One simple fact of marketing is that the Internet is a much different playing field than traditional advertising channels like newspapers and television. According to a study by Webvisible and Nielsen Online, only 9 percent of small business owners say they are satisfied with their online advertising efforts. But getting it right is critical in today’s tough environment. Here are five tips for effective online advertising:

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1. Beef up your banner ads. Use rich-media banners to give prospects a greater understanding of your product or service prior to click-through. These banners can include everything from video, audio, and mini-games to email and database functions, says Gabrielle Weinman, group creative director at Ignited, an El Segundo, Calif.–based ad agency. “Just don’t go nuts with them,” she advises.

2. Consider audio. Video didn’t really kill the radio star, insists Doug Perlson, CEO of TargetSpot, a New York company that has developed an end-to-end advertising platform for Internet radio. With more than 80 million listeners tuning in weekly, Internet radio is growing fast and offers some advantages over other online channels for owners of growing businesses. “You can target your listener down to the zip code, eliminating the geographic waste that crops up in other ad buys,” Perlson notes.

3. Key in on the headline. In an ad-cluttered world, a great headline can often be the big differentiator. “We once added two words to a headline and saw an 87 percent increase in clicks,” reports Mike Williams, a New York–based e-commerce consultant. The imperative voice — “Learn to Meditate” rather than “Teaches You to Meditate” — is far more effective in conveying that your product or service provides a benefit for the customer, he notes.

4. Make it timely. There’s something to be said for an ad that looks as if it was written or produced very recently, says Scott Testa, a professor of marketing at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. “Piggybacking on the notoriety of a recent news event can really differentiate you from your competitors,” he adds. 

5. Make bold claims. Just be sure you can back them up immediately when someone clicks through on your ad. Robert Cooper, president of PlusROI Online Marketing in Victoria, British Columbia, says that ads making audacious claims have been among the most effective his agency has run for clients. “We ran one for a real estate investment company that promised a 15 percent–plus return in the body of the ad and was able to credibly substantiate it as soon as someone clicked through,” he relates. 

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