So, you’re ready to level up your digital marketing strategy. You know digital ads are the perfect way to reach your target audience, no matter what device or content channel they’re interacting with.
And you can’t help thinking: what’s so hard about building your own digital ads?
The truth is, for some brands, DIY banner ad building tools are the perfect solution.
But depending on your goals and business model, building your own banner ads may not be the most cost-efficient or effective option for reaching (and connecting with) your customers.
The two main reasons brands want to build their own banner ads
Online banner ads by yourself
1. “If we build it, they will come…and click”
We’ve all been there: we read a book, watch a movie or go out to eat and think “How hard could it be? I could write/act/cook as good, if not better, than this!” Many advertisers believe a successful digital marketing strategy is as simple as throwing together a photo and pithy caption, then waiting for people to click on the final banner ad.
The truth is, there’s a lot more to a successful digital ad campaign (and great movie, book or meal) than meets the eye. But before we dive into that, let’s look at the second big pull factor of DIY digital ads.
2. Trying to conserve budget
A successful business is a profitable business, and savvy brands strive to grow market share and keep costs under control. Building your own banner ads with one of the many banner building tools out there seems like a great way to stretch your budget.
But, there are a few roadblocks to consider before diving into building your own banner ads.
The problem(s) with building your own banner ads
making a banner online
For many advertisers, building banner ads is just like plumbing: tempting to DIY, but the outcome is better when left to the professionals. These are just a few of the drawbacks to building your own banner ads.
- Not fully utilizing your resources
Even if you DIY your digital ads, it still takes time and money. And when you aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of building effective banner ads – dynamic global campaigns, remarketing, responsive ads and more – that’s time and money you’re leaving on the table.
The display advertising world is changing constantly, with new best practices and tools popping up to help you make the most of your campaign. An experienced digital production partner won’t just build your banner ads – they’ll provide guidance on the best ad formats for your campaign goals and bring your creative ideas to life. (Think animation, interactivity and more.)
- Leaving views on the table
Once you’ve built your ad, you still need it to be “served” to your target audience via a publisher’s platform. Every publisher is different, with their own unique set of media specs and requirements for digital ads.
If you want your ads to be seen and perform efficiently, their creative files need to meet every criterion for the destination platform. Otherwise, you risk putting resources into ads that won’t be seen. Optimizing digital ad files requires an in-depth knowledge of publisher requirements and coding, something that a DIY platform can’t reliably provide.
- Underestimating the project scope
There’s a lot that goes into building an effective, high-impact ad. After you determine your target audience and campaign goals, you need to decide the best ad format for driving your campaign’s key performance metrics while delivering a solid return on investment.
Then you need to build it. Or try to.
DIY banner ad building tools limit your vision. Customized high-impact ads require an in-depth working knowledge of HTML5 ads, coding, CSS, animation skills, browser requirements, ad server requirements and best file delivery practices to fully realize the potential of digital ad technology, meet your goals and reach the target audiences.
- Cheap ads = cheap image
Your brand is defined by how your target audience sees you. And their perception is shaped by every touch point and interaction they have with your brand. A consistent, quality experience across all your communication channels is the key to nurturing and growing both your brand’s image and its relationship with customers.
DIY digital ads are quick to build, but the tradeoff is a loss of quality. Custom ad formats enable your brand to stand out and connect with your target audience.
Is there ever a right time to build your own banner ads?
Dont make a banner by yourself
DIY digital ads may be the right option if your business is new and you’re still bootstrapping your way to profitability. When you’re starting out, it makes sense to do everything internally. Your resources are tight and DIY enables you to stay lean while testing and learning quickly.
Once you’ve grown into a medium to large enterprise, it’s time to hand off your digital production to the professionals, so you can spend more time focusing on whatever it is that your brand does best. Not only will you save time and resources by delegating, you’ll be able to deliver a better product, service and customer experience, improving your bottom line in the process.
