Top 5 Scary Myths about Banner Advertising
There are many reasons why digital advertising can be seen as expensive, ineffective, or even a luxury reserved for the biggest brands. There are countless digital media companies throughout the United States and internationally, each with their own "unique" ad unit, data or targeting methods. The truth is there are simply a lot of sales and marketing talk being had in the industry and little innovation that means much to a business owner, marketer or brand. In reality digital advertising has been made so accessible and affordable through competition of the big brands (Facebook & Google) that every business should be able to dip their toes in the digital advertising waters. Here are the top 5 ways banner ads are seen as "scarier" than they should be.
Scary Banner Ad Myth #1: There are too many ad networks, I don't know who to run ads with!
In reality, there are thousands of media companies, ad agencies and "networks" but most are using either Google Display Network or "white labeling" a Demand Side Platform such as The Trade Desk or Data Xu. There is little variation between the inventory access of most media companies and most of the differences between companies comes down to the expertise of the client services team.
Scary Banner Ad Myth #2: Only media company (XYZ) has the audience targeting capabilities I need.
A common sales and marketing tactic is to highlight the "unique" audience data a media company has access to as a way to sell ad space and get an advertising campaign off the ground. Similar to myth #1, most media and advertising companies are accessing the same data sources through Google, Facebook and 3rd parties. Even the ones with "proprietary" audience data often don't see a big jump in performance over Google Display Network or Facebook ad campaigns. Manicz Media forgoes all 3rd parties since reliability is in question and there are far more accurate and relevant ways to reach consumers.
Scary Banner Ad Myth #3: Banner ads aren't going to drive business.
The way your brand or company interacts with your consumers is a process or more commonly known as a "marketing funnel". Different advertising tactics fulfill different stages of that funnel. Paid Search is usually the best way to drive conversions and sales, you'd have that at the bottom of the funnel where the business transaction is taking place. Banner ads would be at the top of the funnel, reaching new audiences who likely have not heard of your organization before and are going to start becoming aware of your products and services. Banner ads are an important part of a marketing strategy because in order to get customers moving down the funnel to a conversion, you need to raise awareness and keep a steady stream of new consumers entering that funnel.
Scary Banner Ad Myth #4: No one sees or clicks on banner ads anymore.
Banner advertising was one of the original digital advertising methods to emerge way back when the internet started to be monetized. Over the years banner ads have become a tried and true method of advertising for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Consumers are still seeing ads, they are clicking banner ads and they are recalling the ads they see. Most brands and advertisers are utilizing banner ads to reach new audiences; P&G, ESPN, local car dealerships, SaaS companies, hotels and nearly every size company from start up to mega conglomerate are still utilizing banner advertising to serve their messaging. Banners are a great way to raise awareness and reach a desired target audience with high frequency to keep your brand top of mind.
Scary Banner Ad Myth #5: I need to use HTML5 or rich media ads to have any impact or engagement.
Many ad agencies are recommending HTML5 or rich media advertisements as a way to cut through the clutter and drive better performance. These ad placements are typically expensive to produce and these ad agencies can charge more for the creative design. From a media performance standpoint there is usually little to no boost in performance or a static banner ad. Often static banner ads tend to perform better since they load faster and can be on the page and in front of the consumer just as the web page loads so the impression isn't missed. Rich media placements can be really appealing and can even win creative awards but at the end of the day they are not necessary if your brand is simply looking to get in front of your desired audience and fill the marketing funnel.
Banner advertising doesn't have to be scary. It is one of the most affordable and effective methods to reach consumers online. Multiple audience touch points through ad serving frequency, straight forward call to actions and serving your ads to the most relevant audience will ultimately drive success. Contact Manicz Media today to talk with one of our digital strategists about how banner advertising can work for you business.