Effective Advertising Tips And Best Practices

Advertising has come far from traditional mediums such as magazines and television. Internet and digital technology have transformed the way businesses market themselves. Today, they have multiple channels and platforms to showcase their brand and product. However, this shift comes with its own set of challenges.

As the world becomes a global hub, small businesses must try even harder to stand out. Did you know that 73% of small business owners doubt their current marketing strategy? It’s understandable, as devising effective advertising strategies with limited resources and expertise can be overwhelming.

But don’t fret because, even as a small business owner, you can drive change and make customized marketing plans that perfectly fit your budget. All you need are some useful advertising tips and examples to get you on the right track. So, let’s break it down step-by-step!

Part 1: Benefits of Online Advertising

Online advertising is an essential tool for brands who want to keep their customers engaged from all fronts. Be it a startup or a multinational organization, your brand must have an online presence in today’s dynamic business landscape.

There are multiple ways to communicate with your target audiences online. You can reach out to them through emails, search engines, websites, and social media platforms. A well-placed, engaging ad can help forward your message and make it memorable.

Here’s why more businesses are investing in online marketing plans.

• Increases Business Scope: The internet doesn’t have any geographical limitations, so being online means you’re visible to everyone, everywhere. No matter where you are operating from, your message can be delivered to customers around the globe, giving your brand international recognition.
• Cost-Effective: Compared to traditional advertising mediums like TV, print, and audio, online advertising is a more affordable option. With so many platforms to choose from, businesses can select one that yields the highest return on investment.
• Customers Want Brands Online: Customers turn to social media to discover new brands, products, and services. So, if a business ignores the perks of online advertising on these platforms, they will miss out on the chance of acquiring new customers.

Part 2: Things to Consider for a Successful Advertising Campaign

Before you start planning your marketing campaign, think about what makes a good advertisement. Once you have identified the most effective way to reach your target audience, everything else will fall into place. Consider these factors before you start working out an advertising strategy.

1. Your Target Audience

This is the first and most important step. You need to identify who your target audience is. Do they like to shop online? Will they respond better to social media ads or marketing emails? Understanding who and where your audience is greatly simplifies the marketing process.

2. Your Competition

It’s equally important to know your competitors and how they are advertising similar products or services. This helps you leverage your brand’s unique selling proposition to target customers. Ask yourself: Why should customers choose you over them? The answer is the edge you have over your competitors.

3. Your Ad Objectives

Advertisements are used by businesses to either inform or educate their audience. They also use ads to promote their product or service. So, before you roll the ball, define the objective you want to achieve with your ads. You can also create ads to remind your target audience of what you have to offer.

4. The Right Platform

Finding the correct digital platform is essential for a successful ad campaign. The best one can boost your brand’s reach and engage your audiences where they spend most of their time. Compare each platform’s features and capabilities to identify the one that best suits your ad needs.

Part 3: Best Practices For Effective Advertising With Examples

Business owners often wonder what is the best form of advertising so they allocate resources where the chance of return is the highest. But it’s not as simple. Some brands boast successful social media ad campaigns while others swear by print media ads. In truth, a mix of different ad forms is the best way to amplify a brand’s voice.

No matter which form of ads you choose, if the concept and content fail to wow audiences, the marketing campaign will fail. The good news? A lot of research has gone into understanding what makes an ad ‘click.’ Not sure where and how to begin? Here are 10 best practices for creating an effective advertisement.

1. Keep Your Message Concise And Clear

Users have short attention spans. If they feel they have to spend more time understanding an ad, chances are they will simply ignore it. Think about how you can convey your message in clear, simple language that viewers can quickly understand and remember.

Many marketers swear by the “KISS” principle - Keep It Simple Stupid. A short, simple headline accompanied by relevant ad elements is enough to quickly highlight your message and cement it in the viewer’s mind.

Take this Nike campaign as an example.

Source: Nike Ad

The ad has clear, simple text with the brand’s iconic logo. The image combined with the message invokes hope in viewers and makes them feel connected to a community. This campaign was launched in 2012 while the Olympic Games were happening in London. The concept behind the campaign was to motivate and empower unconventional athletes.

