What are Scrolling Banner Ads?

Eat. Sleep. Scroll. We all do it. Whether you are mindlessly scrolling social media, scrolling through an article you’re reading, or vigorously scrolling to get to the bottom of a page to just get the darn recipe (this one drives me nuts!), it has just become second nature to scroll. While we are all used to that kind of scrolling, Mobile Conquesting ads have recently had an enhancement and now offer a different kind of ad- scrolling banner ads.

These types of scrolling banner ads are only available for Mobile Conquesting, and they look similar to ads that you saw years ago since they have that scrolling feature to them. They also can have the dynamic distance listed within the scrolling ad to let the user know how far away they are at that moment of seeing the ad. That is pretty neat since most of the time when you’re served an ad, you’re not expecting it to be personalized to that level where it shows you how far away that location is. While we can dynamically add the distance, we can’t add the phone number or the address of the business, and these scrolling banner ads are only available in the 320×50 size.

These ads are a game changer for Mobile Conquesting. During our beta test, scrolling banner ads averaged a 1.66% click through rate, so they are certainly capturing the users attention! These are also a great option for a business that doesn’t have the resources available to them in order to create an ad because we actually create the ad! To create those, we will need a logo, the business name, the text (up to 160 characters), and if you want the dynamic distance to show, we will also need to know that. Scrolling banner ads can be added in with the other Mobile Conquesting ad sizes for no additional cost, or they can also run exclusively by themselves, but you are not able to do Cross Platform targeting with Mobile Conquesting when running only scrolling banner ads. We can’t place any pixels to the scrolling banner ads, which is needed for cross platform targeting, so if you need cross platform targeting with a scrolling banner campaign, we also recommend adding standard display ads to the mix.

Every marketing campaign is going to vary based on the target audience, the geographic targeting area, how well known the company is, their overall message and how that is being delivered, but ads that move tend to have higher engagement and conversions rates. For example, a video ad typically will outperform a GIF ad, and a GIF ad will typically outperform a static ad. By adding in the scrolling element to the traditional 320×50 ad size, it captures the attention of those that are scrolling through and seeing that ad. Businesses can leverage scrolling banners to deliver dynamic content such as promotions, product updates, or time-sensitive offers. The ability to regularly update the ad content also keeps the message fresh and relevant to the audience. With the increasing use of mobile devices, Americans are spending 5.4 hours a day using their mobile phone while checking their phones 58 times a day on average, and scrolling banner ads are specifically reaching those users while on their smartphones and tablets. Their unobtrusive design also ensures a positive user experience on those smaller screens.

From a marketing perspective, Mobile Conquesting is a no-brainer product since it’s reaching people solely on their phones and it has a variety of ways to reach them:

• Behavioral Targeting– Targeting people who have shown specific behaviors online or are in a certain demographic, and by where they have been tracked with their phone recently such as a location, business, or specific brand name store.
• Geo-Fencing– Targeting people in real time while at a competitor’s location, other businesses, or specific locations or events.
• Geo-Retargeting– Continuing to target people after they leave the locations we are geo-fencing.
• Geo-Retargeting Lookalike– Continuing to target people after they leave the locations we are geo-fencing and then target those people’s neighborhoods.
• Weather Trigger– Targeting people in a specific geographic area when a certain type of weather event takes place or is forecasted to take place.
• Address Targeting and Retargeting– Targeting people from a list of home addresses and serving ads to them when they are at that address, and then continuing to follow those people after they leave and show them the ads.

It is also one of the products that allows for On-Site Visit Tracking, so we can track people who see the ad and then go to your business within two weeks after seeing it, and show that on the monthly reports.

Even with all the different ways to reach people on their phones and tablets with Mobile Conquesting and the ability to track visits to locations, the one drawback to Mobile Conquesting is that it doesn’t always allow for a business to get their message across or tell a story because the ad sizes are smaller compared to something like a Facebook ad. Outside of the full screen ad size (320×480), the other sizes are smaller, so you want to make sure you keep your messages simple and incorporate a good call to action button. You also want to have one clear message to get across. In the below example, “Up to 80% off retail” is clear and concise and lets the user know what the ad is about so when they click on that, they are expecting to land somewhere talking more about that offer. You also want to include keywords in the text and choose high quality graphics or visuals. If you’ve got fuzzy or blurry graphics, then the ad isn’t going to catch people’s attention and it’s going to look cheap, and you’ll lose credibility because it doesn’t look authentic. All of that can be hard to do when you are working with a 320×50 or 300×250 sized ad. By adding in the scrolling banner ads, you now have a little more room to work with and can explain more about the product or service that you’re promoting, all while not having too much text on the ad.

In a crowded digital landscape, incorporating movement in ads can make you stand apart from your competitors and break through all the noise. Brands and businesses that embrace dynamic content are more likely to stand out and leave a lasting impression on consumers amidst the sea of static visuals.

While movement in digital ads offers these benefits, it’s essential for advertisers to strike a balance and ensure that the movement enhances the user experience rather than causing distraction or annoyance. By adding in the addition of scrolling banner ads, it allows for the creative to be more inviting and engaging, which can significantly contribute to the success of digital advertising campaigns.

Happy New Year and Happy Scrolling!