Banners! Small Advertising with a Big Punch!

We've talked about the importance of a Good Splash Page and how with a few words and/or a picture you can drive enormous traffic to your business.

There is another nifty little advertising tool that will also bring needed traffic to your site. They are Banners! The normal banner size is 468 x 60 pixels and appear everywhere when you are surfing and checking out other advertisements. On some traffic exchanges, you need impressions which are similar to credits, in order for your banners to be shown. Other traffic exchanges do Not require impressions. As long as you have an active site; meaning you have credits assigned to a splash page or your direct url, the banners will rotate.

When you are surfing, these clever little ads show up on top of or at the bottom of another ad/splash page that is being viewed.

This being said, banners can be a little tricky because you have very little space to get your message across and to capture someone's eye. As we talked about in Splash Pages, you need a One-liner - Short and Sweet! I always have the name of my business first and foremost. Then encapsule as much as I can in One Sentence!

Example:

One of my Traffic Exchange sites is called Surfing Seagulls. I would therefore have the name of my site on the first line.

On the Second Line I might possibly have "Where Traffic is Soaring!" Or something like that.

Just keep in mind, you do not have a lot of room to play with! You must be creative to catch people's attention!

Read Ads in Magazines! Look for those catchy little punch lines that will draw the viewers' attention! Carry a small notepad around with you. You might think of something really clever and will want to write it down right away.

You can create a banner with a very simple background color and just use words if you wish, or you can incorporate an image within you ad. The image, obviously, should reflect your business and will be rather small - so be sure the image is: 1) Clear and 2) Visible.

Throwing in an image that is fuzzy, unfocused or washed out will only detract from your intent! Your intention is to Draw Someone's Eye to Your Banner!

Here are two really great places to get images:

http://www.dreamstime.com/
http://media.photobucket.com/


Some banners are animated! If you are good at animation, go for it! Have fun! Be Clever! But, Do Not Overdo it! If your banner is flashing too much making it annoying to the eye; you will sabatoge your efforts! Be careful with animation as these are small ads.

If you are Not animating, make sure your banner will Stand Out!

- Use a good color for the background.

- Add an Image that represents your business.

- Use a Clear, Legible Text!

You might also want to put a very thin, border around the entire banner. I have found that on some sites, if the background matches your banner's background, it will get washed out. A small border also seems to give a little depth to the banner.

Posting Your Banners:

Unlike Splash Pages, when you post banners for advertising, you need Two Urls:

The Target Url: This is the link that when the banner is clicked on, the site the viewer will be brought to.

http://www.wiseowlsurf.com/signup.php?1000

The Image Url: This is the "Actual" Image of the banner and is stored in the cpanel of the site that the banner was created for:

http://www.wiseowlsurf.com/images/NewBanner%231.gif


Here are a few examples of simple banners:

http://www.wiseowlsurf.com/
http://www.oldyellerfetch.com/
http://www.surfingseagulls.com/


The 125 x 125 Banner:

Many Advertising and Traffic Exchange sites are now offering space on their sites for this type of banner. They are just a little larger and are usually placed within a Marquee scrolling box or on the side of the site. They are placed on the Front Page of a site or on the Members Page - where they are viewed by all who stop in. This gives you a little added edge to your advertising avenues!

You can purchase these prime spaces for anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00 and they run anywhere from a few weeks to a full month. Site Owners may vary in what they offer you for this kind of advertisement. So either check with the owners or look at their Advertising packages to find out what works for you.

Of course if you have your own website and are advertising multiple business opportunities, these banners are a great way to get your businesses seen by everyone who comes by your site!

125 x 125 Banners:

http://www.surfingseagulls.com/images/SS125.gif
http://www.wiseowlsurf.com/images/Owl%231125.gif

There are many softwares you can use to create a really nice banner. They are very easy to create and take very little time. If you do not have a software or you do not have a place to Host your banner, Easyhits4u and TEtoolbox have everything you need to create and then host your images.

http://www.easyhits4u.com/
http://www.tetoolbox.com/


I hope this article helped you in creating and using Banners for your advertising.


I wish you the very best with all your business endeavors!

Ellen
http://www.surfingseagulls.com Where Traffic is Soaring!

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A Good Splash Page Is Gold!!

