Effective Creative Ad Guidelines with Examples

Comprises of the post copy, headline and CTA.

• Post copy: This is the caption of the ad that describes the ad. You could add details about your product or service and also add a web URL to your website or sales page.

• Headline: This is a short phrase at the bottom of the image or video and is usually action-oriented. It tells the user what your product or service does.

• CTA button: This is seen with messenger or lead generation ads that directs people to the next step which could be filling out a form or sending a message.

With the jargon out of the way, let’s take a look at a few of the Creative Effectiveness Guidelines to keep in mind while designing an ad creative.

1. Split test your ad creatives

Create multiple ad creatives and test out which works best for your product or service. Once creative ideas for online ads for your brand are locked in, you can make future creatives along the same lines. Usually, it’s a thumb rule to test 2 text copies with 2 visuals, thus giving you 4 unique ad creatives.

2. Know your target audience

Much of attention-grabbing and selling relies on relatability and a sense of camaraderie. Your ads must speak to your audiences and make them feel that your business or product or service knows them and their pain points well. Thus, it’s important to create audience personas of your target audience and know what ticks them and make an ad that pushes the right buttons.

3. Use emotional comfort or hooks

The biggest fear people have from a transaction is failure or loss. Your buyers are afraid that the product or service might not work for them and they might lose the money they put in. It’s important to provide free trials and offer social proof of your product or service in the form of testimonials.

4. Add a CTA in the image in addition to the button

The image is the most conspicuous part of the ad and any element on it stands out. It’s important to have creative ideas for online ads. So while it’s critical to have a CTA button at the bottom of the ad, it’s even more important to have a written CTA in the ad image to make a strong first impression.

5. Make your images or videos stand out

We are visual beings and an image or video is more likely to grab attention than a text. So experiment with offbeat or quirky images. Make sure they align with your brand, product, and messaging. CoPromote took a quirky approach to show how their tool can help you reach new audiences by showing a dolphin and a cow leaping out of the water. Similarly, Adobe took a different approach and used a colorful and striking image to put forth its message. It’s great to use such ideas and visuals for creative online ads.

6. Clutter-free ad design that is unambiguous

The ad design, video or picture, must connect with your audience right away. That means it has to be simple to understand and must get the message across within a few moments. Not only does it make the penny drop faster, it also gets more clicks on your ad.

7. Address your audience’s hurdles

Most products and services are solving a user or customer problem. And if you know what that problem is, put it in your ad creative front and centre. Address it right out the door and you will have your audience’s attention.

8. Landing page should be consistent with ad

This applies to ad campaigns like lead generation or website traffic, where you are directing the users to a landing page. A landing page is just that - a page, either on your or a third-party website, where you direct your audiences to build upon your ad. The landing page is a continuation of what you wrote and showed in the ad. Thus, it has to be consistent in color, font, graphics, and information, else your users will have to think hard, which could lead to lesser sign-ups.
Depending on the purpose of your landing page, the information could be an extension or elaboration of the ad and might help users make a decision on the purchase or encourage them to fill out a form.

9. Profit from colour psychology

Just to reiterate, humans are visual creatures and colours alter the way we think and perceive. Every colour evokes a specific emotion in our minds and brands keep this in mind while selecting their brand colours. Using similar colour principles are great tips for creative online ads and how they can grab the attention of users you intend to target with your creatives. As an example, if you are an environmental NGO, you should consider using ‘green’ as a primary colour. If you are a technology company, ‘blue’ is the go-to colour because it symbolises trust and reliance. If you sell luxury goods or services, then consider ‘black and white’ for that premium allure.

10. Cultural relevance

When thinking of creative ideas for online ads, make sure that the design strikes a chord with your audience the moment they see it. It should be culturally relevant to them. In this case, both the ads did a great job of grabbing attention by adding a dash of colors to their creativity. In addition to getting more eyeballs, they also quickly tell the viewer about the festive spirit of Holi.

11. FOMO and urgency

While they say haste makes waste, haste is actually a good thing for advertisers. Creating a sense of urgency through an illusion of short supply or time-limited offers are one of the most effective tips for creative online ads to get your audiences to make a swift decision. Humans don’t like being left out and this emotion should be leveraged to encourage them to make decisions while viewing your ad.

12. One ad, one message

Limit your ad to saying out just 1 message at a time. Multiple messages confuse people, make them think hard, which leads to a loss of interest.
The Wiselap ad keeps it simple with a single straightforward message. Similarly, AdRoll has taken a simple approach towards their ad and while still making it approachable and easy. Ads like this get a lot more results despite the very mundane design.

13. Using festive themes for creatives

Festive themes are a huge part of ad creatives. Colours and festive elements add to the spirit of the holidays and occasions. The Target ad has taken a rather simple approach that is up to the point, but still festive and thematic. TemplateMonster has used graphic art while ensuring to maintain the Christmas theme throughout the ad. Ads with such festive and approachable designs get a lot of attention that in turn increase traffic and leads. Visit our blog to know how to strategize marketing this festive season.

So there you go! 13 easy and creative effectiveness guidelines to make ad creatives that not only look good but also get engagement from your target audiences. While some of this requires your discretion, some can be automated saving you time and effort.

To find out how automation helps with making stunningly impactful creatives, try Mediaqart’s digital advertising platform. Help your E-commerce business flourish with expert tips and strategies, visit our blog.