Banner Ads Are Social, Too

Banner ads are like the police. We don’t mind them when they don’t get in our way and we realize they serve an important role, but we don’t want them messing with us.

Many people use ad-blockers. Some are “immune” to banner ads now to the point that they don’t even see them when they’re on the page. For advertisers and publishers alike, this is a bad, bad thing. Banner ads and other forms of revenue-generating are necessary to allow us to get the content we want without having to pay for it. It’s that simple. Those who hate banner ads would REALLY hate the alternative – a really expensive and less-robust internet experience.

With that said, there are challenges with banners today. Despite the shift towards social media, advertising has maintained a separate existence on websites. There’s social media, there’s content, then there’s banner ads. This is absolutely wrong and both website owners and advertisers need to know this.

There is no “One size fits all rabbit costume” to make it work, but as a general rule nearly every banner ad should have some sort of social interaction. It isn’t just about appealing and getting the click. It’s about giving people a real reason why they should be clicking. There should be no tricks. Be honest, impactful, and clear.

Our friends at BuySellAds put together this excellent infographic going over the anatomy of a perfect banner ad. Notice that “Interactivity” is the number 1 key element. Learn it. Understand it. Apply it.

Click to enlarge.