How to Write Traffic

Pulling Banner Ad

Headlines

A Guide to Your Banner

Headline Success!

Neil Napier

Online Marketing Laboratory

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 2

BANNER AD HEADLINE 101............................................................ 4

WHAT IS A HEADLINE? ................................................................ 4

THE ADVANTAGES OF A KILLER HEADLINE ................................ 4

TIPS ON CREATING BANNER AD HEADLINES THAT WORK .......... 6

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS YOU MUST AVOID .................................. 9

BONUS TIPS! ............................................................................... 9

SHORT HEADLINES VS. LONG HEADLINES .................................. 11

SWIPING HEADLINES ................................................................... 13

SWIPE FILE DEFINED ................................................................. 13

HEADLINE SWIPE FILE SAMPLES ............................................... 14

THE BOTTOM LINE ....................................................................... 18

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INTRODUCTION

Internet advertising is a ravenous competition. Grabbing the attention of

internet users is vital to the success of your online business. Ads that do not

fancy your user’s awareness will definitely receive the “Click of Death” as

they eventually decide not to give any attention to what you are

promoting. It is vital that you understand that a banner ad will only receive

a split second of a user’s time. You must be able to entice a potential client

into taking a deeper look.

The best way to lure potential clients to your ad is through a fantastic,

killer, irresistible banner headline. With a headline like that, your prospect

client would have no choice but to click and open your ad. This gives you a

higher chance that a purchase is to be made.

Your main goal is that you should be able to spark the interest in your

potential clients. You must build a desire for them to explore your product

or service in a deeper scale and eventually lure them into buying

something.

Yes, it is true that it is not that easy to compose compelling headlines. It

would take time, an imaginative mind and research. But with enough effort

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put into this, it can yield a daunting increase in your click through rates

and most definitely an increase in your profit.

Now, let your creative juices flow as you read on this guide on how to

make killer banner ad headlines!

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BANNER AD HEADLINE 101

Let’s start with a good foundation on the basics of how to make irresistible

banner ad headlines.

THE HEADLINE?

A banner headline embodies your marketing campaign. It is the first few

words that your potential client sees. It has the power to grab attention,

tickle the imagination, create desire and even convey the benefits of what

your product or service entails.

It is a marketer’s goal to let their potential clients start a wonderful journey

through their marketing campaign by the use of an irresistible banner ad

headline.

THE ADVANTAGES OF A KILLER HEADLINE

A marketer should be well-motivated to seriously consider the use of

banner ads. Here are some advantages to get you motivated:

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1. Banner ads are extremely cost effective. When done correctly, you

can get good value for your money.

2. With good resources on your side, you can buy bulk banner ads for a

whole lot less.

3. Banner ads are extremely trackable. You can easily distinguish which

ads are converting well and are sending you good traffic on multiple

sites.

4. It is important that you have a targeted traffic where you market

your products or services. With banner ads, you can seek out your

targeted traffic and exhibit your banner ads where they are most

effective.

5. You can place unlimited banner ads on numerous sites which would

definitely drive a whole bulk of potential clients to your website on a

daily basis.

6. When you have tracked that a banner ad is converting really well on

a certain site, then it just follows that you can use the same banner in

other sites to lure more potential clients.

7. Banner ads are visually appealing. Because gives you the ability to

customize, you can increase CTR by presenting it more like a

resource than an ad.

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TIPS ON CREATING BANNER AD HEADLINES

THAT WORK

1. USE NUMBERS!

> People get lured easily when you have statistics to back you up.

This is an instant attention grabber. But make sure you get your

numbers right to avoid problems in the future.

EXAMPLES:

Lose 50 Pounds in Just Two Weeks

How I made $10,000 in a Day

2. TELL STORIES!

> People are generally curious of other people’s lives, especially when

it relates to the daily struggles they face every day themselves. Story-

telling is something you can apply in making effective headline ads.

EXAMPLES:

How a Grandmother Used Household Items to Get Rid of Mice

Infestation

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How I Made Thousands of Dollars in Less Than Three Months

3. INSTRUCT THEM!

> People generally look for easy, understandable ways to solve their

problems. By providing a step-by-step guide to complete something

of interest to them would most likely lure them into clicking your ad.

