What are creatives and how are they created?
Creatives are advertisements that are shown to the user in applications, on websites and other platforms. Creatives can be in the form of graphics, video, audio and other formats. The main goal of an advertising creative is to attract the consumer's attention, encourage them to study the advertisement, click on the link and perform the desired action. To achieve this, the creative must not only stand out among many other ads, but also be selected taking into account the product and interests of the target audience.
The process of creating creatives
Before making a decision, the user goes through several stages: notices an ad, arouses interest and a desire to learn more, a desire to try the product arises, its advantages and the seller are studied, and a decision to buy is made. Of course, other intermediate stages may be included in this sequence, and the information noise around the consumer prevents them from reaching each of them. In this context, advertising creativity plays an important role, helping to attract and retain the user's attention.
Audience
One of the key aspects of a successful creative is its relevance. This means that the content of the creative must match the needs of your target audience, and to achieve the greatest effectiveness, the ad must reflect the interests of the target consumer at a certain stage of their purchasing decision. Therefore, before you start developing creatives, it is important to carefully study the target audience, their interests, behavioral patterns, needs, etc.
Product
The product being advertised certainly has an impact on the creative. It is important to consider all the benefits it offers to determine what to focus on when creating the creative. If you have feedback from real customers, you can use it to analyze the product and develop the ad. You may find useful information that will help you create effective advertising creatives.
Placement
For creatives to work, they need to be placed on platforms where your target audience is located. These can be social networks, Google Ad Network, Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH), applications, thematic websites, etc. Each platform has its own technical capabilities and formats, such as video, static image, dynamic banner or image carousel, etc. Therefore, your creative must meet the requirements of the platform. When choosing a platform, it is also worth considering the cost of coverage, since different resources offer different audience coverage for the same budget.
Format
After choosing a platform, you need to decide on the format of the creative. Use analytics systems to understand which formats are most effective for your audience, which ads generate more interest and provide greater reach. Also, familiarize yourself with the standard formats of the selected platform and its technical requirements. This will help determine the size of images or videos, duration, amount of text and other parameters of your creative.
Idea and communication strategy
A coherent creative only emerges when all the above elements are taken into account and linked by a single idea. The slogan, visual design, offer and text should form a single whole, reflecting the main idea of your campaign. Moreover, you should communicate with consumers in their language, in a style that suits them.
How to Develop a Creative Strategy
There are many guidelines and rules for developing effective creative materials that will help ensure that your content is completely unique.
Grab the attention of your potential customers with creative materials that stand out from the competition. Before you start creating your ads, it is a good idea to analyze your competitors’ ads to determine a different approach and develop original messages. However, you should not abandon your corporate colors, style, and branding for the sake of fashion trends or imitation of competitors. Although some colors may attract more attention and stimulate purchases, this is not an absolute truth. There is no universal font or color that is guaranteed to increase conversions. It is much more important to adhere to the brand style so that your creative is easily recognizable.
If you have the ability to create dynamic creative materials and the platform for posting them supports this format, it is recommended to use video advertising and animated banners, as they can be more effective than static ads.
Remember to include calls to action (CTA) in all your ads. Use short phrases like “learn more” or “visit our website”, etc. However, do not overdo it. For example, urgent calls like “buy now while the discount lasts” may work in e-commerce, but are ineffective for high-ticket items or B2B services where it will take time to make a purchasing decision.
It is recommended to stick to the formula “one creative = one offer”. Do not try to combine several goals in one ad, for example, inviting to an event and simultaneously selling a product. Focus on one product and one goal.
Your audience should be able to easily understand your creative. Originality is important, but the message and solution you offer should be clear and unambiguous. Otherwise, you could end up wasting your budget. Keep your copy short and concise, and when creating your video, remember to keep it short while still getting the point across.
Don't lie or exaggerate. Loud promises may attract users, but ultimately the traffic attracted may not bring value and conversions if your product and offer do not match and solve the real needs of the consumer.
Adapt to different regions if you plan to use the same creative. Make sure your creative is relevant to each region, considering that customs, habits, behavior patterns, and even laws may differ from country to country. Don’t forget about high-quality translation and specify prices in local currency if necessary.
The best way to talk about your product is to show it, or better yet, to demonstrate its use and benefits. You can use customer testimonials, create short tutorials or demo videos. If a famous person uses your product, you can involve them in creating advertising creative.
Make sure all elements of your ad are in harmony. The text should match the image or video, your offer should meet the needs of your audience, and the style and color scheme should be consistent with your company's corporate style, etc. It is important that all elements of your ad match the overall idea of your campaign, represent your brand correctly, and fit harmoniously together.
How many creative ideas to prepare
If the company has a limited budget, it is recommended to create 4-6 unique creatives. This volume will allow you to collect the necessary data for subsequent optimization.
