The Importance of Messaging and Creative for Your Digital Campaigns
By: Digital Department, MassMedia Marketing, Advertising, PR
In this era of sensory overload, it’s not unusual to find someone scrolling through Facebook on his or her phone while partially watching Netflix on TV and being further distracted by the constant notifications and emails popping up on the mobile screen. When it comes to vying for the attention of your target audience, your brand isn’t just competing with other brands in the same space, but also with ads and content on other platforms that your target may be consuming at the same time.
With all the competition, your brand must go the extra mile to break through the noise. It’s not enough to just find your target audience and serve ads to them. You need to make sure you have creative that commands attention and resonates with your prospects enough to make them aware of your brand and company, and most importantly, take action.
So, this raises the question: how exactly do you stand out from the pack?
Take Advantage of New & Innovative Ad Formats
Creativity for your digital ad doesn’t just involve copy and design but also requires thinking outside of the box in terms of the ad’s format. Stopping the scroll by catching the user’s eye with a format he or she is not used to seeing. Oftentimes, marketers prefer the commonly used standard banner ads, but this can be their biggest downfall.
In today’s digital ecosystem, with so many ways to target and communicate, so many ad formats, and so many devices, innovation is key. Think about different ways to develop unique and engaging ads that will allow your company to stand out in a sea of ads. How can your ad be a big fish in a small pond?
Many platforms are offering new, advanced ways for brands to market. For example, Facebook has rolled out several formats designed to encourage participation and guide users further down the purchasing path. These formats include playable ads, in which users can demo an app or game within the ad unit, and messenger ads that allow for two-way communication between companies and prospects.
Display ads offer a multitude of inventive approaches using rich, immersive media. A few examples include 3D models that users can engage with via touch; parallax ads which leverage a layered, animated effect; dynamic ads that feature interactivity; and the non-intrusive scroller ads that run inline within content and comes into view as the user scrolls. Leveraging these types of attention-grabbing ads will help your campaign deliver a greater impact.
Craft Strong, Meaningful Ad Copy
1. Compose headlines that make users stop and take notice, as you only have a few seconds to make an impression. Ways to do this include:
– Using relevant keywords from the consumer’s search query
– Addressing a user’s pain points by providing a solution to a problem
– Appealing to the prospect’s curiosity by posing a question that makes the prospect want to learn more
– Adding a comical element — funny ads tend to be more memorable and make a positive association with the brand
2. Include emotional triggers. When prospects read your ad, they should experience a strong emotional reaction to it, which will encourage them to click. A couple examples include:
– A law firm alarming prospects with potential legal actions that can be taken against them
– A weight loss supplement company expressing an aspirational message to motivate prospects
3. Remember a call to action. Always. Never assume the user knows what you want them to do. Instead, make sure the next step is simple and clear.
4. Overall, most digital ads require a short and sweet message that hooks the user, makes them problem-aware, and encourages them to act. The value proposition should be apparent and persuasive enough for the users to click.
Design Effective and Eye-Catching Creative
1. Pick your color palette with intention. Colors have different associations and signifiers, so make sure to choose colors that help get your message across.
2. Use appealing imagery – examples include:
– Genuine lifestyle images. These should reflect your target audience and feature your product or service. These types of images allow the user to feel an instant connection.
– Illustrations. Since they are not used as often, illustrations tend to be more easily noticeable. They offer a different creative visual when it comes to shape, colors and composition that stands out.
– Audacious and daring images. These tend to make users do a doubletake and elicit a strong response.
3. Choose fonts that make a statement and further convey the tone and messaging of the ad. Also, rather it’s bold, simple, playful, serious, or texturized, ensure the font is easy to read.
4. Produce animations or videos – it is a well-known fact that video and animated ads are much more engaging than static ones. In fact, video ads generate 12 times the engagement and shares than text and image ads combined. For this reason, MassMedia’s digital specialists encourage our clients to use videos for digital ads, when possible.
Monitor What is Working and What is Not
Luckily for brands and marketers, there is so much data that can help make informed decisions on what is working and what is not. It’s always valuable to serve multiple creative ads and formats to see what resonates most with your audience and glean valuable insights that you can take back and use to adjust your creative. All platforms will be able to show basic metrics to help you understand which ads are performing more optimally, encouraging users to spend more time on your website or take action.
Sometimes brands and marketers focus so heavily on ensuring they reach their target audience segment that they forget they are not just advertising to an audience segment; they are advertising to a person. As a result, not as much thought is given to the ad’s creative. However, there is a direct correlation between the level of engagement an ad sees and the likelihood someone is to purchase. The bottom line: while finding the right person at the right time in the most efficient way is key, if the ad creative is not good, it was all for nothing.
Along with designing powerful and compelling digital creative, MassMedia can also deploy integrated, holistic digital ad buys for greater reach and frequency to drive more qualified leads. We will put your digital marketing spend to its highest and best use. Contact us today!