1. Size Matters 

One of the most common questions that our clients ask after signing up with Muslim Ad Network (MAN) is which are the highest performing banner sizes? Some ad formats are more noticeable which means they get more clicks and bring in more revenue.

So when you create banners for display advertising, consider which sizes to use. The banner size will contribute to the performance of your ad.

Factors to Keep in Mind

When your ads are close to the content and are easily visible upon page load, they will get you a higher CTR (click-through rate). Make sure that you choose a banner ad size that is easily noticeable. Some banner sizes could be too small and some could be too large to engage users positively.

Various ad formats are optimized for mobile devices. If your users are on their mobiles most of the time when looking for your product, you should focus on ad formats that are optimized for mobile devices.

When you plan to use a banner of a certain size, surf around the web to see how many advertisers are running ads for that format. Some ad formats and banners are more widely used among advertisers which means that they work better.

You can also check the popularity of banner sizes among advertisers at Top Banner Sizes: The 21 Most Effective Banners 2020.

Note: The examples below have been mentioned as the best performing sizes by Google. However, this is true in a general sense. In our networks, we see that the following banner sizes are the best and request our clients to create banners based on these sizes:  728xx90, 320x50, 300x250, 160x600 

Best Performing Sizes According to Google

Medium Rectangle (300x250px)

This ad size easily fits in the sidebar or inside the content area without annoying users. It’s the reason why this ad format is reported to have the best CTR for most websites.

Large Rectangle (336x280px)

This banner ad format is larger and more noticeable than the medium rectangle one. Bear in mind that it may not fit in all website sidebars and is not mobile optimized.

Sometimes, however, the large rectangle easily outperforms the medium rectangle banner ads if placed inside the content area between paragraphs.

Leaderboard (728x90px)

The leaderboard is ideal for a top position placement, inside or immediately after the website header. Due to its size and prominent placement, it performs quite well on most websites.

Large Skyscraper (300x600px)

The large skyscraper is a wide vertical banner that also goes by the name” half-page”. As an advertiser, you get more ad space to effectively communicate your message during retargeting.

This large skyscraper can appear in the sidebar or next to the content. However, due to its size, it may not be a fit for all websites.

Large Mobile Banner (320x100px)

This banner ad format is mobile’s equivalent of the leaderboard ad format in terms of effectiveness. 

Since mobile traffic makes up a good chunk of users for most websites, this ad format should be part of your arsenal.

2. It Takes Three to Tango

The best banner ads convey their message with just 3 vital bits of information: company name (logo), value proposition, and a call to action (CTA).

Value Proposition

Before you even think of doing any marketing, let alone writing a value proposition for a banner, you need to understand your target audience and their pain. This is the only way you can actually craft a message that is specific to their needs and interests with the confidence that they will respond.

In fact, if you think about it, the better you understand your audience, the more you will know about what kind of banner ad to design, and how to set up your campaign.

With this in mind, your banner’s value proposition should explain clearly how your product or service solves your audiences’ problems.

For a strong value proposition always include movement words such as:

• Increase
• Improve
• Save
• Grow
• Free up
• Eliminate
• Maximize

CTA

If you are selling a physical product you want your audience to buy, you tell them exactly that in your CTA. If you are a service company or selling digital products for example and have a longer sales cycle, you want your audience to sign up to a trial version or learn more. So, again, you ask them to do exactly that.

In any case, make sure that your CTA is easy to understand and contains a physical verb like:

• Go
• See
• Come
• Get
• View
• Learn
• Order
• Buy

The color of the CTA button also impacts the number of clicks your banner ad gets. Some organizations have witnessed an increase in CTR by 100% just by changing the color of the CTA button.

Psychologically and visually, a contrast-color CTA is the easiest to spot at a split-second glance. It also makes it very easy for your audience to figure out where to click.

Arranging the Components

Your value proposition and CTA should be the most visually distinct elements. You should place your logo on the sidelines, at one of the edges of your ad. Furthermore, you should make sure your image does not obscure any of the copy.

Never try to cram too much information into your banners. It just makes them overcrowded. Pack the value proposition in tightly, sticking to simple language and as few words as possible. You should be able to do all this in 2 sentences.

Remember that people do not have time to stop what they are doing to read a 5 sentence banner ad. Just tell your audience what you offer and what action you want them to take.

3. An Image is Worth a Thousand Words

Most digital ads are viewed for less than a second so yours has to stand out. Your background, image, and color scheme must attract attention right away. It needs to distract people from scrolling for long enough to serve them your messaging.

Color

Color is vital as it is used to grab peoples’ attention and evoke emotion. People also associate your color scheme with your brand.

