Friday, November 30, 2012

Flash Overlay Banner - Powerful Advertising Tips and Ideas That Work


There are many benefits of using a flash overlay banner inside a video player. The biggest of these is that an overlay banner isn't as annoying as a banner that breaks right into your screen uninvited. People are certainly more welcoming of online ads that they can choose to appear than those that invade their personal space.

The Attraction Factor

In-video flash banners, when properly planned and designed, are more effective in catching viewer's attention than ordinary text-based advertisements. It takes quite some effort to produce an effective flash overlay, but the rewards are plenty when the advertisement is done right. But to do that, there are certain ad design principles that you first have to pay attention to. You don't have to create the banner yourself. You can hire a specialist to do it for you. However, your knowledge of these design principles will help you decide whether to put up the flash overlay banner or not.

Use softer shapes. The subtlety of curves, arcs, and circles brings a silent but powerful message to your audience. Softer, rounded edges imply warmth, friendliness, and approachability. They imply that your company cares for its customers, as opposed to the hard-edged squares and rectangles that have been so popular in the previous years. Add images and animate them. Overlay advertising works better to your advantage when you follow the advice "Show, don't tell." So instead of telling your viewers just how happy your present customers are with your service, why don't you show them pictures of your happy customers and animate them for a livelier experience. Be careful about adding too much animation, though, because this causes slower loading times and annoys viewers too much. Keep it simple. As much as you would like to catch other people's attention, keeping your message short and sweet is the key to remaining within your viewer's line of vision. Your ad's copy (You didn't think you can get away just with animated images, did you?) should be direct to the point and brief. You can do the shameless sales-pitching later on when your audience clicks on your advertisement and is directed to your web page. Increase interactivity. A great way to have your ad NOT closed by a user is to include them in the experience. A flash overlay banner should not be there merely to attract attention. It should be there with a specific call to action to be done by the viewer. This action can be anything from answering a one-question survey, pressing a button, or playing a virtual piano. Increasing interactivity allows the users to immerse themselves in the experience and enjoy it more fully. Size matters. Users don't want to see your ads all over the place. Keep them large enough to be noticed, but unobtrusive enough to remain pleasantly in the background for the rest of the time the user is scoping out other parts of the page. The ideal overlay banner size, as dictated by Photoshop, is 468x60 pixels, but you can adjust the size according to your advertisement's needs. Mind the fonts. Many people think overlay advertising has nothing to do with the fonts used. Who cares whether or not you use a serif or a sans serif font? Actually, your viewers do. A lot of them don't know it, but they have an unconscious preference for sans serif font styles like Arial, Verdana, and Tahoma. The reason? Sans serif fonts are much easier on the eyes. See for yourself.

Decreasing Video CPM, Increasing Revenues

Video advertising used to be very expensive, until the advent of CPM (cost per mille) based advertisements. Due to the cost-effectiveness of video overlay advertising, plus better click-through rates, more leads generated, high lead-to-sales conversion rates, video CPM has significantly decreased to an average of $12 as opposed to an average video CPM of $60 a few years ago. This indicates that it may be high time for you to start investing in video overlays soon.

Beginner's Guide to Banner Ads   Is Banner Advertising the Way to Go?   Internet Marketing Advice: Your List For A Craigslist Clickable Banner   Online Banner Ads - 5 Tips to Make Your Banner Ads More Effective for Your Small Business   



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