Ad placement and repetition is essential online
By Janie Pritchett-Clark
A truism of advertising effectiveness in traditional media called for repetition in the marketing mix. We're creatures by habit, so the more often we see or hear a marketing message, the more inclined we are to respond. In fact, pundits claim it takes nine times for a marketing message to move a prospect from a state of total apathy to purchasing readiness.
New media may have changed the way many of us do our marketing, but the truism still rings true. You need repetition.
A new study by Casale Media, a leading online advertising network, reveals two important findings that are especially valuable for B2B and small business. Get your message above the fold and often.
The term "above the fold" is an old newspaper term that identifies the area between the top of the page and where the paper is folded. The term has been adopted in online media to represent the area of the screen seen without scrolling.
According to this study, "above the fold" online ads are nearly seven times more effective at generating a click through than those appearing "below the fold," and that the more times someone sees an ad the more likely they are to click through and take action.
And, repetition has its place. Ads shown five times or more to a user were 12-14 times more effective than ads shown less than five times. The study also suggests that too many can be too much. Users who are exposed to many ads in their browsing session lose their attention altogether and end up with banner blindness.
What can your business do with this information? When you consider that advertising is all about capturing the attention of your ideal audience, it's clear that not all online advertising is created equal. When buying advertising online, consider the following;
1. Placement -- where is your ad being placed relative to the page fold? The premium position may be worth the price.
2. Delivery -- when is the ad delivered during the user's session? The ideal formula is to deliver the ad as the moment the user connects with the page.
3. Frequency -- how often is the user exposed to your message? Repetition is still an impactful ingredient in the marketing mix. Make sure your message appears with frequency.
Janie Clark is an entrepreneur publisher and writer based in Northwest Arkansas. She publishes and writes for NWAB2B and GreenZine eZine.
