Tips, resources, and breaking news from the advertising team at Christianity Today.
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May 17th, 2012
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eBlasts 101:Three Basic Tips for Creating an Impactful eBlast
If you are looking for a targeted one-time promotion for a book, conference, or special deal, an eBlast can be a very effective way to communicate your product. Here are three simple tips on creating an impactful eBlast.
Viewing Compatibility – Make sure your eBlast can be seen and understood by people across all different devices. 44% of people use their smartphone daily to check email. Not are people using phones, but plenty of people are using tablets and other devices as well as a whole bunch of different browsers (Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, FireFox), so its as integral as ever that your eBlast can be read and viewed on all devices. Make sure your coding is fitting for all devices, especially mobile.
Above the Fold Call-to-Action – What people can see on the screen first when the image loads is the most important (aka what is above the fold). Thus, Call-to-actions that are below the fold get less clicks. So make sure you have at least one “Buy Now” or “Subscribe Now” at a point where the person who opens the email does not have to scroll down to take action.
Make It Personal – It’s important that your eBlast does not come across as general or indirect, since this will greatly decrease conversion rates. If possible, adding some features like “Hi Josh”, or “thank you for downloading Jake’s Place eBook” can make the message not feel like soliciting and potentially connect personally with the reader. Plus it will increase interest and conversion rate significantly.
There is just three basic tips on how to create an impactful eBlast. We will be back with more specifics on eBlasts upcoming in the future.
Posted in Advertising Tips, Email Marketing
Five Questions to Ask Yourself When Creating Online Banners
Here are five quick questions to ask yourself in order to create an effective banner ad:
1) Does it clearly present my product?
The first question to ask yourself is if your ad clearly presents your product and delivers on the mission of the advertisement (branding, building web traffic, increased sales, etc.).
You don’t want any ambiguity here. Look at it from the perspective of a potential customer rather than from that of a designer. Use words that are easy to understand assuming your audience knows nothing about your product. Figure out what you want to teach them – likely it’s that your product is unique and why it’s important to them. How will it help them? What will it do for them? Why should they consider your product instead of another?
You also want your company name and/or product prominently displayed on the banner. You want something simple and short. Find a good slogan so that your ad pops out of the Web clutter.
2) Is it concise and to the point?
Let’s face it, as technology progresses and bandwidth speeds increase we’ve all become more impatient than ever before, especially when it comes to anything online. As things become more accessible we just get busier and busier, rushing through our days and trying to accomplish so much more than is humanly possible. So, keep it short and simple.
One or two short phrases should suffice on your banner. Make them catchy, positive, and to the point. You want to draw your audience in, not send them running for the door (or clicking that “close” button).
3) Does it have a clear call-to-action?
- Click here!
- Learn more…
- View Sample Here
Is there a reason for the reader to click through to your site? This is your one chance to catch them and bring them in. Don’t lose it by inviting the customer to take action.
4) Does it meet all creative specs for the publisher(s)?
Sticking with the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s recommended ad specs will allow you to use your creative on multiple sites, therefore cutting overall campaign production costs. But be sure to double-check the ad specs for the particular sites you’re planning to run your ads on. Most follow IAB standards.
5) How important is the landing page?
Once again, consider your primary purpose here. Creating an effective ad banner is the first step. But if your banner then clicks through to a page that does not provide the information your reader is looking for, or is difficult to navigate through, then you’ve probably just lost them there. An effective landing page is the next step in creating an effective ad campaign.
Here are some additional resources with helpful tips like these. Some are older, but still tried and true:
More Questions about effective Banner Advertising from Russell Johns
Optimus01 tips for Banners that Work
Posted in Advertising Tips, Online Advertising
Ready. Set. Action: 4 steps to a Better Call-To-Action
Advertising is often romanticized for the creative aspect of an ad, but let’s not forget the purpose of advertising: to prompt the reader to take action. Whether it’s checking out a product, learning more about a given subject, or simply sparking interest, the importance of the call-to-action (CTA) cannot be understated. Here are four simple tips to improving the call-to-action on your ad.
1. A Call is More Than Just a Click
Often the call in many advertisements is just “Click Here.” However, most people nowadays already know that ads are clickable, so simply saying “Click Here” may not prompt the reader to take action. Using different language like “Learn More”, “Subscribe Now” and “Download for Free” can all be stronger and more enticing call-to-actions.
