Create Effective Social Media Ads: A Guide
By Nine Hive Digital
The average user of social media platforms is inundated with noise. Baby photos of their friends who recently became parents, reel of the high school crush who climbed a mountain, brands screaming from the walls. All of it screaming, “Look at me!”
But there are ways to effectively cut through all the noise and stand at the forefront of it all. Here are some ways you can achieve that.
Visuals come first.
When a person comes across an ad online, the first part that draws their eyes are the visuals; a picture, video or carousel. So, your visuals must be appealing. Set the tone by having it look professional, so that you look professional. Words on the visual should be set to a maximum of a short sentence or two. No more. If the visual is too wordy, the viewer will lose interest.
Clear Copywriting
Whether it be the headline or the primary text, it needs to be as clear-cut as possible. Bring them in with a question that would appeal to your audience, then offer a solution through your ad to entice them to click through to your desired destination.
It’s also in good practice to appeal to their humanity. One important thing that many forget is that these ads are created for humans, not robots.
Call-To-Action (CTA)
If you can, let them know what they can expect from clicking the call-to-action, which is usually a button. The button text itself should be as simple as possible, such as, “Learn more.” You can also add a sentence in the ad text that describes what happens when they click the CTA.
Value Proposition
Think hard and clear about what you’re offering to them. Is it a free resource? A free consultation? What will they benefit when they click through to your ad? How can you make this lives better or easier? This is a question that should hold weight when you’re creating your ad.
Lead Ads
One type of ads that have gained traction are lead ads. This is where the viewer clicks the call-to-action and then is presented with a form to fill out their contact information of your choosing. Their name, phone, email, etc. Their contact information can then be used to contact them through emails and SMS. You can even add them to your newsletter to be at the top of their mind when they’re thinking about needing a product or service that you provide.
Targeting Your Audience
Who are you trying to reach? Who is your target audience? This is a crucial question that you must ask yourself. What’s their age range? What are their interests and lifestyle choices? All of these are attributes that you can dial in when you’re creating an ad. Over the course of running an ad, the social media algorithms learn from the results and serve your ad to the people who are more likely to click your button.
Turn The Tables…
One exercise I like to do when I’m revising my ads is that I change my perspective and empathize with my target audience. How will they perceive your ad when it’s served to them? Are you satisfying what they want and need? Are you making it as easy as you can for them to get to your desired destination? These are questions that you have to ask yourself before publishing your ad.