How To Develop High-Converting Ad Creatives

Summary

The video script emphasizes the evolving landscape of online advertising, where user engagement is key to higher conversion rates. It suggests a seven-step strategy to create successful ad campaigns: 1) Harness external creativity by collaborating with freelancers, agencies, and content creators; 2) Focus on creating a variety of smaller assets to maximize platform optimization; 3) Tailor messaging to different customer awareness levels; 4) Prioritize hook rate by capturing attention within the first 3 seconds; 5) Experiment with diverse visual assets and color psychology; 6) Test ad concepts across different platforms and adapt to maximize effectiveness; 7) Monitor for creative fatigue and refresh campaigns accordingly. The script encourages continuous testing and adaptation, leveraging winning concepts while exploring new ideas to maintain ad effectiveness.

Takeaways

• 🎯 **Adapt to User Behavior**: Users click less due to ad saturation, so focus on creating engaging content to win their attention.
• 📈 **Prioritize Engagement**: Ads with higher engagement are shown more, leading to better conversion rates.
• 🤔 **Innovate Creatively**: Seek out highly creative individuals who understand user intent and psychology to develop compelling ad concepts.
• 🧩 **Scale Your Creativity**: The goal is not just to create one good ad, but to produce a multitude of creative assets over time.
• 🌐 **Collaborate Externally**: Enlist the help of freelancers, agencies, and content creators to generate fresh ad ideas.
• 🔍 **Use AI for Inspiration**: Employ AI to visualize rough ad concepts and stay open to diverse ideas without being overly protective of your own.
• 📊 **Think Small, Act Big**: Create multiple smaller assets (images, taglines, video clips, texts) to allow platforms to mix and match for optimal results.
• 📣 **Direct Call-Outs**: Address your target audience directly, calling out their needs, desires, or the unique benefits your product offers.
• 📢 **Adjust Messaging**: Tailor your brand messaging to the level of customer awareness, from educating to creating a sense of urgency or scarcity.
• ⏱️ **Hook Rate Importance**: Capture attention quickly; the first 3 seconds are crucial for grabbing the audience's interest.
• 🎨 **Visual Strategy**: Experiment with different visual elements and color psychology, ensuring visuals are simple, clear, and of high quality.
• 🧪 **Test Differently**: There's no one-size-fits-all approach to testing; be flexible and willing to adjust your testing methods as needed.
• 📏 **Budget Wisely**: Test new ad concepts in cost-effective environments like Android or in countries with lower advertising costs.
• 🔄 **Maximize Your Budget**: Repurpose and remix assets to understand what works best without disrupting current campaigns.
• 📋 **Cross-Platform Testing**: Evaluate ad performance across different platforms to identify which creatives work best where.
• 📈 **Continuous Testing**: Always be testing; once a winner is found, continue to refine and adapt it for different channels.
• 🚫 **Avoid Creative Fatigue**: Monitor for signs of declining engagement and be ready to refresh your creative assets to sustain ad effectiveness.

Q & A

What is the current challenge with user engagement in digital marketing?

Users are exposed to more ads, which leads to them clicking less. This makes it a race for attention and engagement, where creatives with the most engagement are shown more, resulting in higher conversion rates.

Why is it difficult to replicate a creative winner in advertising?

Replicating a creative winner is challenging because the goal is not just to create one good ad, but to come up with hundreds of creative assets over time.

What is the first step to come up with good ad ideas according to the script?

The first step is to look outside your company for creative concepts. This involves hiring freelancers or agencies, working with content creators who know their platform, getting inspired by competitors, and using AI to visualize rough ad concepts.

What does 'thinking small' in advertising mean?

Thinking small means creating a variety of smaller assets like different images, taglines, video clips, and intro texts, instead of one large ad campaign. This allows platforms to mix and match assets for the best results.

How should brand messaging be approached based on customer awareness levels?

Brand messaging should be adjusted based on the customer's level of awareness. For those unaware of the problem, educate them. For those aware of the problem but not the solution, lead with the main pain point and benefits. For product-aware customers, provide social proof and highlight the unique selling point. For existing users, create urgency with offers like discounts.

What is the importance of focusing on the hook rate in advertising?

The hook rate is crucial as it determines how quickly you can grab your audience's attention. The faster you can do this, the more likely they are to engage with your ad.

