A powerful advert is one which leaves an impact on audiences. In order to make an effective ad, there are a number of things to keep in mind. It can be easy to get off-topic or confuse the audience with too much information. Short but impactful content work for various reasons. Firstly, ads that are quick but have an easy-to-remember message makes it easy for audiences to recall the message. Secondly, ads with an easy-to-remember message generally have one clear purpose that is being conveyed. This helps audiences connect with the ad instantly. Before you start constructing your ad though, there are some crucial factors to ensure the successful distribution of your ad. When planning, you need to first determine the platform you will use for publishing. There are so many media platforms out there that can be used to promote content. Some of the most popular ones are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. Your ad may have the potential to influence thousands, but without the right tactics and factors, it can easily go unnoticed. So in order to ensure your ad is visible to your target audience, you need to consider:

• What media platform does my target audience use the most?
• What sort of advertising content should I be producing for the selected platform?
• Which social media is the best tool for advertising for my business?

As a business, it can be difficult to construct an ad. For one, there are so many other competitive ads already out there. Secondly, if you’re a small business investing in a big ad, it can be an extremely difficult decision trying to determine the best way to promote the message you’re trying to convey to the audience. For a business investing resources in an ad campaign, it seems only logical to want to include as much as possible. With the diverse range of social media platforms, conveying different messages through different media platforms could seem like a good idea at first. But as you start creating that ad campaign you’ll soon realise that constructing an ad campaign with just one key message is a more effective method of ensuring you reach your target demographic through each platform with a consistent message. In order for an advert to be impactful and trustworthy enough for viewers to want to take action, it is crucial to maintain consistency. It is easy to blur the line between a clear message and one that’s confusing to an audience. In order to make sure you stay on topic - you need to identify the main purpose of your ad with a clear call of action so your target audience understands the advert. Therefore the two main takeaways for making an impactful advertisement is:

• Having a clear key message
• Conveying that key message in an easy manner

So, let’s run you through some of our top tips on making a powerful ad!

Graphics

Everybody loves a visual. Pictures, colours and shapes. And in an advert, graphics capture the attention of the viewer.  No matter what you’re promoting, having an exciting graphic included in your ad can reap several benefits. This can vary depending on what you are trying to promote and who your target audience is. An effective graphic is one that is visually appealing and in tune with the style of your target audience. Medium: The best platform to convey effective image adverts is undoubtedly Instagram. Instagram features a stream of endless photos and short videos of different sorts. It is one of the best platforms for audience engagement. Their features and functions move beyond just publishing an advert. You can pay to increase traffic to your ad, and include relevant hashtags so people can easily find your ad.

Power in a Headline

Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Business School professor and social psychologist, claims when you first meet someone new, you immediately make two decisions about whether you can trust and respect a person, and this can take as little as 7 seconds to make. And it takes 7 more times to change that impression.

So, if you were to watch an ad on TV, the first seven seconds could be the difference between whether or not you flip the channel. And if you do, what are the chances you are going to come across that ad again 7 more times and change your opinion? The rise of technology and unlimited content has made us very selective in what we view. Therefore, it is important to come up with an effective captivating headline for those of us with short attention spans. As the advertising genius, David Ogilvy quotes, “when you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” The headline is your hook to grabbing audience attention. But how exactly do you go about creating a powerful headline? Speak the language of your target audience.

‍In order to sell your message to your target audience, you need a punchy and captivating headline. To do this, thorough research of your target audience is crucial. You need to know what your audience’s interests are. Why should they look at your ad? Put yourselves in their shoes. If you were them, what would catch your attention? Who are your competitors? What are their tactics to attract your customer base? And how can you make yours stand out?

