Small Business Marketing Tactic: Banner Advertising - To Be Or Not To Be!

MediaWeek's Mike Sheilds comments, "Whether traditional banner ads - skyscrapers or 350X200 rich media units, Web ads are eminently ignorable, or rarely move one to laugh or cry."

Eminently ignorable - yes, I agree.

Other than the ads I've created for my clients, I do not recall any banner advertising that caught my attention enough to encourage me to click the link. In all honesty, as a consumer, I often ignore website advertisements. My time is valuable. I refuse to make the time to click an ad - any ad!

Today is time that we need to rethink our investment of marketing dollars beyond simple BANNER ADVERTISING. We need to work harder to connect with our target markets in effective & efficient forms of new media.

Question: How?

Answer: They are OUR customers - talk to them!

1. Find out where they are online

2. Go there!

Example:

Rather than create a banner ad for your local newspapers home page, have you given any thought to the possibilities of simply offering your customers an incentive to add your FACEBOOK GROUP page to their profiles? I mean, if they are already your customer and already enjoy your products/services, it seems sensible enough to encourage them to support your business by simply clicking "Add to Group". Then, their friends see your GROUP on their profile, which adds a new level of social interaction that an ignorable banner ad NEVER can accomplish. Just a thought.