How can color psychology be utilized in creating visual assets for ads?

Color psychology can be used to evoke certain feelings in the audience. For example, yellow can create a feeling of positivity, red can create urgency, and black can inspire power.

What are some recommendations for testing new ad concepts?

Test new ad concepts on Android before iOS due to cost efficiency, try out new concepts in cheaper markets like India, and make variations of your assets with new end cards, intros, visuals, or voiceovers. Smaller testing campaigns can help understand what's working without disrupting existing campaigns.

How can one determine if an ad is working on different platforms?

By testing ads on different channels to see what works. Some creatives work well everywhere, while others are more effective on a single platform. It's essential to keep testing until a winner is found.

What is the recommended approach to testing frequency in ad campaigns?

Always test, but once a winning concept is found, reuse and adapt it to different channels and make variations to extend its life.

What is creative fatigue, and how can it be identified in ad campaigns?

Creative fatigue occurs when a winning campaign starts getting fewer clicks and there's a drop in impressions per minute, along with stagnant costs and a rising expected cost per impression (ECP). It's important to flag it to prevent budget loss and a decrease in ROI.

What is the key takeaway for creating winning ad campaigns?

The key takeaway is to look outside of your company for creative ideas, try to do more of the same but also test radically different ideas in parallel, and always be open to testing and adapting your approach based on the results.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 The Evolution of Marketing and Creative Ad Strategies

The first paragraph discusses the shift in user behavior towards online advertising. It emphasizes that with the increase in the number of ads users are exposed to, the challenge is to capture their attention and engagement. The focus is on creating high-engagement creatives that lead to higher conversion rates. The speaker advises against relying solely on a single 'creative winner' and instead suggests a strategy of generating a multitude of creative assets over time. The importance of considering user intent and psychology is highlighted, as is the need for collaboration with external sources of creativity, such as freelancers, agencies, and competitors. The paragraph also encourages the use of AI for visualizing ad concepts and being open to diverse ideas.

05:02

📈 Maximizing Ad Effectiveness through Smaller Assets and Targeted Messaging

The second paragraph provides a detailed approach to creating effective ad campaigns. It suggests creating multiple smaller assets instead of one large campaign to avoid putting all efforts into one strategy. This includes varying images, taglines, video clips, and intro texts to allow platforms to optimize the mix for best results. The paragraph also touches on directly addressing the target audience's needs and desires, experimenting with different brand tones, and tailoring messaging based on the customer's awareness level of the problem and solution. It outlines strategies for audiences at different stages of awareness, from complete unawareness to existing product users. The focus then shifts to improving the hook rate by capturing attention within the first three seconds using various tactics. The importance of testing different visual assets and leveraging color psychology is also emphasized, along with the necessity of continually testing and adapting creative assets to find what works best.

Keywords

💡User Engagement

User engagement refers to the level of interaction and involvement a user has with a particular platform or content. In the context of the video, it is crucial for ads to capture user engagement because it leads to higher visibility and conversion rates. The script mentions that 'creatives with the most engagement are shown more,' highlighting the importance of engagement in ad campaigns.

💡Creative Assets

Creative assets are the various components that make up an advertisement, such as images, videos, taglines, and text. The video emphasizes the need to generate 'hundreds of creative assets over time,' underlining the importance of variety and quantity in ad campaigns to increase the chances of finding a successful ad.

💡Conversion Rates

Conversion rates measure the effectiveness of an advertisement by calculating the percentage of users who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service. The script states that 'better creatives lead to higher conversion rates,' indicating that the quality and appeal of ad creatives directly impact the success of an ad campaign.

💡User Intent and Psychology

Understanding user intent and psychology is about knowing what motivates users and what they are looking for. The video script suggests that coming up with good ad ideas requires thinking about 'user intent and psychology,' which means that successful ads should be designed to appeal to users' needs and desires.

💡AI Visualization

AI visualization involves using artificial intelligence to create visual representations of concepts or data. In the script, it is mentioned as a tool for 'visualizing rough ad concepts,' which means AI can help in the early stages of ad creation by generating potential visual layouts or designs for advertisements.

💡Brand Tones

Brand tones refer to the style and manner in which a brand communicates through its marketing materials. The video discusses the importance of experimenting with 'different brand tones,' such as being direct, playful, candid, or informed, to connect with a wider audience and inspire action.

