No business wants to be forgotten. That’s why business owners and marketers seek tactics every day to keep their companies top of mind. Whether that’s courting someone who’s just stumbled upon your website or checking in with a long-time customer you haven’t seen in a while, marketing can help remind them your business here—and, possibly, inspire them to buy.
And of all the tools in your digital marketing toolkit, banner ads are some of the most effective at building and maintaining that brand awareness and recall.
Here, we’ll examine common elements that the best banner ads share. What about an ad makes it stand out as readers scroll online? And how can you create ads that aren’t just memorable, but also drive sales?
Contents
- What are banner ads?
- What makes a good banner ad?
- Banner ad examples any business can try
- An offer to drive lead generation
- A striking value proposition
- A timely headline
- An image-led ad driving to a custom landing page
- An eye-catching offer
- Seasonal products and a discount offer
- Enticing discounts on seasonal wear
- An offer to drive an immediate conversion
- An aspirational message
- Statistics as a selling point
- An elegant marriage of headline and visual
- A clear CTA
- Evocative imagery
- A video ad for a business that moves
- A short, sweet headline
What are banner ads?
Banner ads, otherwise known as display ads, are visual ads (often in the shape of a rectangular banner) that run on third-party websites.
To run banner ads for your brand, you create the visual assets, then head to a marketplace like Google Display Network, where you can pay for ad placement across a vast range of third-party sites.
As your ads run on these sites, visitors encounter them. There are two main channels for conversion once someone has seen your ads. Some readers will click directly on it and land on your website.
Others may need a little more time. For these consumers, your banner ads will continue to appear as they browse other corners of the web. When your ads appear frequently, your brand becomes more familiar to them. Eventually, when they’ve encountered you enough and are ready to buy, they search for your brand name and land on your site.
Banner ads can build brand awareness with a targeted audience you define, or you can display them specifically to people who have visited your site before—a process known as retargeting.
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What makes a good banner ad?
Now that you understand the banner ad basics, let’s look at what makes them work. The best banner ads share some characteristics:
- Short, simple text. Banner ads are small—don’t overcrowd them with too much text. What you write doesn’t have to be overly clever, but it does have to be clear.
- Attention-grabbing visuals. Banner ads run on busy web pages. Arresting visuals help them stand out. Great photography, bright colors, and even effective use of white space can all help your ad pop.
- A strong CTA. Ultimately, you want your banner ads to drive readers to your website. A clear CTA, or call to action, invites them to take your desired next step.
Best banner ad examples
With the above list in mind, let’s explore some real-world banner ad examples and see how brands put these practices in place.
1. An offer to drive lead generation
A popular tactic for B2B brands is to offer a downloadable resource in exchange for an email address. Creating a whitepaper, ebook, or report can help establish your business as a reputable source of information in your industry.
This banner ad example below captures readers’ attention with an eye-catching ebook title and bold color palette. When readers click the ad, they’ll find a landing page where they can enter their contact information to get the ebook. From there, the company adds them to their lead generation email list and continues to reach out with marketing communications to nurture the new relationship.
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2. A striking value proposition
When you only have five to 10 words to get your message across, you better make them count! The following headline from RingCentral communicates the value that business owners get from purchasing the service: effective remote communications for your team.
The ad’s simple layout draws the reader’s eye right to the headline, so the message is unmissable, even if they’re quickly scrolling down the page.
3. A timely headline
Seasonal marketing is an effective tactic for businesses looking to create messaging that inspires immediate action.
In the following example, Charles Schwab capitalizes on the goal-setting and resolutions mindset that so many consumers have at the start of the year. The headline entices readers with an offer to plan their personal finances for the next twelve months.
4. An image-led ad driving to a custom landing page
This ad for the jewelry brand, Brilliant Earth, lets the products speak for themselves. There’s no text beyond the logo. The dazzling gems and bright, glinting gold catch the eye of people scrolling by more effectively than any headline could.
When readers click it, they go to a custom landing page with a timely message. This ad ran in January, and the timely copy invited site visitors to browse Valentine’s Day gifts.
5. An eye-catching offer
Sometimes the most persuasive sales pitch you can make in a headline is simply letting your product speak for itself.
If you’ve researched savings accounts recently, then you know that a 4.2% APY is a very appealing offering. Flagstar puts that number in big, bold font—it’s unmissable, even if readers are not paying strict attention to the banner ads on the page.
Once the ad has their attention, it invites them to “Get started,” and the ad drives to a landing page with another CTA to open an account.
6. Seasonal products and a discount offer
While not as overtly seasonal as the Charles Schwab message above, the banner ads example below from CVS highlights products anyone navigating cold and flu season would appreciate. Among the product photos are medicine to combat congestion and drink packets to replenish electrolytes.