Of these 6 creatives, 4 designs should be used for the first contact with the audience, and the remaining 2 for retargeting. But the last two require a special approach. Such ads will be shown to people who are already familiar with the brand, have shown interest, but have not moved on to purchase. To motivate such users, it is necessary to think about what new information can be provided to them to encourage them to make a purchase.
If you have two audiences, it is recommended to distribute the first four creatives as follows: two banners for each target audience, with each highlighting different benefits and solutions for their specific needs. This way, you can evaluate the effectiveness of different approaches at once.
What elements should be tested in creatives?
The creativity of an advertisement is the main factor of its uniqueness. It is important that the visual component attracts attention before the text. It is necessary to test both visual elements and text.
Graphics
It is recommended to change colors, main elements and fonts. In some cases, images with people attract attention, and in others, the demonstration of the product itself.
For example, if you are promoting a children's educational game, try different visual options. You can use either a close-up image of the game itself or photos of children playing with your product.
Use testing to find what works best for you: real photos, illustrations, or just text on a bright background. The choice will depend on the subject of the product or service, as well as your target audience.
Text
Image captions can emphasize rational aspects or evoke an emotional response. Study your product and determine whether it is useful or intended for entertainment, decoration, or image. Depending on this, test different calls to action.
Try to attract target users by highlighting the various benefits of the product. During testing, you will be able to determine which aspects of the product or service are most interesting to your audience and use them in further advertising.
Use information about various promotions and discounts in the headlines to attract attention. Try different options for great deals.
It is important to remember that what is effective for one audience may not be effective for another.
Methods of testing creatives
Split testing or A/B testing
Split testing or A/B testing is a method that allows for a detailed analysis of user reactions to various variations of advertising parameters.
In split testing, we create multiple ads, changing only one element while keeping all other conditions the same.
For example, we attach different images to the same headlines and display them simultaneously on the same resources, targeting the same audience. The same can be done with texts: we can try different captions for the same visual content, while keeping other factors constant.
This method can also be used to test different target audiences and vary the cost of clicks or impressions. Split testing allows you to find the most effective combinations of all possible ones.
Basic principles of A/B testing:
- We formulate a hypothesis according to which the CTR of the advertisement will increase.
- Create a copy (B) of the original ad (A) with a modified element, such as a different image or headline.
- We divide the audience into two groups. We show the original version of the ad (A) to the first group, and the new modified version (B) to the second group.
- We collect data on conversion, views and clicks.
- Based on the data obtained, we select a more successful solution and scale it.
Multivariate testing (MVT tests)
Multivariate testing (MVT) is a method that allows you to change not just one, but several elements at the same time. The goal of this method is to simultaneously test different combinations of several elements to find the most effective one.
MVT tests do not test a single modified headline or image, but rather entire combinations: text + image + audience targeting.
MVT testing is essentially running multiple A/B tests at the same time. This method is used when you already have an idea of your audience’s preferences. You are in the next stage, where you are looking for the most effective combinations possible.
Basic principles of multivariate testing:
- Creating several options for presenting information, focusing on different product benefits, using different images, texts and audience targeting. Each format consists of 2 to 5 ads.
- Testing all options and choosing the most effective ones.
- Scaling the most successful solutions.
The advantage of MVT over A/B testing is that it allows you to better and more quickly understand the reasons for the different performance between variants. It is a more complex method that allows you to find effective combinations from a variety of variants.
Backtesting
Backward testing is a strategy that complements multivariate testing to find more accurate and successful solutions.
The basic principles that guide backtesting include:
- Using MVT testing to determine which ad is most effective.
- Breaking down the selected ad into its component elements: image and headline.
- Testing each element sequentially using the split testing principle. We change only one element at a time, such as a title, image, description or button, while the rest of the conditions remain unchanged.
- Selecting 2-3 of the most successful creative options.
- Launching an advertising campaign using the most effective solutions.
The backtesting method provides accurate results and can be critical when allocating your advertising budget.
Conclusion
Testing the effectiveness of advertising creatives is an integral part of successful advertising campaigns. There are several methods and approaches that help evaluate and optimize creatives to achieve the best results.
One approach is multivariate testing (MVT), which allows you to experiment with different creative options and determine the most effective combinations of elements such as images, headlines, and descriptions. MVT allows you to make objective comparisons and select the most successful options based on specific data and metrics.
However, to obtain more detailed and accurate information about the creative, it is recommended to use the reverse testing method. This method allows you to break down a successful ad, determined using MVT, into its constituent elements and conduct additional tests, changing each of them in turn. This approach helps to identify the most influential elements of the creative and create optimal combinations for achieving maximum effect.
Testing the effectiveness of advertising creative is an iterative process that requires constant testing, analysis and optimization. It is important to remember that the preferences and behavior of the target audience may change over time, so regular testing and adaptation to new trends and preferences are a must.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of your advertising creative has a direct impact on the performance of your advertising campaigns. Proper testing and optimization of your creative will help you achieve greater return on your advertising budget and improve the overall success of your company’s marketing efforts.
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