💡Customer Awareness Levels

Customer awareness levels describe how familiar potential customers are with a problem, a solution, or a product. The script provides a breakdown of these levels and suggests tailoring messaging to match the audience's awareness, such as educating, highlighting pain points, providing social proof, or creating a sense of urgency.

💡Hook Rate

The hook rate is the measure of how quickly an advertisement can capture the attention of its audience. The video emphasizes the importance of grabbing attention within the 'first 3 seconds' through various techniques like identifying pain points or using humor, as a high hook rate increases the likelihood of users clicking on the ad.

💡Visual Assets

Visual assets in advertising include images, videos, and other visual content that are used to attract and retain the viewer's attention. The script advises focusing on these assets and testing different elements like color psychology and the focus of the visuals, such as product shots or character animations, to determine what resonates most with the audience.

💡Testing Creative Assets

Testing creative assets involves experimenting with different ad components to determine which are most effective. The video encourages testing new concepts and making variations to existing assets, suggesting that there is no one-size-fits-all approach and that continuous testing and adaptation are key to success.

💡Creative Fatigue

Creative fatigue occurs when an audience becomes less responsive to an ad over time, leading to decreased performance. The script warns to watch out for signs of creative fatigue, such as fewer clicks and a drop in impressions, indicating that it's time to refresh the ad creatives to maintain effectiveness.

Highlights

The modern digital advertising landscape is characterized by a decrease in user clicks due to an increase in ad exposure.

Highly engaging creatives are more likely to be shown, leading to higher conversion rates.

Creativity and understanding of user intent and psychology are crucial for developing effective ad campaigns.

The goal is to create numerous creative assets over time, not just one successful ad.

When a winning ad is found, it's important to capitalize on its success.

The first step in creating ad ideas is to seek inspiration from outside sources, including freelancers, agencies, and competitors.

AI can be utilized to visualize rough ad concepts, encouraging openness to new ideas.

Instead of one large campaign, create multiple smaller assets to allow platforms to find the best combinations.

Directly address the target audience's needs and desires in the ad content.

Experiment with different brand tones to inspire action, even if it deviates from the consistent brand voice.

Adjust messaging based on the customer's level of awareness of the problem and the solution offered.

For unaware audiences, focus on educating them about the problem.

Lead with the main pain point for those aware of the problem but not the solution.

Provide social proof and highlight the unique selling point for product-aware audiences.

Create a sense of urgency for current users with special offers and time-limited deals.

Focus on the hook rate, capturing the audience's attention within the first 3 seconds of the ad.

Use color psychology and high-quality visuals to enhance the ad's appeal.

Test different creative assets extensively to find what works best.

Experiment with ad concepts on different platforms and in different regions to maximize effectiveness.

Always be testing and iterating on ad campaigns, and be ready to adapt when a winning concept is identified.

Monitor for creative fatigue and be prepared to refresh ad content to maintain engagement.

The journey to finding a winning ad campaign is challenging but rewarding once the successful formula is discovered.

Transcripts

Remember the early days of UA

marketing when our platforms

were full of customization options

and users would click on anything?

Yeah, not so much anymore.

Today, users experience more ads,

so they click less,

which makes winning clicks a race

for attention and engagement.

And since creatives

with the most engagement

are shown more,

better creatives lead to higher conversion rates.

But it's not always easy

to come up with good ideas.

You need someone extremely creative

and to think about user intent and psychology.

But even if you're Picasso,

who's good

with numbers or a psychologist with a degree

in Facebook, it’s

still tough to replicate a creative winner

because your goal isn't actually

about creating one good ad.

It's about coming up

with hundreds of creative assets over time.

So when you eventually find a winner

and you will, you'll want to double down on it.

So in this video,

I'll go over how to actually come up

with good ad ideas.

Test creative assets

and find your winning needle in a haystack

that leads to high conversion rates.

But before we dive in, first, stop wondering

what's going to work.

There's no way to know.

So there's no point thinking about it.

And instead, do this.

The first step is to look outside your company

when you're coming up

with creative concepts, enlist

the help of a few extra minds

to get those creative ideas flowing.

Hire freelancers or agencies.

Work with content creators

who already know their platform.

Get inspired by your competitors,

and use AI to visualize rough ad concepts.

Mainly, be open to new ideas

and don't be overly protective of your concepts.