Besides these products people might already have on their winter shopping list, CVS sweetens the deal with an offer of up to 40% off. With a discount like that, readers just might click through and check those items off their list right now.
7. Enticing discounts on seasonal wear
The winter was still in full swing when this banner ad for cozy coats appeared. And while many consumers would overpay for warm outerwear on a below-zero day, Marc Cain is offering these pieces at a pretty sizable discount.
The ad has simple, clear images of the coats for sale, and it shows a range of styles and colors to capture the eye of a wider range of consumers.
8. An offer to drive an immediate conversion
Rather than showcasing specific products in its banner ad, big box retailer Target is promoting a discount on specialty gift cards.
This offer has the potential to capture more consumers than one for specific products. When a brand highlights individual items, the ad will connect best with consumers who are looking immediately for those things.
That tactic can work if you’re running a retargeting campaign, where you can show specific products you know someone has already browsed.
But if you’re running a campaign with a broader audience, keeping your offer general can attract more clicks. A gift card could be the right fit for just about anyone. A boss looking for a thank-you gift for employees might need a gift card. So too might a parent looking to show a teacher some appreciation. Or, someone might buy a gift card for themselves, essentially locking in a 5% discount on their next purchase.
9. An aspirational message
In the 1950s, it might have been a Cadillac in the driveway. But in the 2020s, travel is an undeniable signifier that you’ve made it.
This ad for United Airlines’ credit card plays into many of the tropes of aspirational travel. A young woman wheels her bag toward the interior courtyard of an upscale hotel in a tropical locale. She looks back toward the camera, seeming to beckon the viewer, “Are you coming?”
And, of course, the only thing that’s better than an incredible trip is one you can pay for with points. The promise of 60,000 bonus miles further intrigues anyone drawn in by the image.
10. Statistics as a selling point
Businesses need reliable tech to power their operations. That’s why, in the example below, a promise of fewer downtime hours from a cloud provider is sure to catch the eye of any business leader or IT expert.
A statistic can be even stronger than a brand promise or a quote from a happy customer—especially when you’re speaking to a B2B audience, where purchasing decisions tend to be rational and data-driven.
Numbers don’t lie, and if you have solid ones to back up your brand, they can be a powerful hook in a display ad.
11. An elegant marriage of headline and visual
A retainer is a pretty utilitarian product. “Beautiful” likely isn’t the first word that comes to mind when you see one. And yet, this banner ad below for Invisalign somehow makes the brand’s aligners seem like elegant works of art.
The product photo shows Invisalign at its best—fresh off the mold and glistening in the light. The headline is simple, clear, and similarly elegant.
And the CTA is undemanding. It simply reads, “Smile Assessment,” inviting readers to click—or not—which is a smart move with a high-cost item. Someone might not be ready to invest in Invisalign right now, but this ad helps the brand stay top-of-mind as consumers consider their options.
12. A clear CTA
The ultimate goal of running banner ads is to drive a purchase. Whether that’s immediately or in the future, you hope your ads will influence someone’s buying decision.
That’s why including a CTA that invites your audience to follow through is a wise idea. And the best CTAs are clear and direct.
IKEA is a beloved retailer of low-cost furniture. The following ad shows a young woman enjoying her stylish, warm space furnished with IKEA products. The CTA is straightforward: “Shop Now.”
13. Evocative imagery
White-collar service-based businesses sometimes feel limited in the images they can use in their ads. If you work at a law office or a financial advisory firm, are you obligated to use only stock images of people sitting across from each other at a mahogany desk?
The answer to that question is a resounding no! And this example from wealth management firm IEQ Capital proves the case.
Their advisors probably don’t take clients out for hikes. However, the image of a person reaching the mountain’s summit is rich with metaphorical meaning in the context of this ad that targets high net-worth individuals.
14. A video ad for a business that moves
How do you advertise a live dance performance with words and static imagery? With the right type of banner ads, you don’t have to.
This banner ad for an upcoming production of Swan Lake at New York City Ballet incorporates a video component. And the wider format makes it easier for viewers to really take in the visual elements.
15. A short, sweet headline
In banner ads, real estate is limited. The trick here is to create a short headline that still gets your message across. Squarespace, the drag-and-drop website builder that serves millions of small businesses, gets its value proposition out in five words.
The muted background makes the product images pop and provides an effective contrast with the forest-green text for easier reading, even in a small rectangular space.
Create scroll-stopping banner ads for your business
These banner ad examples are seriously inspiring and show the range of what a great ad can look like. Hopefully, you now feel ready to flex your creative muscles as you design and launch ads for your brand.
Remember, banner ads are all about clarity and simplicity. Create an ad that succinctly communicates what you do, and you’ll be building brand awareness and generating clicks in no time. For help bringing your banner ads to life, see how our solutions can maximize your display campaigns to reach your business’s goals.
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