Use Size, Shape to Increase Effectiveness of Banner Ads
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Feb 22, 2012
"As shoppers have been taking their business online, savvy RV dealers are shifting marketing dollars from print advertising to online banner and display ads. Across the commercial business sector, eMarketer predicts that spending on online advertising will surpass print advertising spending for the first time this year.
As noted in our previous post, to be effective, banner ads must attract the attention of RV shoppers, engage their interest and compel them to take action (i.e., click on your ad). When creating online banner ads, smart use of size and shape can increase their effectiveness.
Online advertising is sold in two shapes: rectangles and squares. Obviously, because they stretch from one side of the webpage to the offer, banner ads are rectangles. Display ads can be square or rectangular (oriented either horizontally or vertically) and are available in a variety of sizes. Rectangular ads have been proven to attract more online shopper attention than square ads, and banner ads that stretch across the full width of the webpage attract the most attention.
Size considerations should extend beyond the height and width of your banner ad to font and image sizes. To attract the greatest RV shopper attention, ad size, type face and ad images must be noticeably larger than the surrounding webpage material. To stand out, RV banner ads must be longer and taller than the surrounding RV classified ads and employ a larger, bolder typeface and larger images than neighboring classified ads."
How to Make Sure RV Shoppers Pay Attention to Your Banner Ads
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Feb 17, 2012
"As noted in our previous post, RV dealership online display advertising must do three things to be an effective marketing tool:
1. Attract RV shopper attention
2. Engage RV shopper interest
3. Exhibit a clear call to action
Attracting RV shopper attention is the first and biggest hurdle. It's easy for RV shoppers to skip over online banner ads. The proliferation of Google ads on websites has taught site visitors to ignore what they consider to be annoying background noise that distracts from the information they're searching for. Site users have become adept at lasering their focus on website content and tuning out banner ads and display ads.
You can overcome what the ad industry calls "banner blindness" by using these tricks when you create RV dealership banner ads:
> Use bright, bold colors to attract the viewer's eye.
> Employ large, bold type in headlines. Minimize italics and stay away from "cutesy" or designer type faces like Comic Sans and Broadway. You can use dark colors in headlines, but stick with high-contrasting blue-spectrum colors like royal blue and forest green. In headlines, reserve red-spectrum colors for occasional emphasis. Red, orange and yellow are more effective in the body of your ad.
> Keep body type clean and easy-to-read. Stick with standard type faces like Arial and Times Roman. Black type on a white background may seem boring but it's the easiest to read.
Next time: Using size and shape to make your ad POP!"
Best Practices for Creating RV Dealership Banner Ads
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Feb 15, 2012
"Adding online banner ads to your RV dealership marketing campaign is a cost-effective way to build your brand, drive traffic to your website, and boost traffic to your RV dealer listings on RVT.com. To accomplish these goals, you have to:
1. Attract the attention of RVT.com site visitors.
2. Engage the interest of RV shoppers so that they stop to read your banner ad.
3. Employ an effective call to action that impels RV shoppers to click on your banner ad.
The following tips will help you create a dynamic banner ad that will accomplish all three goals and increase your RV dealership sales:
1. Attract attention. Because online banner ads are visual, creation of banner ads must focus on the 6 elements proven to attract the human eye: color, size, shape, motion, position and text. Color is the most powerful attractant; text, the least. Investing advertising dollars in color, ad size and ad shape will provide the greatest return on investment.
2. Engage interest. Interest is a factor of need. Online banner ads that appear to meet the needs or desires of RV shoppers will engage their interest. Tap into the emotional reasons for buying an RV: lifestyle, freedom, family values, inexpensive travel, and time in the outdoors.
3. Call to action. Tell RV shoppers what you want them to do: click on your ad.
Click here to find out more about online banner ads on RVT.com."
Read more at RVT Blog
