Digital advertising might provide marketers with the ability to target with unmatched effectiveness, but if your ads aren’t catching the eyes of your audience, it’s going to derail your ad’s performance.
It’s true that there are no hard and fast rules for creative best practices – sometimes users simply don’t respond to something even though you might think it’s a great advertisement. With that being said, there are plenty of ways you can give yourself a better chance to succeed.
In this article, I’ll get into some tips on improving the visual component of your Facebook ads.
1. Clear Messaging
If you need to read the text copy above the graphic to know what’s being advertised, your results are going to suffer.
When it comes to the text on your ad, don’t just make it stand out – make it impossible to miss. Use contrasting colors and the fewest number of words possible in order to maximize font size.
Facebook recently updated its image policy to allow graphics that include text covering more than 20% of the image. Previously, ads would be rejected if wording covered more than 20%. This could indicate that the social network has recognized that both marketers and audiences stand to benefit from the clarity that comes with larger font sizes.
2. Show People Using Your Product
Even some of the most useful products are not self-explanatory upon first glance. For that reason, it’s best to show your products in action! Showing even a 5-second clip of something in use could be the difference between user recognizing its utility, and scrolling right past it without giving it a second thought.
Get creative with your videos – there are a number of apps and programs available that can help even inexperienced users create eye-catching short videos with ease.
3. Create Multiple Ads for Different Audiences
It might sound obvious, but it’s worth mentioning that people buy products and engage with ads at a higher rate when the creative is relatable to them on a personal level. For example, if you’re running a campaign for a watch brand that offers products for both men and women, it’s beneficial to create multiple ad sets with different imagery.
The bottom line is that the closer the people in your ad look to the people who will be seeing the ad, the better the results. It will take a little more time to build out campaigns like this, but it should be worth your while to do so.
4. Avoid Stock Imagery if Possible
Look, the reality is most marketers aren’t going to have a library of high-quality images at their disposal to use for advertising purposes. If it weren’t for stock photos, the job would be much more difficult.
Now that I’ve given stock photos their due, it’s time to point out the fact that real imagery almost always outperforms their stock photo counterpart. If you have access to real photos that showcase the subject you’re advertising for, try giving them a chance and see if your results improve.
Facebook’s algorithm prefers real photos over stock images, but more importantly, consumers do too. It makes sense – that perfectly attractive family that you’re using might look nice, but nobody’s buying that it represents reality.
In some cases, the option to use a real photo just won’t be there, but you should still make an effort to avoid stock imagery if you can.
5. Testimonials Work
Nothing boosts your brand’s reputation like a positive testimonial. Knowing that other real people have used and enjoyed your products or services is an indication to other potential customers that your company can be trusted.
If you have the opportunity to feature a satisfied customer in an ad, take advantage of it. Once you’ve secured your subject, have them provide you with a one-sentence statement that talks about their experience. Simply overlaying this quote on an ad could be enough to create an effective advertisement.
The important thing to note if you do go the route of using a testimonial is that you need to place a heightened emphasis on the text copy above the ad and the CTA as well. Make sure it’s clear what you’re selling, and the testimonial will be proof that you’re telling the truth.
6. Show the Problem You’re Fixing
Inventors like to say that the first step to creating something new is identifying a problem. In advertising, I believe this is frequently overlooked, but the same theory still applies.
Here’s an example, let’s say you’re marketing for a laundry detergent brand. Conventional wisdom might suggest that showing a picture of like-new, clean clothes would be the best route to take. However, clean clothes aren’t necessarily going to catch the eye of those scrolling a mile-a-minute.
Instead, it could be advantageous to show the problem which you’re looking to solve. An image showing grass-stained baseball pants or coffee stains on a button-down work shirt draws attention to the ad. Once you’ve captured the eyes of your audience, you’ve already won half the battle.
You instantly form a connection with users when you can get them to think, “Hey, I actually do experience this problem in my own life.” If you can conjure up this thought through your imagery, you have a good chance of gaining a new customer.
Wrapping Up
Advertising creative is an art, but there is some science component to it as well. If your ads haven’t been performing up to your standards, apply these tips and see if they can help boost your results.
If your business needs help with ad creative, including graphic design, get in touch with us today to collaborate on innovative concepts that work.
