Successful Ad Formats to Make Your Audience Captivated

In 2007, an average person used to see 5,000 ads daily, i.e., 3–4 ads every minute. According to some estimates, these numbers have doubled by 2024. While there are humbler estimates, ranging from 50 to 400 per day, the industry is oversaturated nonetheless.  

Advertisers are forced to be innovative to stand out and drive conversions; blindly increasing adspend on traditional mediums without strategy simply does not cut it any longer. 

That’s why we will go through some best-performing ad formats across various traffic sources, including TikTok, Facebook, and push notifications so that you can stand out among the crowd. On top of source-specific tips & hints, we’ll give you some cross-platform strategies to ease your optimization efforts. 

TikTok Video Creatives 

TikTok has revolutionized the way brands connect with audiences, particularly through being authentic and relatable. A recent campaign by one of our top Entertainment advertisers exemplifies this approach. By featuring a authentic creator addressing the common challenge of finding tickets to popular artists, the campaign significantly outperformed more polished, traditional creatives. 

The results were impressive: this organic approach captured 46% of the market share in viewership and 47% of clicks for the entire campaign. This success underscores the importance of experimenting with different types of creatives, as the outcome might pleasantly surprise you. 

 

User-generated content (UGC) has gained tremendous popularity on TikTok, offering an authentic way to showcase products or services. UGC creates increased genuinity and relevance, often leading to higher engagement rates. Similarly, partnering with influencers who have large, organic followings can provide brands with a ready-made audience and built-in credibility. 

To Create Effective TikTok Video Ads 

1. Show real people and real experiences: feature actual customers or relatable individuals using the product or service in everyday situations. 
2. Address common challenges: identify pain points your target audience faces and demonstrate how your offering solves them. 
3. Balance polish with authenticity: while production quality is important, don’t sacrifice relatability for perfection. A slightly rough-around-the-edges video can feel more genuine and engaging. 
4. Leverage trending sounds and hashtags: stay current with TikTok trends to increase your content’s discoverability. 

TikTok Creatives Ideas 

1. “Before and after” challenge: create a trend where users show their transformation using your product (e.g., skincare, fitness app, home renovation tool). 
2. Duet with customers: encourage customers to create videos using your product, then duet with their content to show your brand’s engagement. 
3. “Day in the life” of your product: show how your product fits into a user’s daily routine in a fun, fast-paced video. 
4. Branded effect or filter: design a unique AR filter related to your product that users can interact with and share. 
5. Behind-the-scenes content: show the making of your product or a glimpse into your company culture to build authenticity. 

Facebook Ads 

Facebook remains a powerhouse for digital advertising, offering robust targeting options and diverse ad formats. A recent case study involving a top e-commerce enterprise client’s end-of-season sale demonstrates the effectiveness of well-crafted Facebook ads. 

The campaign’s success hinged on several key elements: 

1. Clear and concise Call-to-Action (CTA): the ad efficiently conveyed how to access the deal, focusing on app downloads as the primary goal. 
2. Effective headline creation: the headline “In-App Savings Made Easy” succinctly delivered the core message. It’s crucial to ensure your headline directly correlates with your campaign goals for maximum impact. 
3. Using the “text” field: this space preceding the image offers additional room for information, links, hashtags, emojis, and other customizations to enhance the ad’s appeal. 

Precise audience targeting played a crucial role in the campaign’s success. The advertiser provided detailed audience breakdowns, enabling the creation of a Lookalike Audience. This strategy allowed for targeting users likely to download the app and make purchases. By using Lookalike Audiences, the campaign targeted just 3% of the population instead of 14%, significantly reducing wasted clicks and increasing conversions. 

Best Practices for Facebook Ad Design 

1. Aligning headline with campaign goals: ensure your headline clearly communicates your primary objective. 
2. Customizing ad content for maximum impact: tailor your ad’s text, images, and CTAs to resonate with your target audience. 
3. Using high-quality visuals: incorporate eye-catching images or videos that go hand-in-hand with your brand and message. 
4. Leveraging Facebook’s ad targeting options: use demographic, interest-based, and behavioral targeting to reach your ideal audience. 
5. Monitoring and adjusting: regularly review your ad performance and make data-driven adjustments to improve results. 