In step two, shift

from thinking big to thinking small,

and what I mean is create

a bunch of smaller assets

rather than one big ad campaign.

So instead of putting all your eggs

in one basket,

create ten different images,

ten different taglines,

ten different video clips

and ten different intro texts,

all genuinely different, and let the platforms

mix and match assets for the best results.

When approaching your target

audience content options, try

calling them out directly.

For example,

if you're a new parent, this app is for you

or call out their true desire.

Like their need for belonging, safety or control.

You can also try on different

brand tones

by be more direct, playful, candid or informed.

Even if you have a consistent

brand voice

for marketing,

a different tone might inspire

more people to act.

Now, how should you approach brand messaging?

Well, you'll want to based on your customers

level of awareness.

What I mean by

that is how familiar are potential users

with the problem you solve

and the solution you offer.

Here's a breakdown of the different levels

of customer awareness levels

and how you can adjust

your messaging accordingly.

For audiences

that are totally unaware of the problem

to be solved, educate them on it.

Share your story

and explain why this issue matters to you.

If they're aware of the problem

but not your solution,

lead with the main pain point,

how your product solves it

and the benefits you offer.

If they're already product aware,

provide social proof

and lead with your unique selling point

a.k.a your USP.

If they're already aware of your product, create

a feeling of scarcity and a reason to act now.

Lastly, if they're already using your product,

simply tell them your offer

like 50% off premium plans for the next 30 days.

In step three, focus on your hook rate.

Your hook

rate is how long it takes

to grab your audience's attention.

The faster you grab it,

the more likely they are to click.

So in the first 3 seconds, you want to either

identify their pain, use social proof,

play with humor, state

a fact, or ask a rhetorical question

so they stop scrolling.

In step four for you’ll want to create

different visual assets, i.e.

put the focus on your product

or people or animals or app characters.

You can also test out color psychology.

For example,

Yellow creates a feeling of positivity, while red

creates urgency and black inspires power.

Keep your visuals

simple, clutter free

and with minimal on image text.

Of course, it's always best to use high

quality images or even video,

which the industry

is mainly focused on right now.

But like all of your other creative assets

test, test, test.

Speaking of testing,

let's move on to step five

testing creative assets.

The good news is there's no one way to do it.

This gives you the freedom

to build your own way of testing.

And if something doesn't work, try another way.

But I do have a few recommendations

for you to consider.

Try testing new ad concepts on Android before

iOS because it's usually cheaper.

You can also try out

new concepts in cheaper countries like India.

To maximize your budget, remakes your assets

by making variations

with a new end card,

intro, visuals, or voiceover.

By creating smaller testing campaigns,

you'll better understand

what's working

without disrupting your existing campaigns.

What about the age

old question

Will my ad work on different platforms?

In step six, test your ads on different channels

to see what works.

Because the truth is,

some creators work

well everywhere, while others

only work on one platform.

And while you can usually re-use

a winner on similar platforms, it depends

the network is a bit mysterious.

Don't take anything too personal.

Just keep testing concepts

until you find a winner.

And by having a mobile measurement

partner, an MMP,

you'll compare results in one place

so you can better track what's working and where.

Now you're probably wondering,

how often should I test?

And the answer is simple. Always.

But once you find a winner

milk it for all it's worth.

Reuse your winning concept

and adapt it to different channels

and make variations to extend its life.

Because sooner or later people

will get tired of seeing your ad

and it will stop working.

Which is known as creative fatigue.

So in step seven, watch out for creative fatigue.

That's when you see a winning campaign

getting less clicks.

And notice

your ad has had a drop in impressions

per minute

IPN, coupled with stagnant costs

and a rising expected cost per impression.

ECP, you'll want to flag it right away

as it needs to budget loss and a decrease in ROI.

So there you have it.

Seven steps to create winning ad campaigns.

Now what should your takeaway be?

Look outside of your company for creative ideas.

Try to do more of the same,

but also try to do ridiculously different stuff

and test both in parallel, always.

Your journey

to finding a winning ad campaign

might not sound easy,

but it will be worth your effort

when you finally find the one.

And trust us, the numbers will prove it.

And of course, if you have any questions,

drop them here in the comments

and we'll try our best

to get them answered for you.

In the meantime,

stay tuned and subscribe

to our channel for more videos

just like this one.

Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time.