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Improving click-throughs Online advertising is all about viewers and click-throughs. If you run an online advertising campaign using a banner ad, then you will want to know how many viewers saw your banner, and how many clicked on it to visit your Web site. A click-through happens when someone clicks on your banner advertisement (being shown on another Web site) and is transported to your Web site. An important measurement in banner advertising is the click-through rate, or percentage of prospective customers that respond to an online advertisement. To calculate this percentage, divide the number of click-throughs by the number of impressions. Click-through rate = Number of clicks ÷ Number of impressions For instance, if your banner is shown 5,000 times and is clicked on 50 times, then your click-through rate is 1%, or 50 divided by 5,000. A higher click-through rate, or percentage, is normally better than a lower rate. Before you begin the process of designing your banner, define your goals. Many advertisers will tell you that ultimately your banner should scream "Click on me" to your prospective customers. However, if your only goal was to create a good click-through rate, then you could offer FREE MONEY to anyone that clicked on your banner. While this strategy will surely generate a high percentage of click-throughs, it may do little to get people to buy your products and services. Eventually, this strategy will leave you broke. The goal of your banner advertising campaign should state what you want to happen before and after a prospect clicks on your banner. For instance, some of your stated goals might be to:
After you have established goals and objectives for your banner ad campaign, the design and creation process can begin. If your goal is to build brand awareness, and gain mind share amongst Web users, then your banner should prominently display the business name, product name, or logo that you are trying to promote. On the other hand, if you want visitors to come to your Web site so that you can make them an offer, then you will want entice users to click on your banner. Surprisingly enough, if you want people to click on your banner, then you need to tell them to do so. Make sure your banner includes "Click here to find out more" or another phrase that begins "Click here...." Market research has shown that banners inviting users to click get better results (get more clicks) than those that don't. Another consideration is to keep your target audience in mind as your design your banner. Use phrases that are recognizable and will encourage them to click on your banner. For instance, if your target customers are teenagers, then the language and tone you use will be different than if you are targeting parents of teenagers. Probably the best and most frequently used word in advertising is the word "FREE." Offering your target audience something for free, like a newsletter or mortgage calculator, will be more appealing than offering nothing at all. Keep in mind though, if you start offering "free money" or even "free mouse pads," it can get very expensive and may not lead to the end result (like a sale) that you had planned. Asking a question is another way to improve your click-through rate. For example, realtors might ask "Want to know how much your house is worth?" or banks might question "Are you getting the lowest interest rate possible?" These questions would be followed by a "Click here to find out." Using different banners, or rotating your banners, can also help you to maximize your response rate. Changing your message, or design, from one banner to the next can significantly impact your click-throughs. This also will give you an opportunity to test different messages and designs on your target audience, and learn which ones work best. In summary, you will improve your banner advertising results by using the following guidelines.
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