We got in touch with three digital marketing gurus—Chris Staton, Josh Miguel, and Marcio Chiaradia—to discuss what makes advertisements stand out and to go over some dos and don’ts for producing creative content. We asked each contributor a question that best relates to their particular area of expertise for creative best practices.
AdRoll: What is your approach to Facebook ads, given the character limitations on text?
Chris: Facebook’s 20% rule on type really restricts designers in terms of what we can do with the type on an ad. It means we have to strip it down to its core elements and figure out what we really want to focus on.
There’s always going to be copy surrounding the ad, so it’s important not to neglect that. Believe it or not, people actually read the intro and the body copy that surrounds an ad! Keep your most compelling message within the ad itself, and if you keep that short and punchy, you can bring up the size so it’s more prominent and eye-catching. If it’s compelling, people will take the time to read what’s around it.
AdRoll: What are some ways to differentiate retargeting ads from your prospecting or regular branding ads?
Josh: Play around with dynamic ads. They are excellent for retargeting, because you’re pulling in and featuring products that users have already demonstrated an interest in or that are related to ones they’ve browsed. Say, for example, a user added a pair of shoes to their shopping cart but never completed the purchase. Perhaps they went to look for a promotion code, were comparison-shopping elsewhere, or simply got distracted. By retargeting the user with the specific pair of shoes they were interested in, you can remind them of that interest and bring them back to your site. These ads are much more targeted and specific to individual users, which makes them far more impactful.
AdRoll: In terms of creative best practices, what performs better for your CTA: a button format, or just text?
Marcio: It’s hard to say that one solution will fit every occasion. That’s why it’s important to do some A/B testing to see what works well for your audience and with your messaging. It’s always good practice to do some user testing, because you can pretty quickly determine which ad will be the best match. Depending on the ad’s subject matter, the situation may differ. It really depends on what you’re trying to advertise and to whom.
Last updated on August 16th, 2022.