How Effective Are Online Advertisements?

Online advertisements can be very effective, but only if they are done tastefully and tailored to the right audience. I was considering this recently as I was spending time on a social networking site. I provide a limited amount of information about myself on my page, some of which includes my age (late 20s), that I am married and that I enjoy running. I’ve noticed that the online ads on the sidebars are tailored to those facts and interests. While some I just shake my head at (divorce counseling services already?), some I actually click on (an upcoming 5K in my area, clever t-shirts with funny puns). Now this is remarkable for someone like me considering I have rarely ever clicked on an online ad anywhere else, and I do not generally buy products and services online. And what good is an online ad if people don’t click on it?

Before I got married, I had selected that I was engaged on my social network site. The ads appeared for wedding photographers in my area, floral arrangement services and whatnot. Clever. None of these would likely interest a divorcee in her 50s. And T-shirts with clever puns on them are probably not of much interest to a social networker in his 60s. However, 20-somethings generally eat that stuff up. I find the whole process of tailoring ads to a target audience fascinating and very worthwhile to advertisers.

While tailoring an ad to a target audience is by far the most effective way to get an online ad noticed, not every site has the capability of collecting the sort of specific information that the social networks do, nor do all businesses have market research teams to collect that information. Therefore, they will need to rely on established principles of good Web ad design to draw people to click on them.

I found a useful, albeit old, article today on a site called iMedia Connection called How to Get Noticed Online, which lists seven principles of effective online ads. Paraphrased, they include the following:

1. Be visually aggressive
2. Avoid exaggerated cartoons
3. Emotion (a.k.a. sex) still sells
4. Create a flow to your focal point
5. Sell the benefits (of a product or service) first
6. Keep it simple
7. Brand early and often (don’t be afraid to have the brand name of the product clearly displayed)

The point is, the principles of effective visual communication that work in print ads often still work in Web ads. I would add an eighth principle, however: Tell the viewer what to do. If you want them to "click here" or "explore the Caribbean," don’t be afraid to tell them so.