Copyright 2004 Crispian Lye

Are banner ads dead?

Well, contrary to popular belief, banner ads are NOT dead, and can produce a significant amount of traffic, IF you know how to make them work.

The best sort of banner is a simple 'invisible' banner popularized by Scott Covert with a direct response type, benefit laden headline that blends in and looks like part of the webpage instead of a blatant banner that screams 'banner ad!'.

Note: Avoid flash, gaudy graphics and colors at all cost.

Now, check out my top 10 'Psychological Triggers' to get that elusive banner 'clickthrough'.

1. The words on your banner should 'hook' and lure the reader to take action. Adjectives are known to be very attractive,words like scorching, starving, sizzling, powerful, etc. The words you use should really accentuate the benefits in your offer.

2. Make a discount offer on your banner ad. People are always looking for good deals. You could offer a percentage discount, dollar discount, buy one get one free discount, etc. But do always remember to justify your discount with "reason why" and make sure to NEVER devalue your product.

3. Advertise a trial or sample offer. This will tell people there is no risk or obligation if they click on your banner ad and try out your product or service. A 'try before you buy' risk reversal approach has been proven to be extremely effective, as postulated by Claude Hopkins in the marketing classic, Scientific Advertising.

4. You could advertise a free offer on your banner ad. People love free stuff. The freebie should relate to your target audience. If the freebie is attractive to them they will click. FREE, is one of the most powerful words in advertising. Bait them.

5. Here's a sneaky trick. Use reverse psychology. Tell your audience not to click on your banner ad. Here's a good example - "Don't Click Here If You Are Comfortable With What You Are Currently Earning". This is also known as the 'takeaway', which is one of the most effective tactics in marketing.

6. Use a testimonial on your banner ad. This'll give people proof they aren't wasting their time clicking on your banner ad. The testimonial should include enough information so they understand the offer. It would be better if the testimonial implicitly answered an 'objection'.

7. You could have a famous and respectable person on your banner ad representing your product, web site or service. People will click because they'll trust them over you. It's the power of the 'celebrity' and 'law of association' at work.

8. Use a strong guarantee on your banner ad. You could include the guarantee as a headline for your offer. It could read double or triple your money back guarantee, lifetime your money back guarantee, etc.

9. Inform people about the major benefits of your product, website or service on your banner ad. It could be benefits like make money, lose weight, increase energy, save money, save time, etc. Remember, you don't buy a drill. You buy the hole that the drill can produce.

10. Tell people to click on your banner ad. Newbies to the internet may not even know they can click on banners. Just having the phrase "click here" on your banner will increase your clickthroughs. People need to be told WHAT to do. As you're reading this, you might think that this conflicts with tip #5, but both have been known to produce results. What you need to do, is to use a scientific approach and 'test' both approaches to see which one produces the highest click throughs in your campaign.

Apply these Psychological Triggers to your banner ad campaign today and get a hold of that extra edge over your competitors.