The digital advertising industry is worth 209 billion dollars worldwide and is projected to continue to grow dramatically. Why has digital advertising experienced such incredible growth?
Because it works.
There are over 3.5 billion people who access the internet now regularly around the globe. Those 3.5 billion people represent billions of opportunities for businesses to lure more consumers into their digital storefronts and grab their piece of the trillions eCommerce is generating each year.
Among the most common digital advertising elements you’ll find online are banner ads. Banner ads typically pop up on the sides of websites, smart TVs, and throughout other internet reliant mediums.
While in some cases banner ads can be annoying, a cool banner can effectively promote your company and convert passive viewers into lifelong customers.
To learn more about how you can create cool digital banner designs, our team has put together this article outlining 8 awesome ideas!
1. Get Mindful About Your Sizing
When you’re creating a cool banner ad, one size should not fit all. Depending on where you want to position your banner ad, you’ll want to size your design accordingly.
For example, if your banner ad is going at the top or the “leaderboard” section of a webpage, you’ll want to have it sized to about 728×90 pixels. Alternatively, if you’re producing a larger sidebar add, you should be looking at 300×600 pixels.
At the end of the day, the person who is placing your banner should inform you as to what best sizing practices should be. If they don’t or if you’re creating an ad for your own site, you’ll want to get size savvy on your own!
2. Start Understanding Banner Ad Element Hierarchy
Banner ads are created with three essential components.
First, they showcase your company logo. Next, they tell consumers about your value proposition. Finally, they ask viewers to take action.
To start making your banner ads as effective as they are cool, be sure to include all three elements in each ad you create. Furthermore, ensure that whether you’re creating a horizontal or vertical ad, all three of those elements are present in the correct order.
These banner ads by Adobe showcase exactly what we’re talking about.
3. Simplicity Rules
There is nothing cooler than simplicity. So, if you’re trying to make your banner ad stand out and communicate how cool your brand is, remove the fluff and make things as streamlined as possible.
You’ll find that streamlining your cool banner ad will not only make it look better but will also boost conversions.
Here are some great simple banners by Cisco.
4. Start Using Buttons
You could create a banner ad and simply have some hyperlinked text saying “click here” to get users to take action. That’s fine and all but if you really want to make waves, see if your design allows for a button.
Buttons improve click-through rates and bring more attention to your call to action. While overly large buttons defeat the purpose of a cool banner ad, tastefully created ones will work just fine!
Don’t these “try it free” buttons just beg to be clicked?
5. Make Your Text Legible
This tip is both cool and functional. If people can’t read your ad they won’t spend so much as a second looking at it.
To make sure your ad is legible, you’ll first want to pick a readable font. Then, make sure that your headline and body copy are different sizes.
Facebook does a great job of using legible and multiple text sizes.
6. Make Your Add Compliment Its Environment… to an Extent
We’ve all seen obnoxious banner adds that flash and beg for people’s attention. These ads, while hot in the early 2000’s, now scream that the brand who created them is not to be trusted.
Nothing is cooler than consumer trust. For that reason, make sure your ad’s palette matches its host’s palette but has a little pop that makes it not blend in too much.
7. Use Imagery Tastefully
It can be tempting to overload your banner ad with a ton of icons and beautiful photos to catch people’s attention. The issue with this is that doing so undermines simplicity.
Simplicity should always be at the core of your ad creation process. For that reason, back off of using too much imagery and let large, legible, informative text fill in the gaps.
8. Work With a Professional Designer
Here’s an idea! If you’re scratching your head on how to make the perfect design that embodies all of the principals we’ve mentioned and will net you the results you’re looking for, try working with an awesome designer.
Awesome designers like the people working at Design Concierge (who you can learn more about here) or the ones you can hire through sites like Fiverr or UpWork not only offer affordable services but can save you time and ensure that your ads get you the return on investment you’re looking for!
Wrapping Up Cool Banner Ideas that Apply to All Kinds of Web Advertising
If you’re looking to grow your eCommerce business through digital marketing, learning how to create effective, cool banner ads is a great place to start. We recommend starting your banner ad growth journey by taking into account our tips above.
To take your ads to the next level, consider working with a pro to either complete your ads for you or push your designs in the right direction.
Curious to know more about how you can grow your business? If so, our team has you covered.
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