Creating Better Online Banner Ads: An RV Dealer’s Ticket to a Stronger Web Presence
Online banners should probably become a “staple in the diet” of any RV Dealer’s Internet Marketing program.
Online banners are those small, (sometimes) eye-catching, little ads you see in strategic places on various Websites. Savvy RV Dealers use online banner ads to encourage or compel qualified RV shoppers, who are browsing on targeted Websites to “click through” to their particular Dealership’s Website or landing pages.
Banners are a fabulous way to attract ready / willing and / able-to-buy RV shopper traffic to your Website!
But, while a good online banner ad can work wonders and really get your Dealership noticed, unfortunately, an ineffective banner ad will not help you attract the really, qualified, prospective RV buying consumers you need.
“And often – with banner ads – it can be just a small difference in the ad itself that
separates the good from the bad – and the ugly!”
Here’s how RV Dealers and their Graphic Designers or Web Developers can maximize their chances of getting their online banner ads right:
1. Create several versions of each ad. Experiment with your online banners by creating up to 4 versions of each ad. Play with different sizes, formats, wordings, backgrounds, photos and images. Cut loose your creativity and have some fun! Come up with a few different variations you think will drive traffic, if you don’t have the time, try a service like Banner Ad Queen. And then …
… and this is important …
2. Conduct simple “A/B” tests. Just do it! With A/B testing, the different versions of your banner ads appear alternately to Website visitors. I.e. if you are testing 2 banners against each other (in order to find out which one works best,) then every 2nd visitor would see the same ad.
Like this: The 1st visitor sees “Ad A” then the 2nd visitor sees “Ad B.” The 3rd visitor sees “Ad A” and the 4th visitor sees “Ad B” and so on, and so on.
Now, check your stats, and let the data reveal the truth! The system will actually count your click throughs from each ad you’re testing. Which ad pulled stronger? Which ad drove the most traffic for you? You will be surprised to find that what you thought was the best ad, may not have the same effect on your audience. Keep the best ad, turf the not-so-good ad and repeat…you should always have 2 ads competing against each other, thereby constantly driving up banner click-through-rate.
This is a scientific, take-no-prisoners method that savvy RV Dealers are using right now to drive their their click throughs (i.e. their Website traffic) WAY UP while driving their advertising costs WAY DOWN!
It’s not difficult to implement this smart testing. You should give it a try. A/B testing is available through most online banner ad sources including RVT.com (for more information, click here).
3. Keep your online banners simple. One image, one message – that’s the key to a great banner. And, when it comes to images, attract RV buyers with pix that resonate. A shiny, new RV will be understandable to your audience; a picture of a kitten … not so much. Alternatively, human faces are proven strong draws as well. In any case, keep your Dealership name and logo OFF your image – typography on top of images gets lost. Don’t do it. Instead, find a solid background elsewhere on your banner for your logo.
4. Don’t make your prospect “work” for your message. One click on your banner should take your target directly to the landing page you want them on. One click is the only task they should have to perform. Make sure it works correctly!
5. “Reveals” do not help. Some banners are created with a rotational element: a “teaser” banner is then followed the “reveal” of the brand name or logo. They are dramatic, yes, but according to research by Dynamic Logic, they’re ineffective. In fact, “the worst-performing banners used reveals.”
RVT.com is happy to see more and more RV Dealers benefiting from the strength of online banner ads all the time! Let us know how it’s going for you.