2. Find A Likeable Style

Every brand has a unique image. Audiences expect the same personality and character to shine through the advertisement campaigns as well. Once you find a style that your customers enjoy, stick to it for at least a year. This helps cement your brand image and makes your content more relatable.

Businesses that switch their ad styles continuously can confuse audiences, making them lose interest. Find a brand personality and voice that best resonates with your customers and keep them engaged.

A good example of this is Wendy’s Twitter Roast campaign.

Source: Wendy's Twitter

Wendy’s roast campaign on Twitter went viral on social media. The brand started a playful banter against its competitors and other social media users, including its followers quickly jumped in. The engagement on the roast posts was fantastic and users couldn’t get enough of Wendy’s creative and funny replies.

3. Make An Emotional Connection

Humans crave connections and want to feel part of a larger community. If you want to make an effective ad, consider a message that appeals to your audience’s emotions. When customers feel happy, excited, appreciated, or empowered through an advertisement they align the brand with positivity.

Once you have succeeded in creating a positive image in your customer’s minds, they will trust your brand and stay loyal to you. It’s not easy to evoke b emotions with every ad campaign. However, you can try to connect with your audiences on an emotional level every time to maintain your brand’s positioning.

A good example is Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign.

Source: Dove Ad

Dove launched an extraordinary ad campaign that challenged the norms of the beauty industry. It embraced, highlighted, and celebrated women just the way they were. Even if they didn’t fit into the accepted ‘beauty’ standards created by the industry. Dove made a lasting connection with ‘real women customers’ with this ad strategy.

4. Make It Memorable

Research suggests that an average person sees around 10,000 ads daily across different platforms. How many ads do you think they remember? Not many, I am sure. Even if an ad is informative and well-placed, if the content and visuals aren’t impressive, your audience will quickly forget it.

An effective ad is unique, eye-catching, relevant to the viewer, and has a b message. Elements like a gripping storyline, interesting characters, and attractive visuals can make your ad memorable.

Absolut Vodka’s print ad marketing campaign is the perfect example of a memorable strategy.

Source: Absolut Perfection Ad

Sometimes, the simplest ideas can outshine complex ones. This is especially true in the case of Absolut Vodka. When the brand launched in America in 1979, there was a lot of competition among brown spirits. So, the creative team decided to capitalize on the brand’s signature bottle design and present it as the superior choice. The rest is history!

5. Develop A Theme

If you want your customers to remember and recall your brand, focus on developing a theme for your campaigns and stay consistent. It could be a theme of words or graphics. Whatever you choose, integrate your unique selling proposition into that advertising theme. This way, your audience will associate that particular theme with your brand, increasing ad recall significantly.

Here’s a good example of an exceptional ad theme: Old Spice.

Source: Old Spice Ad

Old Spice has maintained its quirky theme across its ad campaigns for years. Audiences always expect the brand to portray ridiculously handsome men advertising its products through dry humor. This consistency in the ad theme has definitely paid off for the brand.

6. Include A Call-To-Action

Your ads should be more than just attractive visuals. They should include a clear call-to-action so viewers know exactly what to do after they’ve appreciated your ad. Mention the action you wish to drive, such as signing up for a newsletter, purchasing a product through your website’s link, or booking a consultation.

Choose a clear and persuasive message for the CTA so viewers are encouraged to follow through. Here’s a good example of a simple and result-oriented call to action.

7. Leverage Visual Content

Advertisements that are visually appealing always perform better. While you are focused on delivering the right message to your audience, remember to present it attractively. Rather than simply telling your customers why your product or service is better, wrap your message in exciting visual elements for maximum impact.

Visual aid helps brands convey complex information in a simple manner. It further allows them to evoke emotions in the viewer and influence the audience’s perception. Do you remember the Always ‘Like a Girl' ad campaign?

Source: Always Ad

The brand created a 3-minute casting-style film where the director asks children of different genders and ages what it means to act like a girl. The ad’s b visuals left a lasting impression on female viewers who often feel marginalized due to wrong perceptions.

8. Add A Slogan

If there’s one thing common between all good ads, it’s a memorable slogan. Slogans are short, catchy phrases that capture a brand’s essence and deliver their message in an attention-grabbing manner.

