NEW! Free Mini Series “Zero To 7-Figures In 12 Months. Watch Now
In the often dog-eat-dog world of e-commerce, survival of the fittest reigns supreme. Businesses must not only offer valuable products or services, but they also need to know how to play the marketing game. With digital consumption at an all-time high (thanks COVID), producing effective ad creative is a must. However, coming up with ads that convert isn't as easy as it sounds.
Why is that?
Digital marketing is a moving target. Entrepreneurs must change with the times to keep their ads fresh and relevant. What works today may be completely obsolete next year. And that's where many business owners struggle.
An estimated 90% of e-commerce startups fail within the first 120 days. Of those, 37% attribute their demise to the inability to deliver online marketing.
Yep, you read that correctly. Poor online marketing can quickly cause a business to fold.
What's the solution? Creative ads that strike a chord with your target audience. And designing them may be easier than you ever imagined.
According to developers at Facebook, ad creative is "an object that contains all the data for visually rendering the ad itself."
To simplify that into layman's terms, creative IS the ad. It's the format, pictures, graphics, text, and sound of an advertisement. And in the ever-growing, competitive world of e-commerce, it's what will set your brand apart.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a contract with a big marketing company like A.D. Creative Billings MT to come up with great creatives. You just need to be, well, creative. Even without any formal marketing training, brands can deliver ads that really speak to their core audience. Consider these ideas for your upcoming ad creative:
The content of your creatives will vary depending on the nature of your brand. When brainstorming ad ideas, always keep your target audience in mind. Pop-art, flashing lights, and loud music may not be the best choice for a mature, refined audience, but it would be perfect if you want to advertise to Gen-Zers. Ad creative is incomplete if it doesn't reflect the brand's image.
Making creatives isn't the hard part—it's delivering ones that convert. After all, the entire purpose of an ad campaign is to build an audience and monetize your business. So, you probably need a huge marketing budget to stand a chance, right?
Not even close—just a shoestring will do.
Small business owners often have equally small budgets. But having fewer funds allocated to marketing doesn't mean you can't release highly effective ads with a jaw-dropping ROI.
The best Facebook ad creative examples of the year take these tips to the next level. Successful marketers know how to write creative copy and incorporate compelling visuals. No, you don't need to be Steven Spielberg, but you do need to understand what makes your target audience stop scrolling.
When you scroll your feed on Facebook, you encounter a variety of creatives. And if the ad is enticing enough, you may even stop in your tracks to view it and learn more. Facebook creatives exist to convert visitors to customers.
While you can advertise specific products on Facebook, direct sales don't always do well. In an article titled "Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads for eCommerce: How and When to Use Each Advertising Platform," Inflow mentions, "You can (and should) target direct conversions from Facebook and Instagram ads. That said, an ideal primary goal for these platforms is brand awareness."
Ad placement is critical on Facebook. When you advertise, you can choose to appear on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network.
All these options may feel overwhelming as a novice. Thankfully, the platform offers automatic placement for creatives. While this option is the most cost-effective, it's not always the best. Once you learn which ones are ideal for your brand's needs, it may be better to customize your placements.
Creating Facebook ads is a relatively straightforward process, and you can do it directly from your brand's page. Here are the six steps to follow:
Select an objective for your ad, such as "get more website visitors" or "promote your business locally." You'll also want to name your campaign at this point.
Don't have something in mind? Facebook will make suggestions. But you can also use the Facebook Ad Creative Hub to create mockups with your content.
You'll be able to select age ranges, genders, and even locations to narrow who sees your ad. After all, men over the age of 50 probably don't want to see advertisements for feminine hygiene products on their feed.
You can either select Automatic Placements or manually edit the placements yourself. The first time you make a creative, the automatic feature will help you figure out what converts best.
Let Facebook know how much you want to spend daily or over the lifetime of your advertisement. You can also fine-tune how Facebook allocates the money to get the most out of each creative.
As soon as it's approved, it will go live. You can monitor the progress of your campaign and edit or pause it at any time.
As you design your first ad, make sure you follow the Facebook ad creative specs for the best user experience. Your ad needs to meet the proper dimensions, file sizes, and character limits to be successful.
