Ads often have an enticing message or call to action that coaxes the viewer to click on it. “What is on the other side?” you ask. The advertiser’s Web site, of course. Online ads can be static, just displaying the advertiser’s logo and slogan, or can be animated with graphics and movement.
If you use an advertising or PR company to develop your offline ads, quite often they can provide you with a library of ads that you can use for your online advertising campaign. If you choose not to use an advertising or PR company, you can outsource the creation of your ad to another company or create your own.
The ad should be designed to have a direct impact on the number of clickthroughs it achieves. There are a number of resources online to assist you in developing dynamic ads. Animation Online at http://www.animationonline. com allows you to create banners online at no charge. Other resources to assist you in designing and building banner ads are identified in the Internet Resources section of my Web site, referenced at the end of this chapter.
The objective of your banner ad is to have someone click on it. Do not try to include all of your information in your ad. An ad that is too small and cluttered is difficult to read and is not visually appealing. Many ads simply include a logo and a tag line enticing the user to click on it. Free offers or contest giveaways are also quite effective for click-throughs because they tend to appeal to the user’s curiosity.