Lately, it seems the trend in online promotion has moved away from banner advertising and migrated towards direct e-mail. The reason for this, in my opinion, is the cost per visitor. A well written ad placed in a targeted e-zine can usually bring more immediate hits to a site than a well designed banner for the same cost.

Does that mean that direct e-mail is more effective. I don't think so. Marketing is not always about the quick sale. It's about carving a niche for yourself. It's about branding your image. Don't get me wrong, direct e-mail is very powerful and very effective, but banner advertising should not be discarded and thought of as too expensive without looking at the benefits of branding your image.

It is a proven fact that it often takes people six or seven times of looking at your product before they decide to hand over the cash. The more they see it, the more they become comfortable with it. That is the goal of branding -- to create a professional image that is easily recognizable and get it in front of the masses. You do this by creating a good name and a memorable logo for your business. Show me a multimillion dollar company, and I will show a company that understands the importance of image branding.

By incorporating your logo onto all of your banners and getting them in front of as many people as possible, you can advertise your product and create brand awareness at the same time. Maybe your banner only gets clicked on by one percent of the people that see it, but how many more have seen and will remember your logo or your company name? How many more will remember that logo or that name and feel comfortable when they recognize it on your web site?

Marketing is not always as cut and dry as people say. It's not always about the quick sale. It's about building a good reputation and getting repeat business. Banners can help you with this but getting your company name out there

Brian Welch is the owner of the BizBot Search Engine, a search engine designed to help people do business online.
Full Author Profile -->