Sometimes, businesses neglect the importance of a headline and end up with a sloppy and confusing one, with the impression that it isn’t as important. The best part about doing research early on is that not only are you well informed to make a decision on an effective headline, you are also knowledgeable on every aspect of the campaign, making the process of constructing the ad a smoother process. An effective headline asks a question your consumer would feel compelled to click on to read the answer. Medium: Facebook is one of the most interactive social media platforms available however at times it is crowded with images, videos and text. As soon as we surf the web online, our brain has been rewired to ignore ads. Unfortunately, all online ads, good and bad alike, are seen as spamming in the online world. Which is why, if you want to get your message across, displaying a powerful headline on Facebook is a good tactic of grabbing audience attention. Facebook content follows a black, white and blue theme, therefore constructing a powerful and creative headline that stands out from everything else can go a long way in gaining engagement.

What’s Your Incentive?

Going back to answering the question - Why should consumers choose you over your competitors? You need to make an offer they can’t resist. Everybody loves a bargain. Being able to provide an irresistible incentive that no other business of your niche is able to offer, is a deal that’s hard to go unnoticed. Whether it’s an updated model of the service your competitors are providing, or a good deal on your marketing strategy, if you offer something unique and unbeatable, it will attract consumers. While one of the main objectives of an ad is to increase brand awareness and convey a message that will convert leads right away, the main purpose is to ensure customers have a positive perception of your brand. So once you have hooked your audience in and gotten them invested, give them an offer that ensures them they can place their trust in your business for the long haul. One of the most important things to keep in mind is the inclusion of your current consumer base. In the hype of trying to attract new consumers, businesses often forget to give equal attention to their loyal consumers. So while you may attract new short-time customers, you could lose long-term loyal consumers, which could prove extremely harmful for your business and reputation.

Video Ad

Video ads have always been popular. They are the easiest form of conveying information in a way that is captivating and can be easily understood by the majority of the population. They were hugely popular as TV commercials and they are still popular on social media. As Forbes revealed, 64% of online users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video. Everything has gone digital, including adverts. Businesses are now fighting for the perfect promotion for their ad to be displayed on a social media platform instead of popular TV time slots. Video ads on social media have the feature of autoplay now. Which means, if a user is scrolling across their social media and come across a video, it will start playing automatically. Once again, features in technology such as this, highlight the importance of the 7-second impression rule. This shift has given rise to digital marketing. Those trained in digital marketing are able to make use of data such as analytics, traffic and click rate in order to determine the best platform and means of promoting a business ad campaign.

While video content can be on the expensive side, using your mobile device to produce quality content is definitely doable even if you’re on a tight budget, especially with the high camera quality available to us today. However, because video ads do have the potential of reaching a large audience if marketed the right way, it might be worthwhile considering hiring a digital marketing team (with an experienced videographer) to help you. Medium: YouTube is THE place to access videos of all types and genres. Whether it’s to watch a movie clip or a viral video, YouTube content is watched by millions every day. And since YouTube videos are easily shareable across multiple platforms, it makes it easy to create just one strong video ad and market it across platforms to increase chances of audience engagement.

Customer Reviews and Testimonials

An ad can sometimes be too ‘salesy’. So how do you convince prospective customers that your business is worthy of attention? Reviews and testimonials. It is hard for a customer to place their trust in a business they’d never heard of before. Therefore the best way to build trust and establish interest is by including testimonials of existing customers. Have you ever been to a restaurant with a 1-star rating and bad review on Google? Most likely not. With the rise of online services, reviews have become significantly important for a business’ reputation. Therefore including testimonials from satisfied customers is a fantastic way of letting people know that your business can be trusted.

Call to Action

A “Call to Action” is the bait of your ad. If done well, it can produce a massive turnover. It is the part of your ad that gets audiences to take action straight away. A call to action needs to be aligned with the goals of your business in order to reach maximum success. Many think that a call of action is just a strong statement or the contact details provided. However, a call to action can be so much more than that. Whether that’s through a subscription or redirecting them to your business website or encouraging them to sign up to a monthly newsletter. Whatever the case, an ad needs to hook audiences in and entice them. Once that’s achieved, you can be confident in your trade and so can your audience.

Drop us a line if you need help to create a powerful advertisement for your business.