EXAMPLES:

Get Rid of Acne in Seven Simple Steps

Five Easy Ways Keep Your PC Virus-Free

4. USE THE MAGIC OF POWER WORDS!

> Use words that add strength to your headline. This is a good way of

convincing potential clients that there is value behind your ad. It

definitely would make people excited and would most probably

leading to a well-deserved click through.

EXAMPLES:

Top Secrets of Online Marketing Exposed

Ten Awesome Banner Ad Designs that Work

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IMPROVED HURRY SENSATIONAL

Now, it’s up to you to research more on power words that would

best suit your banner ad campaign.

5. WORLD-CLASS EXEMPLIFIED!

> People generally look up to famous people, musicians, and

celebrities in more ways than one. Use that inspiration people have

when writing your banner ad headlines.

EXAMPLES:

How to Advertise Like Justin Bieber

Five Life Lessons You Can Learn from Michelle Obama

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POTENTIAL PROBLEMS YOU MUST AVOID

1. A headline which is not seen as something that is valuable by your

potential clients is doomed to fail. If it does not appeal to you client

emotionally, get rid of it and start again.

2. Your headline could be cool, humorous or cute, but if it does not set

the mood for action to be taken, it is doomed to fail. Your potential

clients may visit your website, and even read through your material,

but the thought of achieving the ultimate goal of them buying from

you remains very vague.

3. A business-centered headline is doomed to fail. You must see things

in the perspective of your potential clients and not formulating your

ad headline based on your personal interests. Make it more beneficial

for them, not for you.

BONUS TIPS!

As you formulate the headline of your banner ad, you have to take

the time to test them repeatedly and discover which ones give you

the highest, positive results. Go through the testing process using

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various factors like font size, placement, word count, colors, and

punctuation and so on.

You should find a way to “involve” potential clients into what you

are doing. You should gear them into the direction you want them to

go to, and call them to act on it.

Give them a sense of benefit through your ad. When your potential

clients realize that there is more for them, then you make your profit.

Once you got their attention, made them interested and made them

believe that there is more for them offered in your ad, the next thing

to do is convert them into purchasing your products or services. You

must tell them how to proceed and what are the next steps they

should take in order to avail from you. Call them to buy now!

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SHORT HEADLINES VS. LONG

HEADLINES

“Less is more”.

The idea that you only have a split second to grab the attention of a

potential client plays a big role here. You have to deliver your message in

one quick punch, so to say.

Length is one of the deciding factors that could make or break your

intention of seeking out potential clients and eventually make profit.

You may work under the principle of doing a Breath Test. If you can’t read

a headline in one breath, chances are you won’t understand the content in a

very short span of time. That is what you are trying to avoid in banner ad

marketing since you only have a very short period to perk the interest of

your potential clients.

The rule of thumb for banner ad headlines: Keep them short and punchy.

Make it hard hitting and actionable. Remember that a banner ad is not a

platform for you to present a detailed explanation about the product or

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service you are offering. Also, you must consider the ad space limitation

you have. If you don’t have that liberty, keep it short.

Put into mind that you formulate banner ad headlines to make a ground-

breaking impact that would lead prospective clients to what you want,

which is for them to buy from you. What you are aiming for is immediate

action.

Creating great banner ad headlines takes experience, a lot of research, time

and effort. But I assure you, this will be time well spent. Think of it as an

investment. It would just be a matter of time before you reap the fruits of

your labor.

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SWIPING HEADLINES

Sometimes you find yourself struggling with words and it could be a

nightmare. Your creative juices do not flow when you most need them to

and creating killer headlines seems like a wrestling match for you. This

may create a lot of unwanted anxiety and leaves you with an un-inviting

headline.

It’s about time that you use the power of swipe files. But what exactly is a

swipe file?

SWIPE FILE DEFINED

A swipe file is basically a compilation of headlines, phrases, ads that came

from previous works or taken from the web. These creative textual contents

have been proven to work in the past and most often than not, you wish

you have written them yourself.

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Now is the time for you to start building your swipe file archive. This may

prove to be very useful and will definitely save you in cases when your

enthusiasm and creativity are not working in your favor.

