7 Tips To Create An Effective Ad Campaign

Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make.” – Bill Bernbach

Advertising is often a reflection of society, constantly shifting to align with the latest trends. Marketers use it as a tool to evoke emotional responses to help spark and fuel brand loyalty while simultaneously driving sales. Winning brands combine powerful messages based on well-researched insights with effective delivery methods that influence their audiences in meaningful ways.

However, with the ever-changing paradigm of media consumption, control of how a message is received has shifted from marketers to consumers. The challenge of advertising has grown beyond creative messaging and striking visuals. It is finding the optimal delivery method for a message that reaches the consumer at the exact right time and place, all while leveraging a new assortment of tools. Thus, the pursuit of creating an effective ad campaign has become much more complex.

At DataXu, we have run thousands of campaigns for all types of advertisers, and though each one has distinct objectives, we’ve discovered that no matter the industry, there are a few elements that consistently and significantly impact the overall success of a digital ad campaign.

Make the most of your media dollars by following these best practices:

1. Content

Less is more; highlight the important information that is the essence of your campaign. Make your product or service the focal point of the conversation to further highlight the message.

2. Visual

Striking visuals paired with effective typography come together to make a winning combination. Icons, illustrations and bright colors are a few other add-ons that can be of use to attract maximum eyeballs. However, it is important to strike a balance so the visual elements should not distract from the message. A loud visual ad may make someone remember it while overlooking that most important piece – the actual message and call to action.

3. Target Audience Profiling

Understanding your target audience is crucial. Building a campaign with your key demographic in mind will help increase engagement, thereby increasing the likelihood of converting viewers to customers.

4. Contextual

The emotional connection between a brand and a consumer can be a first step in forming a loyal relationship. Whether it’s an “aha” moment or a laugh, it is important to appeal to your target audience. If you are a more series B2B brand, using a trending hashtag may not be the best route to take in connecting with your consumer. A “one size fits all” approach rarely yields great results for advertisers.

5. Video

If you are not already, start investing in video. This format leads to better engagement with your consumers. As technology continues to transform, video and other engaging content formats are going to be cornerstones of any successful marketing campaign.

6. Budget Allocation

Determine your marketing goals before you set your marketing budget. Setting goals won’t just help you pick a final number, it also narrows your focus. The next step would be to analyze your past campaign performance, research current industry trends and then crunch the numbers.

7. Cross-Device

Today’s consumers are no longer constricted to one device; in fact, many users are on at least two devices simultaneously. Despite switching across multiple devices, consumers expect a personalized experience throughout their buying and consideration journey, making a cross-device strategy crucial to success. Marketers need to adjust to this change in consumer behavior and take their messaging one step further to ensure consistency and control of brand voice, no matter where the message may appear.

There is no silver bullet for creating a successful campaign, but building a strategy that keeps all the above components in mind will help ensure an increase in consumer engagement.

Interested in learning more about developing successful ad campaigns? Check out this advice from our ad ops team for a more granular look at what you need to do to build your campaign within your programmatic platform.