3 Best Practices For Your Display Ad Creative

Picture this: A potential customer is browsing the Internet when your display ad catches their eye. Later, when they’re researching for their purchase, they search for your business and get your website. Soon enough, you’ve got a new customer. That’s the power of a well-crafted display ad.

For many small business owners, the journey from campaign idea to display ad creation and ultimately conversion can feel elusive. But, with the right strategies and an understanding of best practices, your display ads can be transformed into tools that drive conversions.

Creating a compelling display ad is about more than just capturing a user’s attention with flashing lights, pop-ups, and bright colors. Rather, effective ads involve a strategic approach to design, content, and execution.

Let’s dive into what you need to know to select the right visual elements, craft a compelling call-to-action (CTA), and stand out in the crowded digital landscape.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

When it comes to the design of display ads, simplicity should always be at the forefront. It’s important to remember that display ads aren’t ads in newspapers or magazines, they’re like tiny little billboards.

“I think a lot of people are deterred by the word simple because they tend to feel like they aren't ‘getting their money's worth’ by having a simple static ad. Simple doesn't have to mean boring,” says Jennifer Blocker, a creative designer at Federated Digital Solutions. “In the long run, a simple static ad with impactful imagery, an exclusive offer, and/or a sales statement will drive more conversions than an ad that tries to cover everything the business stands for and offers.”

While there’s no definitive number, a display ad only has a few seconds to capture the attention of a user. Keeping the message and visuals simple is the best way to do that!

When creating the messaging for your ad, simplicity comes down to focusing on a single message for the ad. Is the ad about branding and getting your business more well-known? Is it about a monthly special or deal that your business is promoting? Or is there a new service you offer? Think about the overall goal and the most important use the ad is supposed to serve.

The design elements of your ad should reinforce the single message you’re presenting. Keep your text brief, highlight only the key information, prioritize the most important elements, and avoid overly complex graphics.

“The most effective ads that I see or make are clean and simple, with clear messaging that gives just enough information to grab my interest and make me want to know more,” Blocker says. “For me, the most appealing ads are colorful, static ads, with smart, witty messaging, or the ad is promoting a product or service I'm interested in learning more about.”

FOCUS ON YOUR BRAND

Strong branding is crucial in ensuring that the messaging in your display ads resonates with your audience and fosters recognition and trust.

First and foremost, if you don’t have a brand guide for your company, it’s critical to have one. Your guide and website should match one another and reflect your branding and identity to build a recognizable base.

Having a brand guide is only part of the story. It’s important to remember to adhere to it. Brand guides are a set of rules and guidelines for a business and its advertising partners to follow. Detailed brand guides provide rules on things including logo usage, colors, fonts, patterns, types of imagery, and even the voice the brand should use.

Emphasizing strong branding in your display ads helps increase their effectiveness and builds a robust, recognizable presence in the minds of your consumers.

“When focusing on branding in ads I recommend brand colors, brand personality — anything from the way the copy is worded to the style of visuals used — and a focus on why their customers choose them or what they offer that others don't,” Blocker says.

“For instance, if the client is an auto body repair shop and they work with insurance so the customer doesn't have to, then make that the focus. Or if a boutique shop offers only local artisans, that's the draw.”

KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND

Crafting your ads with your audience in mind ensures that your message is relevant to them. At the end of the day, they’re the people that your ads are for!

Trying to cover too many things in your ad can confuse the viewer and dilute your call-to-action. Ad space is valuable, so listing things like business hours, telephone numbers, and addresses — things that can be found with a quick Google search — can end up wasting your ad dollars and reducing interest from the audience.

While getting the messaging targeted to the right audience is important, you also need to think about the consumer journey and the way your audience will interact with your content. Display ads don’t live in a vacuum like the old days of the Internet. Today, ads can follow consumers around the web and across devices, so trying to cram the kitchen sink into a display ad simply doesn’t make sense.

Make things as easy as possible for your audience. If your business is advertising a deal, that ad should click through to information regarding that deal. If the ad is to schedule a service, take the viewer to a form for scheduling. If it's for branding, then take them straight to your home page.

“The amount of information most humans consume daily is incredible. That's why we encourage people to keep messaging simple,” Blocker says. “The less that people have to try to sift through to see if this ad or information pertains to them, the more user-friendly and happy the consumer will be. In digital display, less is actually more.”

Are you ready to make more compelling display ads for your business? The team at Federated Digital Solutions is ready to help! Contact us today to learn more.