The lowly and misunderstood ad banner has been around since the dawn of the (commercial) Internet… and it’s still plugging away today. Even though newer and cooler forms of advertising like paid search, social media, and mobile advertising, have (seemingly) passed it by.

Why should you still care about banner ads? Well, for starters, brand advertising is coming back in vogue… shocking but true!

Seems that marketers have finally figured out what consumers have known all along – we buy from brands we’re familiar with! That’s why eMarketer now forecasts growth in online display ads (i.e., banner ads) will outstrip that for paid search through 2014.

Said another way, banner ads may not generate many clicks… but they do generate the kind of “awareness” that makes us: click on a brand’s link in search results, mention a brand to friends, and notice a brand when shopping (online or offline). All of which, sooner or later, results in the cash register ringing!

Here are six essential tips to building your brand with banner advertising:

• Bigger truly is better. The more website real estate you cover with your ad the better. This ensures that more people see your ad (whether they realize it or not) and are influenced by your brand message.

• Keep it moving. Our eyes are designed to notice small movements on a Web page. So get your ad moving, but do it in a way that engages not tricks (please, no blinking ads!). Maybe a graphic that builds or changes its message… you get the idea!

• Aim really high. Get your advertising as high up on the page as you can. More people will notice it plus it helps your chances of always being “above the fold”. This is why everyone competes for the number one slot in Google search results.

• Context is king. Design your advertising to fit in with the content and design of the website(s) your ad shows on. This keeps it from looking too much like advertising. Believe it or not, many prospects don’t like reading ads.

• Not a one-time shot. Building your brand takes time, so plan to keep your ads running for at least a few months… or as long as you can! Think about it. When was the last time you acted on an ad the first time you saw it. Never. That’s right.

• Change it up… but not too often. Prospects notice your advertising the first few times but then stop seeing it. So change up your ad every once in a while (think monthly). But be careful of changing too often… otherwise your brand message won’t sink in.

Now we’re not saying don’t do paid search, mobile marketing, or whatever the advertising flavor of the day is (iPad anyone?). We are saying you need to also invest in developing your brand in the minds of customers and prospects. And that’s where your newly empowered ad banner comes to the rescue!

Have your own tips on banner advertising? Let us know!

Want to learn more on this fun topic? Check out these posts:

Creating brand awareness is critical to your online advertising strategy

Where to advertise online? Well that depends…

Want to learn how to write Google ads? Read on…

And don’t forget, we’re here to help… give us a call at 888-330-3236.

Think Twitter is just some silly Internet fad with no real impact on your business? Think again! With an estimated 75 million people  sending over 1.5 billion messages (or “tweets”) a month, Twitter is an increasingly important way to connect with your customers and prospects – one you can’t afford to ignore!

First things first – what IS Twitter, anyway?

You’ve probably heard Twitter described something like this:

“Twitter is a social network where users connect with each other by “following” 140 character messages from people or companies they find interesting.”

Ok… but what does that mean?!?

Well, you can think of Twitter like a mini press release service where you send out headlines to people who are interested in hearing from you. Adding a new item to your menu? Running a special deal for this weekend only? Launching a new website? Twitter helps you get the word out quickly, and makes it easy for your followers to keep passing it along to more and more people.

Great – how do I get started?

1. Create your account – head over to twitter.com to sign up.  Choose a name that will make it easy for people to find you, like your business or brand name. Be sure to add a few details to your bio, and use an eye catching picture for your profile – a unique picture will help customers pick your tweets out of the flock!
2. Set up some searches – your name, business name, products, website, and competitors are all excellent starting points. When you’ve set up a useful search, you can easily save it, add it to your RSS reader or use one of the tools mentioned below to have the results delivered via email.
3. Start following – your existing customers, prospects, and partners (you can even import contacts from your email address book to make finding them super easy!) You’ll also want to follow experts and peers in your industry, and check out who follows them, as they could also be interested in hearing from you (more on that shortly).
4. Get a feel for it – how often do people tweet? Which tweets get your attention? How do you fit enticing messages into the 140-character limit? Experiment until you find a pattern that suits your style and generates the results you’re looking for.
5. Jump in – you can ask and answer questions, or request feedback on your website, products, or services. You’ll also want to share information that helps build your credibility and establishes you as a voice worth listening to (and following!) – like links to relevant articles, helpful tips, or special deals exclusively for your followers.
6. Begin building your own following – invite people to follow you on Twitter by adding a link to your Twitter profile on your website and in your email signature. By far the most effective way to gain followers is by interacting with other people and following the ones that interest you. Often, when you follow someone, they will follow you back – give it a try!

Tweeter beware – Twitter can be addictive!

Once you tap into this rushing river of tweets, it can be hard to pull yourself away!  Fortunately, you don’t have to hang out on Twitter all day, or even read every message – there are plenty of free tools available to help you stay on top of things while you’re busy running your business!

Google Alerts now include results from Twitter. If you already have Google Alerts set up for some of your key terms, you may have noticed a few tweets popping up.

TweetBeep and TweetAlarm are like Google Alerts, only focused on Twitter. They will find tweets that match your search criteria and deliver them straight to your email inbox – either right away, hourly, or in a daily digest.

While not free, you might also consider picking up a copy of The Twitter Book by Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein. It’s a quick read, and a handy guide covering the basics all the way up to advanced tips and tools for using Twitter to grow your business.

Lastly, if you’re considering marketing your business on one of the Twitter advertising services that have sprung up in the last 18 months or so, be sure to check out our list of the 15 best Twitter advertising services for you to consider (so far!)

Best of all, there is no wrong way to tweet – so go ahead, get started!

Let us know about your successes and any questions you have in the comments section. You can also follow me and ask me questions on Twitter (of course!)

(Editor’s note: many thanks to Karri Carlson for this guest post)