Banner ads.  To some, they’re a simple digital marketing technique that comes across as boring and lacking engagement.  To others, they’re an effective and mostly turn-key medium to convey brand messaging and, if applicable, link to more information and/or a brand website.  For an increasing amount of companies, they may even direct to their Facebook page, and urge them to “Like us!”

However, one of the biggest problems with banner ads are that users typically have to leave the page they’re on in order to learn more. For example, if I’m reading an article on the New York Times website, the Mercedes ad may be interesting and applicable to me (or so I tell myself), but is it worth losing my place in the article I’m reading to find out more?  If the answer is no, then the brand has missed an opportunity.  This also applies to banner ads driving people to Facebook.  If all a brand is looking for is a consumer to “Like” their Facebook page, then it provides even less of an incentive for a potential fan to try and navigate their way back to their page.

So the question remains: how do you get consumers to engage with your brand AND provide future worth, without disrupting their experience?  The answer is through Facebook social plugins.  This plugin, typically found on websites, allows consumers to “Like” a brand’s page without leaving the experience.  And now, brands are implementing them within banner ads.  Take a look at this example from Bushmills:

The banner ad plays a video explaining their new campaign and provides users with the option to “Like” the Bushmills Facebook page directly within the ad.  This way, if users are even slightly interested in learning more, they can “Like” the page and continue with the experience, which doesn’t disrupt what they’re doing and makes for an overall more seamless experience.  Later on, the brand has the option to bring their messaging to that consumer when they’re on Facebook in the form of status updates or Sponsored Stories.

Some may call this a non-engaging way to simply rack up Facebook “Likes”; however, I see it more as “convenience marketing.”  In this web experience I just described, the user acknowledges they want to know more, but they don’t have to drop what they’re doing to find out.  For their part, the brand provides reminders to their new fan when he/she is ready.  “Hey, remember that video you watched when you were reading about music?  Here’s a reminder to check it out if you’re still interested.”  And since the fan has agreed to interact with the brand on Facebook, they’re interacting in a less disruptive environment.

By giving consumers the option to check out the information later and not forcing them to leave their online experience, it will theoretically increase the likelihood of a passive fan engaging with the brand and/or campaign.  Therefore, Facebook social plugins within banner ads provide a great way to reach your consumer while engaging him in a convenient way.  In the end, all it takes is a click.