Digital ad campaigns are 62% cheaper than above-the-line (ATL) adverts yet they yield ROI threefold. However, such results are not automatic; each marketer needs to invest both time and resources in creating data-driven content ad campaigns. In this article, we explore 5 ways to create digital ad campaigns.
Overview Whether your brand runs on the B2B, B2C, or Saas business model, digital ads are an essential component of modern-day marketing and advertising.90% of marketers rely on content marketing to reach various marketing goals. Running a content ad campaign is the easiest inbound marketing strategy. Any robust digital ad campaign starts with a carefully considered content strategy. As the often overlooked cliché goes, “Content is king. ”Netizens get bombarded with more online ads than they care to interact with. It is, therefore important for you as a marketer to ensure your ad stands out. You need to create content that humanizes your brand, sounds authoritative, and offers a value proposition to potential customers. Offering value proposition during every step of the purchase life cycle is vital. Statistics show that most potential customers only feel the need to consult a brand directly while at roughly 57% through the purchase funnel. If you fail to sustain their attention with relevant and engaging content up to this point, you lose out. Plagiarizing competitor efforts and generating cookie-cutter content ad campaigns will not cut it. So, as a marketer, how do you get started creating content digitally for ad campaigns.Below are five pointers to get you started creating kickass content digitally for ad campaigns.
How to Create Digital Ad Content
There are plenty of content types and mediums to utilize when running a digital ad. Below is how to get started creating the best content for digital ad campaigns.
Goal-setting
Setting a laser-focused goal is essential when it comes to creating content for digital ad campaigns. You need to establish beforehand the ROI you desire from each digital ad campaign. Having somewhat clear goals often leads to misguided content marketing efforts that yield vague results. “Somewhat” is not a term you want to appear in your marketing report. Your digital ad campaign goal should align with your overarching business goal. It should also reflect the unique circumstances of your brand at that particular time. No two businesses, even within the same industry, can be at the same place at the same time. The most common digital ad campaign goals include:
- Brand awareness
- Engagement
- Lead generation
- Retargeting efforts
- Improve conversion rates
- Increase revenue
- To rank better on search
Here is another vital cliché, your digital ad campaign goals need to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound).Let us say your ad campaign goal is pegged on retargeting efforts. You can aim to move 50% of leads within the consideration segment of the purchase funnel to purchasing your product or service within six months. Your goal will act as a roadmap for creating content digitally for ad campaigns. Unlike ATL advertising, digital advertising requires attention and tweaks throughout a campaign period. If you have no clear goals you will not know how to tweak content to achieve ROI.
Recommended Reading: How To Measure the Return on Investment (ROI) of Your Influencer Marketing Campaigns
Research
The digital space is always changing; the audience evolves and the rules of engagement are also quite volatile. Before embarking on creating content for your digital ad campaigns, you will need to conduct plenty of research on various fronts. Below are some key research areas that will help inform the kind of content to put out for a digital ad campaign.
Persona
The persona applies to both new businesses and established brands. As an established brand, you may have established a target persona in your ATL marketing pursuits and previous digital marketing campaigns. However, the persona is always evolving. A relevant example is in the beauty industry where buyers affiliate with brands that showcase beauty as diverse and less Eurocentric. That was not happening three years ago. You need to conduct market research to keep up with your target market’s evolving needs and meet them in your ad content. Persona research will help you come up with a strategic campaign message that will attract attention and prompt action. You also need to research customer consumer habits and their purchase journey on your website. This helps with both ad content creation and site optimization. You can rely on your email database to create a brand persona.
Communication style
Where is your target audience found online? Do they like to read or would they rather view a short clip? Having such information will help you create ad content that will reach and resonate with your target audience. Second, the algorithm for search and the various social media platforms are always changing. The platform functions are also constantly evolving. For instance, temporary content was a Snapchat thing, now it is an everywhere thing.
Keyword Research
This is perhaps the most important kind of research you can ever conduct before a search digital ad campaign. Keywords help you to create captivating and targeted ads. It helps you select keywords for your digital ads that will keep CPC low while giving you maximum exposure. It is important to know how you rank for various keywords. You can go a step further and establish how your competitors rank for various keywords. Note that the key is to draw inspiration from the competition; not to replicate their moves. Research tools like BuzzSumo and SEMRush can help you with that. You can also establish the keyword monthly search value for various keywords. Low-competition keywords will help you rank better on search. We will look at ranking later on when we talk about optimization.
Budget
While content marketing is cheaper than ATL marketing, it should not be an afterthought. Part of creating content for robust digital ad campaigns is budgeting. You will need to pay for advertising on various online platforms. You may also need to pay for creative resources. With paid ads, always start low then scale upward when you have completed split testing and established ad sets that work. Your staff may be ill-equipped to create certain content or even overstretched. It is important to budget for creatives and influencers who will help you create out-of-the-box content for your campaigns. They help keep things fresh. You can also budget for giveaways and host competitions that create a domino effect of user-generated content (UGC) during your campaign. UGC is organic, has high engagement, and is ideal for repurposing even after the campaign.
Optimization
SEO helps you increase the quality and quantity of traffic to your website. Site optimization for both PC and mobile helps customers have an easy time navigating your website. A content ad campaign may not do much for your brand if the landing pages where you are directing traffic are not relevant. That will only lead to high bounce rates and brand dissociation. One of the most effective optimization methods is running a blog on your site. 82% of marketers attribute significant ROI in inbound marketing efforts to running a blog on a brand's website. We mentioned optimization in the point on keyword research above because the two go hand-in-hand. Posting keyword-rich articles, white papers, and graphics with keyword alt tags will help you rank better on search. While writing blog articles, remember that longer, engaging articles are better than shorter ones. Longer articles will have people spend a bit more time on your website than short articles. Longer time signals to the search engine that your content is highly relevant. Search listening tools like alsoasked.com and Answer The Public will help you figure out what people are searching regarding particular keywords. That should help you pick an angle when blogging or a topic to feature in videos and podcasts. However, all blogging should be done according to white hat standards. Black hat practices like keyword stuffing will lead to high bounce rates and water down your digital ad campaign. Video content on YouTube and audio like podcasts on Spotify also help with SEO. Live streaming is a new trend that also aids with ranking, especially on social media.
Launch Creative Resources
This is where your army of writers, SEO experts, photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, videographers, and even influencers comes in. By now you have established your digital ad campaign goal, budget, message, and the platforms you will use. Now it is time to bring your vision to life. If you do not have the expertise for any kind of content, it is best to outsource. Outsourcing influencers is one way to get the job done. They have the resources, expertise, and creativity to get the job done. You can turn to influencer marketing tools to help you identify an influencer that aligns with your brand to support your ad campaign content creation efforts. Whether you choose to go with display ads, social content, or email marketing for your ad campaign, the content has to be consistent. Your campaign message should sell your brand identity, value proposition, and capitalize on a certain reaction. You should also have a single CTA for all ad content across all platforms to help guide your goal. Note, however, that consistency does not mean repetitive. That is why an arsenal of creatives cannot be underrated. Email marketing is often underrated. It allows for customer segmentation and content personalization. Remember, digital ad campaigns require constant monitoring. That is why split tests are advisable. Monitoring your ad campaign helps you spend more on tried and tested ad sets.
Bottom Line: To create content for digital ad campaigns, you need focus, knowledge and, creativity. Executing all the above factors will help your campaign message and your CTA stand out to the right target audience. Carefully considered digital ad campaigns not only grab audience attention but also help nurture brand loyalty. Note that content creation does not end with a campaign. Consistency is the key to help you supersede your digital ad campaign ROI.
