Banner ads drive traffic to your brand site and create overall brand consideration. When used strategically, it gains traction for your healthcare campaign. However, like all media categories, you need a thought-out plan.
When used effectively, a banner ad campaign can:
- Share your product/services with a larger audience leading to high customer traffic and sales
- Build brand awareness and recognition
- Help with future retargeting campaigns – know exactly who interacted with your ads and deliver the ads again in future campaigns.
Creating effective banner ads for Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) involves several key steps:
1. Define your target audience
Identify the specific group of HCPs you want to reach such as doctors, nurses, or other Healthcare Professionals.
If you need inspiration on where to start, look at historical sales metrics and create profiles of general types of customers your business or salespeople encounter. Google Analytics and Ads are also places to gain insights into demographic data and share which groups are converting or engaging with your site.
2. Conduct market research
Understand your target audience’s needs, pain points, and interests to create a message that emotionally connects with them. Also consider how the audience engages with different ad types and what types of copy, graphics, and animation appeal to them.
Market research doesn’t have to be conducted in a lab or a focus group. It can be as simple as using Google Trends to see what people are searching for in your product or service area and how those searches change over time. This knowledge creates a more targeted and effective banner ad strategy.
Layer on Adfire’s third party data to create personas based on demographics, such as age, HHI, marital status, number of children in the household, propensity towards shopping, travel, technology and more.
3. Use clear, concise messaging
Keep your ad message simple and concise, focusing on the key benefits of your products or services. Five to seven words is ideal. Consider the target audience is doctors so speak to them using relatable words about their patients.
For example, the ad below gets to the point quickly as the first alternative to hydrocodone. This ad is directed at consumers who use hydrocodone, prompting them to ask HCPs about the drug. This ad will also draw the attention of HCPs who prescribe hydrocodone or who are hesitant to prescribe hydrocodone and to consider this drug as an alternative for their patients.
4. Use attention-grabbing visuals
Use high-quality images or videos that grab attention and convince the target audience to want to learn more about your product or service.
Your banner ad must be able to pop out from the rest of the page. Creative that has a border, animation, and high-quality eye-catching visuals along with a strong use of brand colors or logos immediately signal the brand identity to the target audience.
Brand colors that illustrate the shocking statistic with attention-grabbing copy sends a message about what the product does and the solution it provides.
Need help with effective visuals? Check out our creative services page for some inspiration.
5. Include a clear call to action
Encourage HCPs to take a specific action, such as visiting your website or contacting your company to learn more about your product or service.
Your banner must convey what will happen once they click on your ad. Similar to the copy that leads up to the call to action (CTA), your CTA must be compelling, clear, and easy to understand. Some general CTA examples include: Learn more, Sign up, Get started.
6. Test and optimize
Continuously test and optimize your banner ad with metrics such as click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate to measure its performance. Adjust copy, imagery and CTA as necessary.
Many banner ad vendors offer A/B testing with slight changes in copy, colors, ad rotation, and CTA. It is encouraged to play around with different combinations to see if there is room for optimization and higher quality lead conversions.
To ensure you get the most return from your media investment (ROI), consistently test messaging and visuals with target audiences. A/B testing is most effective when best practices are followed.
7. Submit through medical and legal review
No matter where you are advertising, your campaign must be healthcare compliant and align with that country’s regulations. It’s a smart to consult with digital media, healthcare and regulatory experts to make sure the campaign is effective, compliant, and ethical.
8. Make sure the ad complies with the platform’s ad policies, guidelines, and best practices
Most vendors and creative agencies provide general guidelines on how to best perform on different types sites with either suggestions on ad placements or creative, respectfully. Take their advice. They are encouraged to guarantee your success as they want you to return and spend your media budget with them.
Based on Adfire experience, banner ads perform best when:
- They are above the fold.
- Have 5 – 7 words in the main messaging
- Use easy-to-read sans serif open web fonts
- Use borders around the ad and bold colors to draw attention
- Feature simple 5-second animations to make the most out of the limited space and time to engage with the audience
Now you are ready to kick off your first strategic banner campaign. With well-written copy and visually appealing graphics, you can spread awareness about your company to a broader audience, boosting conversions and sales.
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