The sky's the limit when it comes to creating advertising that converts, but there are only three different types of ads. And no, contrary to what you may think, these types don't relate to print, mobile, or social media. Instead, the type of advertising you select will influence how your target audience responds to your brand. Here are your advertising options:
Is your brand a household name? Are you trying to launch a new brand altogether? Brand advertising helps create visibility, recognition, and awareness. For instance, you may see the Crayola logo pop up more frequently as back-to-school season begins. The marketing team isn't trying to close a direct sale right then and there. Instead, they just want to say, "Hey, don't forget about us when you need to pick up school supplies!" Brand advertising works to help consumers recall a brand when shopping later.
You can't sell products without customers. Audience building ads help convert casual browsers into dedicated customers. The goal isn't an immediate sale but rather to grow an audience. Creative ads may collect visitor email addresses or offer promotions. Audience building advertising instills FOMO and makes it possible to create and connect with rabid fans.
Yes, some ads exist solely to close a sale. Perhaps you want to launch a new product, or maybe you have inventory you need to move. Either way, direct sales ads funnel customers to the checkout line. While this type of advertising may seem ideal, it only gives you one chance to seal the deal—once they leave the ad, you lose the sale. If your creative falls short, you may spend a fortune for a minimal ROI. But this type of advertising, when done right, can be very effective. The best direct sales ads stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression.
Which of these is right for your brand? The answer depends on your immediate needs. If you don't have an extensive reach, building an audience through advertising will provide a better conversion rate over time than pushing a single product offering. However, if you already have decent brand recognition, connecting with your base with brand advertising may help close sales when it matters most.
Not all ads are equal. Some are downright bad. Think about all the YouTube spots you've skipped or the magazine ads you've flipped past. But, there have also been a few that caught your eye. Why? Because the creatives took a risk and really delivered.
Great creative connects with the target audience by evoking an emotional response. As stated by Men's Humor, "A smart ad is a good ad, and when you bring ads to real-life, their impact gets amplified." In an article entitled, "Extremely Creative Advertisers Who Made Ads Come Alive!" the magazine's favorite ad creative examples include:
The most effective ads create buzz. People can't wait to tell their friends about them. Marketing teams have to think outside the box to come up with ad campaigns that will convert. And most of all, great advertising ensures the audience will remember the brand both today and in the future.
As an entrepreneur, you know how to listen to people and develop innovative solutions to their problems. But even the best, most innovative products won't sell themselves. You also must know how to engage your creative side.
"But, I'm not creative at all!"
Tons of entrepreneurs mistakenly believe they're not creative. Yes, mistakenly. How can you not be creative? After all, you somehow came up with a top-notch product. Even if your brain operates on a more analytical scale most days, there is still a lot of creative juice flowing through it.
There's also a misnomer that creatives aren't successful. Too many people envision that starving artist who can't get their ideas off the ground. But, here's another thing to ponder: the most inventive, imaginative people are also the most fruitful.
Creativity breeds success. Here are a few entrepreneurs to help fuel your own fire:
What do these successful individuals all have in common (besides multi-billion dollar empires)? They all merged creativity with hard work, financial savviness, and a clear understanding of how to serve their target audience.
2020 has changed digital consumption for the masses. GroupM estimates the global advertising market to be worth $628 billion, and digital ads will account for 52% of the tally this year. Even as the United States enters a recession, creative advertising campaigns may be what keeps the smallest brands afloat.
To put the seriousness of the current climate into perspective, in an article entitled, "How e-commerce brands can optimize advertising in a recession," ClickZ states:
“The massive change to consumer behavior is likely to weed out 10-20% of digitally-native vertical brands.”
With business stability on the line, marketers must identify proactive steps to ensure economic stability in the long-term. One of the first steps they can take is to adapt their digital marketing strategy.
What does this mean for your e-commerce business? Now is the time to rethink online advertising. Growing your audience and building awareness through ad creative may be the sole reason your brand survives the turbulent, unpredictable 2020 storm.
Got an established e-comm business you want to scale to seven or eight-figures? You should check out The One Percent, a give-first community where entrepreneurs gather to do this thing together.
Or maybe you’re just getting started? Then, THIS is for you! We’ve put some of our very best training together in this free quick-start video series. Check it out and take your first steps toward financial freedom.
