I think by now we all know the importance and value of search. It is one of the closest things we can get to an actual sale in media. It is the whole theory that if they are searching for something in particular, a product or service, they are in the mindset of moving forward with their decision. With search being the foundation of any online media campaign a marketer needs to step back and evaluate the role of the banner ad.

The banner ad plays a very important role in an online marketing plan and should not be overlooked. The banner ad allows a company to accomplish something they can’t do that well in search, and that is to get their message across with their brand personality. That’s not to say you can’t do that with search, but it can be more of an immersive experience and the user can be captured by the look and feel of the banner; It allows you to say more. The problem with banners is what is called the “last ad/click”.

When a campaign is running and you are analyzing its performance you typically optimize based on what you attribute to be the last click or ad that your customer saw. Essentially, it comes down to what media you can directly attribute a sale. The piece of the puzzle being left out is what effect the banner had on getting someone to search or go and make a purchase or request more information. Atlas, an adserver owned by Microsoft, did a study on the value of the banner ad. The result was pretty interesting and reaffirmed what I have seen over and over: Banners get people into the top of the sales funnel. They get people interested and in turn they show a propensity to do more research on your product/service.  A banner may not show immediate results, but if you have developed the right media plan that reaches your target, it will not only drive positive results but also aid the other media tactics in driving more and better conversions for your business.

It is important not only to look at the last click, but overall what that banner did for you. You can do that in a number of ways -- for example, if your search campaign is steady, you may see increases in impressions or clicks in search by adding in a new banner campaign. Depending on what you are promoting you may see increases in those product sales. Neither of these methods are scientific, but will give you a general idea of the value of the banner. However, with research and with reams of information you can get a pretty good idea of what is driving the sales process. In the end, all online media work together and the more you have of each, the greater the overall performance. It’s all part of a solid media campaign that includes search, banners, video, social marketing, radio, tv, print, etc.