A UX Planet study showed that the most popular colors among men are blue (57%) and green (14%); while women are into blue (35%) and purple (23%). Therefore, choose colors based on your audience. A little audience research will get you there.

Background

Whenever you can, you should use a solid-color background. It is a good idea not to distract your audience with too many other details in the background. 

Images of people in your ads, slogans, and product messages usually work great against a solid color background. 

That is not to say you cannot use images as a background. Sometimes relevant images used as background can be very impactful.

Just remember, you want to get your message across quickly without too many distractions.

Images

Images sell like hot cupcakes. This is especially true if you sell a product and are prompting your audience to buy something. No one will click on the banner if they don’t know what it looks like.

Even if you are not selling a physical product, you can still humanize what you are selling by using images.

Consistency

Your range of ads should have a consistent design. Ideally, you should use a maximum of 2 typefaces and the same color scheme and visuals across every ad.

No matter how nice you may think they’ll look, steer clear of cursive or overly elaborate fonts; instant readability is the name of the game. Have a look at this cool font combination guide.

Get more ideas for creating extremely effective display ads.

We are offering free banner design for all new advertisers who sign up with us, now until the end of Eid ul Adha (3 August 2020).  Feel free to contact us, and we will get back to you ASAP.

The post 3 Quick Tips for Effectively Designing Banner Ads that Spark Engagement appeared first on Muslim Ad Network.

Isn’t it frustrating to see all that traffic coming to your website yet only a fraction end up buying? Well, it shouldn’t be. Think about it; do you always buy the first time you visit a website? Like never, right? Your website visitors are the same. What’s even scarier is that 88% of people who buy online confess to ditching their online carts before completing a transaction. That’s not the worse part though; 70% of the carts were abandoned just before the order was completed.

That’s why the great minds of online ads came up with retargeting techniques. Retargeting is when you serve ads to audiences who have engaged with your content, visited your website, looked at a specific page on your website, or added items to a cart and left without completing the purchase.

In this article, we pick up where we left off with ‘7 Simple But Extremely Effective Display Ad Ideas’ to help you get those visitors to return and make a purchase.

You might be thinking: “why should I bother with retargeting in the first place?’. Well, here are some statistics I fished out for you from an article by CONNECTIO on retargeting.

• 75% of customers will notice your retargeted ads
• Your retargeting ads are 76% more likely to get relevant clicks than your regular display ads
• Your retargeting ads have the potential of increasing the search for your brand by 1046% 
• Retargeting in tandem with other efforts can help you sell 50% more than you are currently

Sounds too good to be true? Well, the potential is definitely there, but not every retargeting campaign is created equal. To get anywhere close to the numbers we mentioned you need to deploy one or more tactics that I listed for you below:

Retargeting Display Ad Idea #1: Address Hesitation Through Copy

Images are a great way to showcase what your brand has to offer. However, when you are retargeting viewers, you are addressing people who have already been to your site and probably know what you have to offer. Now is the time to focus more on the written part of the ad. 

Use the description part of the ad to address any hesitations one might have about buying your product or services. If you have a sales team or you do the business development yourself, you already know some things that make people hesitant to buy from you. On top of that, if you sell products online you might think of why people might hesitate to buy from you. Think of shipping costs, trust, and so on. You can validate what you know by asking your audience directly through a survey for example.

Retargeting Display Ad Idea #2: Show Ruwayda What She Loves

Meet Ruwayda. She is a 39-year-old college professor and one of her favorite things in this world is window shopping online. She visits a few sites every once in a while to fall in love with a few modest dresses and halal cosmetics. The only problem is that she usually leaves without buying anything. The fun part for her is that she will never look at those products again and thus will never have to commit.

However, there is just one website where she usually buys from. Why? Simply because whenever she looks at a product on that website, she sees an ad featuring that exact product or variations of that product follow her around on various online platforms that include social media. These types of retargeting ads are incredibly effective. They remind Ruwayda just how much she loved that Persian-style hijab in the first place and tempt her to return and convert.

Retargeting Display Ad Idea #3: Put The Fear of Missing Out in Them

One of the major reasons why users commit to a product or service is the fear of missing out. About 69% of millennials experience the phenomenon known as FOMO  – “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent” as described in a study called Computers in Human Behavior.

With millennials moving into their thirties in 2020, they have undeniable spending power as a group. AdAge reports that millennials will spend $10 trillion over their lifetime. So if you want to jump on the bandwagon and get your piece of the pie, one of the best ways is using urgency in your retargeting ads. 

