Are you planning your next advertising campaign but aren't sure what type of creative to use? Digital, audio, and video advertising all have their benefits, but each type may be better suited for some marketing campaigns than others. Thinking carefully about your goals, budget, and target audience can help you determine the best medium and platform for your next campaign. When you design a campaign’s creative based on your advertising goals, you are able to target specific audience needs better. If you don’t utilize this type of thinking during the creative process, you could miss out on truly grabbing the attention of those you’re trying to reach.
Clearly Outline the Goals of Your Campaign
No two campaigns are exactly alike, and considering your end goals plays an important role in selecting the perfect type of creative. Thinking about what you would like your marketing campaign to accomplish can help you decide which types of creative are most likely to achieve your goals. Whether you are promoting a sale, letting your target audience know about a new product or service, or even telling a story, it is likely that certain types of creative fit your campaign better than others.
Images, such as banner ads, Instagram photos, magazines print ads, local visitor guides and other publications are great for quickly informing your audience of a sale or other promotion. Letting your customers know that their favorite cosmetics are 50 percent off this week is an easy message to convey with a single image and limited text. That makes at-a-glance ads good options for campaigns with this type of goal.
If you are creating a campaign that tells a story and increases brand awareness, such as convincing your audience that your clothing will make them more stylish or that your brand of gourmet treats outshines the generic brand, video gives you more space to work with than images. Traditional television commercials, OTT and streaming video are all perfect ways to show your product in action and convey in-depth messaging where text or a simple photo just won’t do.
Audio advertisements such as traditional radio, podcast, or music streaming ads are great ways to provide your target audience with information while engaging in one of their favorite, entertaining activities: listening to music. For example, letting them know about an upcoming in-store or online sale during the local morning radio show is a great way to reach a large audience and help establish an intent to purchase. Or during a listener’s favorite podcast, providing a discount code for a related product. Both provide a synergistic, positive connection between the content being consumed and your brand that can positively affect sales.
Analyze Your Budget
Certain types of ad creative cost more than others, and deciding on a reasonable budget before launching your marketing campaign can help you earn the highest possible return on investment. In order to maximize the profits that you expect your campaign to bring in, consider which types of creative you can afford and whether there are any that don't quite fit into your current advertising budget.
When looking at what type of creative works best with your budget, it’s important to first determine the advantages and average cost associated with each platform. Video commercials vary greatly in production and deployment costs compared to social media and static banner ads, with varying degrees of costs within each category. For example, a 30 second television commercial requires a higher level of production than a typical streaming ad, static banner ad or social media video or graphic. This combined with a higher cost for television airtime makes the TV commercial option, though not less effective than other platforms or less necessary in a marketing mix, a more expensive endeavor. Further affecting costs across all platforms are the length of the advertisement, and when and how often the ad runs. In comparison, social media ads and banner ads tend to have a lower average cost associated with them.
Be sure to consider the estimated cost of production and deployment of each ad, and the length of time that you would like your campaign to run in order to most accurately determine how each type of creative best fits into your budget.
Consider What Your Target Audience Wants
Thinking about your target audience is the first step in any successful marketing campaign. Consider the primary demographic group that you are marketing your product to, the types of media that group is most interested in consuming, and which types of ad creative most closely aligns with their overall habits and interests.
When you create ads with your potential customers in mind, you are able to produce them based on what appeals to their needs the most. Some target demographics respond better to a more visual commercial featuring people using the products or services being featured in the ad. Whereas others might respond better to an ad placed on social media that visually outlines the key information. It’s important to know your target audience so that you can choose the right type of creative that is essential to maximizing the number of people that you want to see your ads.
Considering the specific goals of your marketing campaign, the typical preferences of your target audience and your allocated advertising dollars can help you choose the type of creative that is the best match for your campaign. It can also be helpful to work with a local media partner that can provide more detailed information about the typical costs of advertising in your area and be available to answer any questions you have throughout the campaign. Every type of creative has benefits, but certain mediums are likely to fit the goals of your campaign better than others.
