Please stop those annoying online ads!

Sometimes when surfing online, you find a website that is chock-full of advertisements, complete with flying text and flashy animations.

Even worse, there are some ads that block your view as the screen scrolls down, and you have no idea of how to get rid of them.

Welcome to the world of web advertising 2.0.

As the global economic crisis forces many companies to cut down on their fixed marketing budgets, some seek their fortunes online, posting their banner ads or special pop-ups to try and get a mindshare of the exclusive captive audience. Unfortunately, their online campaigns are sometimes not that effective.

Nothing annoys a reader more than having to wade through those constant pop-up (or pop-under) windows when trying to read something. Excessive ads on a website can also affect the user experience as ad servers may slow the loading of the web page, leading to increased wait times. And for users on a limited internet plan, loading useless ad graphics to their browser actually adds to the bandwidth tally, meaning they would have to pay more as they download more.

Fortunately, there are web browser plug-ins that can mercilessly excise the offending ads, providing an uncluttered and faster loading web page. Free plug-ins such as Ad Block Plus for Mozilla Firefox has become one of the reasons for the increasing market share of the popular open source browser.

Once installed, users can see that advertisements are usually stored on a separate server or folder that can be blocked at the browser level, thus empowering users once again to skip those pesky ads.

However, this would also mean that they could miss out on some interesting promotions. The plug-in can also "break" some websites, depending on how it is designed, rendering buttons on the page un-clickable. Fortunately, this ad blocker software usually allows users to toggle it on or off.

Firefox users simply go to the Tools > Add Ons menu to get new plug-ins and search for Ad Block Plus (by Wladimir Palant) to install. You can get Firefox at www.getfirefox.com.

So what can businesses do to avoid being a victim of a browser surgical strike? How about engaging the end user instead of the pushing of virtual ads?

Think about a campaign that educates and pulls readers in to learn more about a particular topic or product line. Instead of funky web animations or video (which can take time to load for some users), consider a need that your target market must address.

And above all, give them the option to participate. Because effective digital communication is not measured by how many people see your ad or campaign, but how they respond to it.

This can be done via contests using user-generated content, online dialogues or a series of sponsored articles that highlight the issues at hand. Web video can also be used as long as it is in context and provides returns on the investment the user gives, which is their valuable time.

Getting the attention of the online user is very difficult as each person has their own discriminating tastes and needs. But, if implemented well, the rewards of a digital communication campaign can be bountiful. Just don't forget to follow up.

Many people are not too keen to being on a corporate database, but once they understand the benefits they may be less inclined to object. That is why services like Amazon.com are pretty successful in selling more books, as they can recommend new titles based on the purchase history of their users.

Or, Air Asia emailing its user base new destinations and prices. If people weren't thinking about a vacation, that email may make them reconsider.

So once a campaign is done, what can you do with the massive data that has been accumulated? Based on the results of the campaign, could you communicate once more to your target audience to help spread the word? Start a member-get-member program? Offer rewards to participate in marketing surveys that would further improve your product/service?

Too often companies trying to enter the online world fail to see the big picture of user/customer engagement. It is not about flashy ads or the amount of the reward/prizes (although it can help) but how the brand can be of help to the user, be it a book, a drink or a car.

So, before businesses think about dipping their toes in the internet world with a simple ad, think again of the long-term goals and the lost opportunities if you only think about a simple two-week-long program.

Users want to be engaged, just make sure you don't annoy them!