I'd like to give you some free advise on driving traffic to your business, Effectually! Many people differ in their conceptions of using a Splash Page to drive traffic to their businesses vs. a Direct Link to their business.

A Splash Page or Squeeze Page should be no more than 700 x 400 pixels. They consist of a Few Short Lines advertising a business and can or not have an image to draw you in.

Ok, let's talk about that. Here's the scenario:

You are a member of a Traffic Exchange site. You are surfing other people's businesses to build credits to advertise Your business. You are tearing through those ads like there is no tomorrow! After All - You Need Credits!

Are you going to stop and Read a Tome? A Very Long Description of Mary Smith's Online Opportunity or are you going to just click to the next ad?

Are you going to take the time to Stop Surfing and go to Mary's site to find out if her business is something you Might or Might Not be interested in, giving up valuable time that you need to surf?

The Answer to both of these situations is probably No! Why? You have no idea what Mary is offering and you just don't have the time to go to her site, click on various tabs to find out what that business entails!

Understand one thing; the average timer on a Traffic Exchange site is anywhere from 10 to 14 seconds! Can you grab someone's attention and interest in that time with a very long description or a direct link to your business? No!

This is where a Splash Page is Worth It's Weight in Gold!!

Using a Few Words, Having an Eye-catching Image can Stop a Surfer in Their Tracks!

Why? Most of us are caught up in whatever we are doing at that given moment. People can multi-task, but the human brain will "focus" on One Thing At A Time!

That One Line: "I Dare You To Click Here! " "Do NOT Click on This!"

Guess what just happened! Your brain just altered it's Focus from Surfing For Credits to - Oh Wow! We Are Curious Creatures by Nature.

That Image: An Adorable Puppy! A Beautiful Woman! A Gorgeous Scenic View of the Ocean. These all conjure feelings that matter to us, as individuals.

Images concoct emotions within a second! You know the saying "A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words". It's True! How about that Cute Puppy! Maybe his picture tickles you, makes you want to reach out and pet his sweet head! Or maybe wish you could take him home with you!

The point is, the picture captured your attention! You will probably read the short pin points of what this business is about and what it is offering to you! Chances are, you Will click and check it out!

Look at some of the world's most successful ads in magazines, on television and on the radio! They are Short & Catchy! They leave a Tune, An Image or a Statement embedded in your Brain!

I saw an ad in a magazine a few years back. The image was of gorgeous, long-flowing red hair! I was sure this was an ad for a shampoo or a conditioner. But Guess What! When I turned the page - it was an ad for Healthy Dog Food! It was a picture of an Irish Setter! Did it grab my attention? You Bet!!

How do you create a successful splash page?

You're very first splash page is not going to rock the world. LIke anything else, you get better as you go along. Here are a few things to consider:

1 - Find an Image
2 - Write Short and Catchy
3 - Have a Host to upload to

Find an image that represents your business. There are many online sites that, for very low cost, will sell you Royalty Free photographs to use on your sites as well as on your splash pages. Here's a link to Dreamstime. I use them quite often:

http://www.dreamstime.com/

Another great source is Photobucket:

http://media.photobucket.com/

Just be sure (with photobucket) that the photographer Does allow you to use their images!

That said, here comes the painful part! Writing something catchy! If you are clever with words, go ahead and jot down a few phrases, play with them to see what you think will work.

If you're not, jot down some very pertinent, to the point opportunities that your business is offering. Keep them Short and To The Point!

Use a good software to create your pages in. I personally use Photoshop but there are many softwares out there. If you just do not feel that you are very good on the creative end, there a people who will do this for you at very low cost reasonable pricing.

If you have a website, a traffic exchange or other business with a cpanel - you're set! Just upload your splash page for your use! If you don't there are Free Splash Page Builders that will host your images:

http://www.easyhits4u.com/
http://www.tetoolbox.com/


I hope this has been enlightening and will help you understand the Enormous Value that a Splash Page can offer You and your Business! I have listed a few of my Splash Pages below if you'd like to view them.

I wish you the Very Best Success in All Your Endeavors! Have a Wonderful Day!

http://www.oldyellerfetch.com/splashdisplay.php?
http://www.surfingseagulls.com/splashdisplay.php?
http://www.wiseowlsurf.com/splashdisplay.php?
http://www.coolcatsptc.info/images/

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