Are banner ads worth the expense?

As industrial businesses draw up their marketing budgets for the year, a common question among B2B marketing execs is: are these banner ads really worth the money?

As it turns out, that is becoming an increasingly important question. And the answer is: probably not.

According to this study, as reported by IndustryNet in January 2018, approximately 26 percent of Americans used some form of ad-blocking software. This software usage resulted in a loss of around $15.8 billion in ad revenue in 2017.

That figure has been increasingly on the rise, with the latest data showing 30% of users are now employing some sort of ad-blocking software in 2018.

There’s no question: people are becoming more and more averse to pop-up and banner advertising. So much so that there's a term for it: "adlergic".

And it’s only going to get worse. Consider this: at the start of last year, Google Chrome announced plans to launch its own integrated ad-blocking software with its upcoming release. That feature went live in February of 2018, and blocks all of what it considers “bad ads” from the user’s view. Through its “Ad Experience Report” the software will automatically block ads that do not meet the standards laid out in the report, and these include many types of banner ads.

Google Chrome user ranges 66 percent to as high as 90 percent of all internet users turning to Google as their primary search engine, so that’s a pretty good chunk of your potential viewership that’s simply not going to see your ads no matter how much you spend.

Related: Ready to step up your marketing game? See how these 17 companies are winning at industrial B2B marketing.

Directory-style listings: The ad-blocker solution

So what do you do if your best potential customers are becoming “adlergic”? If banner ads and pop-ups are looking more and more out of the question, where is a manufacturer to turn?
How do industrial businesses get the word out about their unique products and services?
For starters, if you are an industrial marketer, turning to a company that specializes in working with and for the manufacturing industry makes sense.

Industrial marketplaces like IndustryNet are top destinations for the savvy industrial B2B marketer. IndustryNet maintains a database of over 400,000 United States manufacturers, as well as suppliers of more than 10,000 products and services. Apart from being a one-stop resource for finding the perfect supply chain partner, it is also a "blocker-free" space for you to advertise your goods and services.

Here’s a brief checklist of the benefits of directory listings, like those offered by IndustryNet:

1) IndustryNet listings are not affected by ad-blocking software IndustryNet listings are not affected by ad-blocking software, including the Google Chrome rollout. All of IndustryNet ads are directory-style listings, not banner ads. Better for the customer, better for you.

2) IndustryNet listings are easy to produce These types of ads are simple to design and are strategically placed on a site dedicated to manufacturers and suppliers of 10,000+ industrial products and services. IndustryNet is a simple and streamlined platform, so you don’t have to worry about navigating a complicated bidding system or design requirements. And since IndustryNet is powered by real people, our expert team will assist you every step of the way, by phone, email, chat, or even in person!

3) IndustryNet listings give advertisers room to shine IndustryNet’s directory style listings allow businesses to really stand out, sharing important information about the company and their products in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for your customers to learn more about you. You can upload a company catalogs, for instance, or even your corporate videos.

4) IndustryNet listings do not annoy; they inform. We all know how annoying it is when you are at work and a pop up or banner ad suddenly demands your attention. As a B2B company, IndustryNet understands the importance of helping their customers thrive – and this also means staying out of the way. Directory-style listings are designed to provide useful information to the customer, not flashy demands.

5) IndustryNet listings allow advertisers to measure results Each IndustryNet listing comes with a built-in complete analytics report, allowing you to see not only the number of clicks, but also which of your products the customer is interested, the types of views (did they click on your phone number? Did they click through to your website?) It also keeps a log of who has sent you a “request for quote” or a “request for information” and when.

To learn more about how directory-style listings can help maximize your marketing budget, your exposure and, most importantly, your profits, explore IndustryNet’s marketing solutions.