I prefer using discount coupons that are available for a limited time. You may also use product discounts with an end date, that works well too. The thing with coupons is that they feel more exclusive to the consumer; as if you handed them a gift card. This creates an emotional connection between them and your brand.

The fear of missing out is of course not only true for millennials but is part of our human nature. When you add the fact that you are showing them ads of products they have already shown interest in, your chances of having them convert skyrockets.

Just remember that retargeting does not have to be exclusive to potential customers. Repeat business is the best business and you can use retargeting to remind past customers of how much they love your brand. It is also very effective when used for upselling or cross-selling.

Do you want us to help you get your ads in front of highly-engaged Muslim consumers?

The post 50% More Sales Via Your Display Ads? Do This appeared first on Muslim Ad Network.

Display Ads are a great way to get your brand in front of millions of potential customers. There’s just one thing you need to remember. Unlike search ads, your display ads are seen by users who are not actively looking for your product or service. Display Ads are designed to distract users from their intended activity and get them to click through to your website. On top of that, you are competing with other display ads from direct and indirect competitors. 

This is why you need to have your game on. Luckily we have 7 simple and yet extremely effective Display Ads ideas that will help you stand out in the crowd.

Are you ready to beat the competition? Let’s go!

Display Ad Idea #1: Become One With The Platform

Have you ever wondered why native ads do so well? You already know the answer to that: they don’t look like ads. You need to consider the platform that you are planning to have your ads show and make sure your ads are relevant contextually but still grab the attention of the readers. Not to mention they need to blend in design-wise.

Display Ad Idea #2: Divide and Conquer

One of my favorite things about display advertising is the ability it gives you to segment your audience based on their demographic details. So why not make use of this powerful feature and create ads that will catch the eye of each segment of your target audience? In your case, if you are targeting Muslims, you already know how diverse Muslims are and how ethnicity and culture play a huge role in that diversity. Plus, even under the same ethnicity flag, you have different demographics that need catering to. It sounds like a huge task but here at Muslim Ad Network, we can help you. Take a look at our product and targeting capabilities.

Display Ad Idea #3: Keep Everyone in Mind

This one is specific to the Muslim audience. When using any kind of image and video ads, make sure that you keep everyone in mind. You do not want to use ads that may be considered inappropriate by a segment of your audience. Remember, you are trying to attract them, not repel them. As we mentioned in the previous tip, Muslims come in all shapes and sizes and a healthy dose of moderation will make all the difference.

Display Ad Idea #4: Trigger Emotions

It is very important to leverage emotional triggers in your ad copy. This is how you connect with your audience effectively. Don’t be the guy that writes: Buy Eid Gifts Here. We Have Everything”. Be the guy who writes:” Surprise Your Loved Ones With Something Special This Eid”. Put yourself in their shoes; or even better, go back to your buyer persona and imagine what would trigger their emotions. If you don’t have one yet, have a look at how to create a buyer persona really quickly (link to tool included).

Display Ad Idea #5: Make Them Laugh

One way to stand out in a noisy and crowded place is by using humor. You do not have to be a comedian. You just need to know the culture of the people you are addressing. Get your colleague who always seems to make everyone laugh and ask her to take part in the brainstorming session for upcoming ads regardless of whether she is a marketer or a receptionist.

Display Ad Idea #6: Be Helpful

I am a strong believer in the marketing philosophy: ‘help’ and not ‘hype’. You can implement this by creating display ads that link to highly relevant content within your niche. So for example, if you own a vegan restaurant, you can offer a free vegan burger recipe. This approach is actually in many instances better than linking to a product page. You have to remember that your display ads are not targeting ready-to-buy audiences. You are trying to create brand awareness and build your subscription list more than anything. Of course, there are exceptions. Think of seasonal offers for example like Ramadan discounts. By the way, if you are an advertiser get in touch with us for our early bird Ramadan discounts.

Display Ad Idea #7: Try ‘Shockvertising’ Every Once in a While

This is a highly effective way to break through the clutter. Just do not overdo it. The term ‘shockvertise’ stands for using audacious images to produce a reaction from viewers. You can consider it one or two levels above display ad idea #4 as it evokes strong feelings among viewers, making them more likely to engage with it and even remember it.

This list is not even close to being exhaustive. There’s so much you can do and the sky is the limit if you are not scared to take a risk – “nothing ventured nothing gained”. Be creative and have fun with your display ads as long as you manage expectations and don’t go beyond the boundaries. 

Did I get your advertising mojo going? You can start here.

The post 7 Simple But Extremely Effective Display Ad Ideas appeared first on Muslim Ad Network.