Posted by Eric Leuenberger

You’ve seen them on just about every big ecommerce site. Many banners have gone from static to rotating. The rotation offers an unlimited resource for promoting various items without taking up a ton of space on the page — and if done correctly, they look nice too.

In my last article I talked about some of the things that should be considered when developing an effective promotional banner. I want to follow that up with a short post here on how you can promote more in less space using flash for banner development.

Flash banners come in all shapes and sizes. As of this writing two example sites using them are Target and BestBuy. Screenshots of the home page for each are below as a reference point. The red outlined area in each indicates the area the dynamic flash banner is composed of.

Example of Target Flash Promotional Banner

Example of BestBuy Flash Promotional Banner

In today’s internet age, you do not need a whole lot of flash design experience to get these types of banners up and running on your site. You will need a little technical know how (or get someone that can do it for you) but there really isn’t much to it if you have the right tools.

The truth is, you can do this yourself with a number of free and/or affordable commercial options.

Below I’ve listed a number of links that will start you down the right path toward adding a professional looking flash rotating banner to your ecommerce site.

Rotate a Banner With These XML Banner Rotators

Free XML Banner Rotator

Free Flash XML Banner Rotator

As you’ll see, there are a number of options available to you. Keep in mind that the functionality of the banner should fit your needs. Don’t just choose a banner because it “looks cool.” Looking cool won’t get you sales. Make sure it is functionally correct and provides the opportunity to run your promotions in a way that benefits your bottom line.

Got anymore you think should be added to the list? Leave a comment below and let me know.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 8:30 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

About the Author: Eric Leuenberger is an ecommerce conversion expert and author of a leading Ecommerce Optimization blog. He coaches ecommerce store owners how to increase their website sales using effective online paid search advertising, targeted marketing strategies, website sales strategies, and industry best practices. Contact him today to increase your sales!