The slogan should be well-thought-out and relevant to the audience for it to leave a lasting impact. Some excellent examples include:

• Nike’s ‘Just Do It’
• Loreal’s ‘Because You’re Worth It’
• Lay’s ‘Betcha Can’t Eat Just One’
• Toyota’s ‘Let’s Go Places’
• Airbnb's ‘Belong Anywhere’

9. Track Results

Creating and posting an ad isn’t enough. You need to track and analyze the results of the ad to understand if it was effective. Ad tracking tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel help brands collect relevant data, such as impressions, conversions, and click-through rates. They can then use this information to study customer behavior and response to their ads.

Once you identify the ad form and style that hits home with your audience, stick to it and build on it further.

10.  Use AI Tools

AI tools have transformed the marketing industry. The level of content personalization that is now at your fingertips is amazing. With these tools, you can create high-quality, custom ads that engage and move your audience.

From a gripping script to quality audio/video and attractive visual elements - you can increase productivity with AI tools. One of them is Wondershare Virbo. This all-in-one AI-powered solution allows you to create ads and streamline your marketing process on a budget. With this, you can analyze your competitors and create high-quality, custom marketing content for print and video ads.

Here are some AI tools small business owners can leverage in their marketing strategy.

1. AI Montage Maker: If you have images or videos of your product, the AI montage maker can easily spin those elements into a visual story. The tool generates text, picks layouts, and adds effects and animations to your still imagery. The result is an attractive ad with minimum effort from your end.
2. AI Ad Generator: This tool combines convenience with creativity. All you need to do is provide a product link and copy prompts and the ad generator will create a series of ads from them. The tool adds a compelling narrative and exciting animations while keeping the essence of your product alive.
3. AI Video Generator: With Virbo’s AI video editor, you can quickly create professional-looking videos without any watermarks. You can experiment with different templates, AI avatars, backgrounds, music, and animation to find the perfect mix for your audience.

Part 4: Let’s Create An Effective Video Ad For Instagram Using AI

Creating video ads without the required expertise can be challenging. However, Virbo’s AI video montage maker allows you to create attractive videos from scratch without any editing skills. So, if you’re planning to launch an ad campaign for your new product on Instagram, this AI tool can significantly slash the editing time.

Follow the steps below and create a video ad for any social media platform.

1. Open Video Montage Maker on your browser and select Create a Montage Online.

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2. If you want to create the video using existing media, select Add Media under the Upload Manually tab and pick the images and videos you want to use.

3. If you don’t have any images or videos of your product, you can select the option Analyze URL. Here you can paste a link to a product listing most similar to your own. The AI tool will analyze the URL and use the imagery uploaded there to create a custom video for you. Let’s continue with the second option.

4. Delete any images or videos you want to exclude from your video ad. Add or edit the product’s information from the Additional Info tab.

Pro Tip: Check out the design requirements for Instagram before finalizing the ratio and duration of the video. If you want to promote your video ad on your Instagram feed, select the ratio 4:3.

5. From the same section, determine the type of video you want to create. Choose from Random, AI Avatar And Voiceover, and Only AI Voiceover, depending on the impact you want to create on your audience.

Pro Tip: Using an avatar can help you connect with your audiences and give your brand a face they can trust. However, it is crucial to stay consistent in your choices to maintain that trust. We will choose AI Avatar and Voiceover for this guide. Select Generate Video.

6. You have three video options in the left tab. Select the one that best showcases your brand personality. Or, click Edit for a more personalized customer viewing experience.

7. You can browse avatars to pick one that best resonates with your brand. You can also select a suitable voiceover and edit the video script according to the scenes. At this step, you can add background music to your video for a more immersive experience.

8. Finally, preview the edited video and export it to your PC when satisfied.

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Conclusion

The art of effective advertising is not subtle. It helps brands connect with their audiences on an emotional level and engage them enough to drive action. When done right, it can quickly scale your business’ reach and enable it to grow organically.

I hope you feel more confident about making ads on your own now. If ever in doubt, resort to capable AI tools to do the heavy lifting for you.