pages. Second,
print media. Yes, definitely a biggie. And thirdly, banner ad
promotion.
There are many issues that must be
dealt with when considering banner advertising. What will it cost
per impression? Is there a click thru charge? Am I reaching the
right audience? What click thru ratio can I expect? What sites can I
advertise on? Which sites should I advertise on? It goes on, and on.
Through this article we hope to clear up a few of points.
What will it cost per impression?
This varies some what and it's good
to get an idea of what you'll get for your ad dollar. Generally
you'll be paying NZ$0.05 per impression (approx US$0.03). You may
also be able to pay a flat rate per month with a guaranteed number
of impressions to expect. Pay any more than this and you're getting
a sour deal. Generally, NZ$100 will buy you 2000 ad impressions.
Is there a click thru charge?
You may be subject to a click thru
charge. If there is an option to pay by click throughs, don't take
it. Click thru charges are generally overpriced, up to 10 times what
you pay per impression. However, if raising awareness is not your
objective, then this option may be ideal for you.
Am I reaching the right audience?
This is where it gets tricky. Are you
appealing to people in your country, or are you looking to go
global. When choosing a site to advertise on, check where their
traffic originates from. You may find that 50% of the people seeing
your ad are from the US, and that's not too effective if you're
advertising your plumbing service in New Zealand. Look at what sites
would appeal most to your target audience, and what sites they are
most likely to be visiting.
What click thru ratio can I expect?
This depends greatly on your ad. Is
it eye catching? Does it prompt action by the user to click on it?
Most people will tell you to expect a 4-5% click thru rate, but in
my experience it stands at around 2%. Out of 1000 impressions that's
only 20 click throughs. And you paid $100 for that?? Now how many of
those click thru visitors are going to buy your product? 1%? Great,
if you're selling high cost products. Bad if you're selling low cost
products. But don't forget, your ad is also there to serve as an
awareness generator.
What sites can I advertise on?
Generally any site where you see a
banner ad for a company, product, or service that is outside of the
site. Look for a link on the front saying 'Advertise here', 'Ad
info', or something along those lines.
Which sites should I advertise on?
People may see an ad 10 times before
they click on it. This is not going to be very effective if you're
spending $500 a month on Yahoo. When choosing a site check the
content. Is it a 'repeat visit' site, or is it a 'one off' visit
site. You want people to see your ad more than once, so ask what
their traffic numbers are to determine how much you're going to
spend.
How do you know whether my banner is
being clicked on? The site displaying your banner will most likely
have a banner tracking program for you to use which will show you
daily hits, monthly totals, click thru rates etc. If they don't,
demand one!
Lastly, and this one is often missed.
Banners hold potential on your site too. You may not have the
traffic to sell ad space, but you can utilise banners on your site
to advertise other sections, products, or services within your site.
Of course you'll be wanting a good program to track your banner
stats.
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