2. Bottom is Not Always Best
Many ads logically place the call-to-action at the bottom of the ad as if each person logically reads the entire ad and then takes the action at the bottom. However, in this short attention span era, putting your ad at the bottom is no longer the best approach, as it is more important to put your CTA where it is most striking.
3. Make More Than Just the Call an Action
It’s one thing to use the CTA as a prompt to the user and another to make the entire ad action-oriented. Take this Ford ad for example. Not only is the CTA in a prominent location (the top right), but the fun subject “Swap Your Ride” also prompts action.
4. Be Specific
Many people who see ads online are naturally a tad skeptical to click, but being specific as to what your user can expect on the other side of the click can help to improve your Click-Through Rate (CTR). Rather than just “Learn More”, make it “Learn More about Special Book Offers”. Rather than “Watch Video”, make it “Watch Video on Our Mission”. Being more specific puts the reader at ease and can increase your CTR significantly.
These four simple tips can go a long way in making your ad worth the investment. Remember, don’t just entice, but invite action.
Posted in Advertising Tips, Online Advertising
Advertiser Spotlight – WaterBrook Publishing Group
For this month’s Advertiser Spotlight, we are highlighting a great e-blast from Waterbrook Publishing Group.
This campaign was sent as a dedicated email to our Christian Bible Studies list, and received nearly 3x the average click-thru rate.
Here’s a breakdown on why we felt it performed so well:
1. Image-to-Text Ratio
This is a common trait we notice in higher-performing email campaigns. While there are certainly benefits to coding an e-blast as a standalone image (i.e. it guarantees proper formatting of text and spacing), it also has some limitations.
Many email clients have images blocked by default (Gmail does this, for example). The best way to ensure your message is received by all readers is to include some text in the email. This will often improve the appearance for subscribers with images enabled as well, but more importantly it is not blocked by image filters.
2. Descriptive Alt Tags
Because certain e-mail clients do not automatically display images, the Alt Tags for an image are very important in communicating calls to action and other vital information. This campaign included clear and helpful Alt text for each image in the email, allowing readers to know exactly where to click even when image blocking was in effect.
3. Promotional Offer with a clear Call to Action
Everyone enjoys a giveaways and promotional offers, right? Sure they do…especially around the holidays. This campaign featured a nice giveaway, nicely targeted to our Christian Bible Studies list. But what really set them apart was the clear call to action. The buttons were prominent and clearly written, making it easy for readers to take action.
4. Social Media and Blog Links
Another feature that we are seeing more often is the inclusion of social media and/or blog links in email campaigns. This allows readers to connect with the brand or interact with product offers, and possibly even promote it themselves within Facebook or Twitter. As advertisers, that kind of viral promotion is as good as it gets.
Posted in Case Studies, Email Marketing
Coke’s New Holiday Design Gets Canned Early
Being festive — it’s a great marketing strategy this time of year, right? Sure it is…but every once and a while it can backfire.
Just ask Coca-Cola, whose recent holiday can debacle has them feeling more like Scrooge this holiday season. If you haven’t already spotted the shiny new Coke cans, it may be too late. 
Coke recently announced they will no longer be making their original “white polar bear” can design and will be replacing it with a more traditional red holiday can.
The reason for this sudden change? Brand confusion.
Consumers were outraged, believe it or not, that the new design featured a white can that was very similar to that of the Diet Coke design. Customers who wanted Diet Coke were purchasing regular Coke and customers who wanted regular Coke complained that it tasted different in white cans — what a mess!
In a recent statement made by Coke, they announced it will distribute more than one billion white holiday cans and roughly another billion of the new traditional red can all before the campaign’s end date in February. The red seasonal cans will be in stores by Christmas, while the white cans are projected to be gone by mid-December. Whether the red seasonal cans were always a part of the campaign or if they were brought in after the consumer outcry, we’ll never know.
As it turns out, the white polar bear cans were a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to help raise awareness about global warming. But despite their good intentions, Coke altered something that has been associated with their brand for decades: the look and color.
And although we might sit and wonder, “why all the fuss over the color of a soda can?” it just goes to show the importance of consistent branding. Consumers have come to expect this from us as marketers. I’m highly skeptical that the taste differs from a white can to a red can, but sometimes perception is reality. One thing’s for sure: you won’t be seeing regular Coca-Cola in a white can any time soon.
So here’s a question for you: Were you able to promote your brand this holiday season in a way that was both festive and consistent? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Posted in Advertising Tips
