Design with Purpose
First, think about the purpose of your banner ad: is it to generate traffic to your site, increase conversions, build brand awareness, or all three?
If your main goal is conversions, then the banner must have a call to action, for example, in the form of a bright button that will attract attention and make a person go to your site. Do not forget about animation as well – human vision always focuses on what is moving.
It is also advisable to show the item in use. A book in someone's hands will help us imagine ourselves holding the book, and food on a plate, not in a package, will make us imagine it on our plate. This will provide a closer connection with the product and better motivation.
Simplify your banner ad
If your banner ad only features a few elements with plenty of white space, the message you want to convey will be much clearer. A huge amount of information in a small area looks suspicious and distracts attention.
Pay attention to the colors
Of course, you want to paint the banner in as many bright colors as possible, but excessive color intrusiveness can lead to the opposite result. In this case, as a criterion may be the target audience: if the banner leads to a site with computer games, it can be quite bright and dynamic. In the case when you advertise luxury watches or cars, the design of the banner should correspond to the status of the product.
Don't forget about the colors of your brand. Whether it's a product, service or offer, the user should understand at a glance who is advertising it.
Remember that different colors will make your audience feel different emotions. Choose ones that will not only represent your brand, but also evoke the feelings that match the way you position yourself and your products. You can read about the psychology of color in Gregory Ciotti.
Text is your superpower
Remember that people don't have a lot of time, so the less they have to read, the better. Try to write short and strong. The ideal formula is 1 banner = 1 post. Keep your advertising text clear and concise: 2 to 10 words.
Follow the hierarchy in the text by using headings and subheadings. This way your ad will be remembered by users who may see it for a split second.
An obligatory part - call to action - buttons with motivation (buy, order, checkout, etc.).
Also do not advise to play with fonts - the use of more than 2 different fonts on the banner (except for the logo) turns advertising into amateurism and reduces user confidence.
Pay special attention to the placement of text and images. When images are on the left, they are processed by the part of the brain that does a better job of processing images. Similarly, when text is on the right, it is processed by the part of the brain that is better equipped to process text.
People on Banner Ads
If you use images of people in your banner ads, keep two things in mind:
- The proximity effect. It consists of the fact that when we see two objects next to each other, we associate them more strongly together and, thanks to the halo effect, endow them with a certain value. That's why the smile of a person next to your product will cause a favorable attitude to your product in the user's mind.
- We all follow our eyes. If, walking down the street, you see that all the people are looking up, where will you direct your gaze? Undoubtedly the same place. It's a basic instinct to look where others are looking, as there may be something there that is dangerous or useful for survival. When using images of people on a banner, make sure they are looking where your potential customer should be looking - at a call to action or product.
PS: it's not just about the eyes - lines within the design can also make a person follow them to the end point.
Keep your banner ads consistent
To be effective, banner ads not only need to have a clear CTA (call to action), but also a consistent presentation of that CTA across all marketing assets in the campaign. Try to use the same images and text in the ad as on the landing page. When the user clicks on the banner, the landing page should continue the user experience.
You should also maintain consistency across all ad types, including AdWords, Facebook, Instagram, and retargeting.
Conclusion
If an ad campaign has worked well, your website will receive a higher than usual number of users, which it may not be able to handle. This threatens slow loading times and a high bounce rate.