1. Log into Admin Area. Find Banner Manager under "Tools"
2. Scroll past any existing banners and click "New Banner"
3. Enter information in the following fields:
A. Title - This can be anything that helps you remember the purpose of this banner.
B. Banner URL - The page that you want this banner to lead to when clicked
C. Banner Group - If desired banner group is already created, select from drop-down. If not, skip ahead to D.
D. Banner Group - This is the banner name that matters. Create and insert a unique name that identifies the banner. This will create the name for the Template Variable (circled in yellow.) The Template Variable is the piece of code that gets inserted into site code to place the banner.
4. If you want your banner to feature an image, upload it in place using the "Choose File" button. Alternately, if you know the url of an existing image, you can type the name in the field below the "Choose File" button.
5. If you want your banner to consist of text, text can be entered in the text box. It can be formatted with HTML.
6. Click "Insert" to complete your banner
7. Insert your Template Variable into site code to display the new banner
8. Save and upload your modified code.
9. Return to the banner manager in the administration area at any time to modify the banner content without needing to touch your site code.
Notes:
A. Initially making and inserting banners will primarily be done by Outdoor Business Network staff. After this point, the banners will be easily accessible for site owners and administrators to update at their own convenience.
B. A banner can contain images or HTML text, but not both.
C. Each banner tracks the number of views and clicks that it receives, giving site owners and administrators insight on what content generates favorable interaction from viewers.
D. Banners can be pre-scheduled to begin or end displaying on particular dates. "Scheduled At" can be filled in if you want to wait to start displaying the banner until a particular future date. "Expires On" can be filled in if you want to stop showing the banner on a particular date, or once it has been viewed a set number of times. These fields are optional.