HEADLINE SWIPE FILE SAMPLES

Here are some Headline Swipe File Templates you may use to jump start

your banner ad campaign:

HEADLINE TEMPLATE EXAMPLE

Get Rid of ___ Once and For All

How to Take Charge of Your ___

Warning: ___

How to ___ in 5 Minutes

Secrets of ___

7 ___ Mistakes That Make You Look

Dumb

How to Be ___

Get Rid of Migraines Once and For

All

How to Take Charge of Your Career

Warning: Cancer Will Get You Soon

How to De-Stress in 5 Minutes

Secrets of The Beatles

7 Blogging Mistakes That Make You

Look Dumb

How to Be Interesting to the

Opposite Sex

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How to ___ That Your ___ Will Love

How to ___ in ___

100 Killer Resources for ___

The Top 10 ___

5 Things Your ___ Need to Hear You

Say

7 Ways to ___

10 Shortcuts for ___ in Record Time

You, A ___?

Your ___ Doesn’t Want You to Read

This Ad

Would You Like to Have A ___?

Why Lazy ___ Succeed In ___ And

Nice Guys Fail

Who Else Wants To ___ With ___?

See How Easily You Can ___

How to Cook Healthy Meals That

Your Kids Will Love

How to Earn Million in 2013

100 Killer Resources for Banner

Advertising

The Top 10 Relationship Killers

5 things Your Husband Need to

Hear You Say

7 Ways to Market Effectively

10 Shortcuts for These Writing in

Record Time

You, A Millionaire Blogger?

Your Doctor Doesn’t Want You to

Read This Ad

Would You Like To Have A Mind-

Blowing Vacation This Summer?

Why Lazy Writers Succeed In

Blogging And Nice Guys Fail

Who Else Wants To Earn Money

With Their Computer?

See How Easily You Can Turn Your

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You Don’t Have To Be ___ To Be ___

Do You Make Mistakes in ___

Give Me ___ and I’ll Give You ___

Which One of These ___ Problems

Do You Want To Get Rid Of?

Where ___ Is And How TO Get It

What Would You Rather Do: ___ Or

___?

We’re Looking For People To ___

Want To Be A ___?

___ Your Way To A ___ You

To People Who Want To ___ But

Can’t Get Started

Tired of ___?

Too Busy __ To ___?

Life Around

You Don’t Have To Be A Movie

Start To Be Famous

Do You Make Mistakes in Speaking

English?

Give Me Five Minutes a Day and I’ll

Give You Radiant Skin

Which One of These Health

Problems Do You Want To Get Rid

Of?

Where The Profit Is And How To

Get It

What Would You Rather Do: Die

Poor or Live Rich?

We’re Looking For People To Make

Money With Us

Want To Be A Millionaire?

Twist Your Way To A Younger You

To People Who Want To Exercise

But Can’t Get Started

Tired of Being Fat?

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There’s Big ___ In ___

They Laughed When I ___ - But

When I ___...

The ___ Way To ___!

The Ugly Truth About Your

Beautiful ___

The Quickest Way I Know To ___

The ___ All ___ Is Talking About

Too Busy Working To Spend Time

With Your Family?

There’s Big Money In Losing

They Laughed When I Held The

Violin – But When I Started to

Play…

The Painless Way to Losing Weight!

The Ugly Truth About Your

Beautiful New House

The Quickest Way I Know To Make

A Billion Bucks

The Non-Surgical Breast

Augmentation Japan Is Talking

About

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THE BOTTOM LINE

Writing killer banner ad headlines is a great way to jump start you

marketing campaign. You must pay great attention to the problems, needs,

wants, desires and goals that your potential clients may have. Remember

that it is not about you—It is about them.

Time is of great consideration. With the steep competition you are

reckoned with on the web, a glance on your ad should be enough to entice

a prospective client to look more closely in what you have to offer.

Different factors come into play when constructing a good headline. You

must research and be as creative as you can. Your mission does not stop in

creating this marketing tool. Your real success is measured when someone

finally decides to buy your product or service--- that is what you should

aim for.

The success of your banner ad campaign relies on how well you can

manage the resources you have. You must be at the top of your game at all

times and be alert for any changes that may happen.

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Remember to test your ads continuously in order to find out which work

and which do not. This would be a very good platform for you to improve

what you have and create better, more effective banner ad headlines in the

future.

With the proper, innovative construction of your banner ad headlines, your

success and sales will be on autopilot. Pretty soon, you will be smiling all

the way to the bank!