While marketing fads come and go, one thing remains consistent regardless of the evolution of technology or where we are as a society – the need for creative advertisements to make your brand stand out. Maybe I’m biased, given that I do this for a living, but this is the fun part. You’ve done the hard work of creating a product or service that meets the needs of your customers. Now you get to find a way to let them know that, creatively. Ad campaigns are the perfect way to take your brand and push it outside the box, while also drawing people in.
Even if you find yourself thinking, “But what I’m offering isn’t necessarily fun in someone’s eyes,” I will remind you that some of the best ad campaigns out there are for what else…? Yep, insurance companies. And we all know there is absolutely nothing fun about insurance. But I dare you to tell me you’ve never found yourself laughing at a Geico commercial.
Needless to say, an ad campaign is a great way to get into the heads of your target consumers and to make your brand memorable, but they have to be done right in order to really resonate. Here are some tips on how to do that:
- Start with your customers. In order to create an ad campaign that’s going to land, you need to know who you’re talking to. Get to know your customers and put together persona profiles that include age and demographics, what their interests are, what pain points they might have, and what they care about. If you don’t know where to start in gathering this information, check out our recent blog about customer interviews. It’s important not to guess at what you think your customers want, because you will most likely be wrong.
- Identify your CTA. What’s the call-to-action (CTA) of your ad campaign? What do you want the audience to do? What message do you want to communicate? Is it to buy your product? Subscribe to your service? Learn more? Start with the nitty gritty goal of your campaign, then you can get a little *crazy*.
- Think about timing. There are a lot of factors that will come into play for the timing of your campaign. Depending on those, look to see if there is timely content that you can incorporate into the theme of the ad. For instance, is this for the holidays? The Coca-Cola polar bears have become a staple of holiday commercials for a reason. Or is there a current pop culture reference you could make that could tie into your messaging?
- Determine the medium. Where is this ad campaign going to be distributed? From social media and other digital outlets to old-school print, billboards, radio, and yes, even TV, you need to determine where you’ll get the most bang for your buck and start planning your creative.
- Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm. Here’s where you can have some outside-the-box fun. This goes without saying, but when it comes time to conceptualize your ad campaign, brainstorming sessions are incredibly important. Bring in all the necessary stakeholders and let everyone throw out their craziest ideas at first. And make sure yourcopywriter and designer are in the room at the same time. Approaching them simultaneously creates better, more cohesive ad campaigns where details are well thought out and everything is connected.
- Break down the logistics. Ok, this is the less fun part. Once you get the ideas all out there, then you can start to distill them and reign things in a bit. Look at the ideas you came up with and think through the reality of bringing them to life. Can you give something away? What do you legally need to be able to do that? Can you make a pop culture reference without treading in trademark infringement territory? These are all things to consider before putting high-visibility work out into the world.
- Make sure your copy is short and simple, punchy. There are different types of writers out there who focus on long form, short form, and more. If you don’t have the right kind of writer who specializes in ad copy on your team, make sure you find a freelancer, as this will make or break your ad campaign. Great copy is one place you don’t want to skimp on.
- Invest in good creative. If you’re looking to really reel in your target customers, you need a design that’s stunning. That may mean investing in good creative help. There are different types of designers out there so, again, if you don’t have the right kind in house, go out and find it. If you’re investing in an ad campaign, you want to make sure it’s as stunning, eye-catching, and memorable as it has the potential to be.
If you’re looking to create your first (or umpteenth) ad campaign and are looking for some help, we’re here. Like I said earlier, this is the fun part for us and we revel in any and all opportunities to come up with crazy ideas, see them come to life, and then get to call it work. Email [email protected] to talk more about how we can do this for you.