Prospectiv's president and CEO lays out a six-step guide on how to develop creative to boost leads.

According to a recent report by Media-Screen, consumers today spend nearly half of their spare time on the internet. As this number continues to rise, consumer brand marketers have more opportunities than ever to reach their target audiences online. But, to make it worth their while, marketers need to be sure they are reaching out to consumers with effective messages and great creative that catches and keeps their attention.

You only have a few seconds to capture consumers' attention; then there's the challenge of keeping them engaged as they click through and begin the online registration process that will provide you with valuable consumer profile data for future marketing campaigns. So, when creating any type of online media -- including polls, emails, landing pages and banners -- it's critical that your copy, messaging, graphics and call-to-action are not only clear and concise from a messaging standpoint, but also visually enticing. To get the best results from your online creative, follow these six tips:

1. Strategy: It's easy to jump right into the creative design, but you need to analyze and brainstorm first. Before getting started, ask yourself these questions:

• What am I trying to accomplish?
• Who am I trying to target?
• What am I trying to get my target audience to do?

2. Message: Your messaging needs to be concise and easy for the consumer to understand. It's important that the call-to-action is clear with no room for confusion. If consumers don't understand what is being asked of them, they are likely not to click through.

3. Graphics: Use dynamic imagery that is relevant to the offer. Always use:

• Your brand and logo.
• Product shot.
• Image that relates to the product or offer. For example, if the media is a poll asking consumers to weigh in on their favorite movies, the relevant image might be a box of movie theatre popcorn.
• Shots of people are also very effective.

4. Content: Don't overwhelm consumers with too much copy, color or graphics. Only incorporate the necessities since you only have a few seconds to convince consumers to click through and provide their valuable contact data.

5. Make it interactive: Whenever possible, make your online media interactive for the consumer. This will help grab and keep their attention. Here's one way to make your online media more compelling and active for your audience:

Include rich media video or flash demonstrations, commercials or promotions -- complete with audio -- to your registration forms, emails, et cetera. This enables marketers to deliver interactive branding messages at precisely the moment they are collecting valuable consumer contact data and product preferences.

6. Keep it simple: When designing any online media, while it needs to be dynamic in design, be sure to keep it simple, consistent and attractive to your target audience. Always remember to:

• Keep use of fonts to a minimum.
• Stay consistent with color throughout your design.
• Make sure copy, messaging, call-to-action and images all relate to each other.

Jere Doyle is president & CEO of Prospectiv, a provider of online customer acquisition solutions. Read full bio.