One request we increasingly get from clients is to convert their print ads for online use. Making the necessary changes to get your print ads online is not difficult, but there are some changes that need to be made to accommodate a web format.
One of the key differences is that print ads generally provide all the information in the ad, and ask you to take an action (at least a good print ad will!). On the other hand, banner advertising serves more to grab the reader’s attention, and get them to click to a website or a landing page which will then serve as the means to generate the online action (call us, fill out a form, etc).
So can display advertising be the starting point for a good banner ad or campaign? Absolutely. But you need to remember a few things while you’re at it.
For one, keep it short! Think of a banner ad as a billboard. You need to distill your print ad to the most important points. And try to cut the copy as much as you can — just leaving the key motivators that will encourage your prospect to click through to your website.After all there is usually less space on a banner, and the resolution is lower on the web, meaning you can’t make the font size too small or it won’t be legible anyway.
A recent example is a print ad we did for a client (pictured here) – when he then wanted converted into a 300×250 banner ad for the print publications website (It’s very common these days for trade publications and other pubs to offer banner ads as part of the print buy, or for a nominal extra charge).
In this example we had to cut out quite a bit of copy, resize the ad from a vertical format to a horizontal format, and then add a button to encourage click-throughs.
In then end, the client was able to leverage their existing print advertising design to work with their online marketing effort – saving time and effort, and creating a more uniform “campaign” look across both mediums.
If you would like more information on how you can better integrate your online and offline advertising, contact us today.