Facebook Ad Creatives 

1. Carousel ad for product range: showcase different products or features in each card, with a cohesive theme linking them. 
2. Video testimonial series: create short video testimonials from satisfied customers, each highlighting a different benefit of your product or service. 
3. Interactive poll ad: use Facebook’s poll feature to engage users and gather insights while promoting your brand. 
4. 360-degree product view: For physical products, use Facebook’s 360-degree photo feature to give users a complete view of your item. 

Push Ads 

Push ads offer a unique way to reach audiences, appearing as notifications on users’ devices while they browse. Our experience suggests that leveraging high-performing landing pages from other traffic sources, rather than creating new ones for push campaigns, has proven highly effective. This approach allows you to capitalize on proven content while tailoring it to the push ad format. 

There are two main types of push ads to consider: 

1. Classic push notifications: these appear on users’ devices even when they’re not actively browsing. 
2. In-page push creatives: these pop up while users are browsing specific websites. 

Our campaigns have revealed several key elements and optimization strategies that contribute to effective push ad campaigns: 

1. Clear and personalized messaging: tailor your message to the user’s interests or location. For example, we have found that a message like “New York Deals just for you!” created a sense of exclusivity and relevance, leading to higher engagement rates.
   
   
2. Urgency-inducing icons: pairing your message with icons that encourage immediate action, such as a notification symbol, can significantly boost click-through rates. In one of our campaigns, minor tweaks to ad text and icons led to the most success. 
3. Compelling visuals and concise copy: use eye-catching images that complement your message and keep your text short and to the point, as space is limited in push notifications. 
4. Multiple creatives within the same campaign: we recommend testing 8–10 push ad notification creatives per campaign. This approach allows you to test different variations and identify top performers. 
5. Performance-based bid adjustments: we’ve found success in allocating more budget to creatives that show the best results, optimizing campaign performance in real time. 
6. Continuous refinement: regularly analyzing performance data and making iterative improvements to your ads is crucial for long-term success. This ongoing optimization process helps maintain and improve campaign effectiveness over time. 

Cross-Platform Strategies and Best Practices 

While each platform has its unique characteristics, there are overarching strategies that can enhance your overall digital advertising efforts. By implementing these cross-platform strategies, you can create a more cohesive and effective overall digital advertising approach that maximizes your reach and impact across various channels. 

Adapting Creative Formats
While maintaining your core message, tailor your content to suit each platform’s specific requirements and user expectations. For example, a long-form Facebook video might need to be condensed and made more dynamic for TikTok. 

Maintaining Brand Consistency
Ensure your brand voice and visual identity remain consistent across all platforms while adapting to each platform’s style. This consistency helps build brand recognition and trust. 

Implementing A/B Testing
Regularly test different elements of your ads across platforms to identify what resonates best with your audience. This could include variations in copy, visuals, CTAs, or targeting parameters. Even if your campaign performs well, never stop testing for better results. 

Analyzing Cross-Platform Performance
Use analytics tools to track how your campaigns perform across different platforms. This holistic view can provide insights into where your audience is most engaged and where to allocate your resources for better ROI. 

Staying Updated with Platform Changes
Digital platforms frequently update their features, algorithms, and best practices. Stay informed about these changes to ensure your strategies remain effective. 

Leveraging Retargeting
Use data from one platform to inform your targeting on another. For example, create a Facebook custom audience based on users who engaged with your TikTok content. 

Creating a Cohesive User Journey
Ensure that your ads across different platforms work together to guide users through your marketing funnel, from awareness to conversion. 

Optimizing for Mobile
With the majority of social media and web browsing happening on mobile devices, ensure your ads and landing pages are mobile-friendly across all platforms. 

Cross-Platform Creative Strategies 

1. Hashtag campaign: create a branded hashtag that works across TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, encouraging user-generated content. 
2. Storytelling series: develop a multipart story that unfolds across different platforms, with each part optimized for the specific platform. 
3. Influencer takeover: have an influencer create content for your brand across multiple platforms in their own style, maintaining consistency in the message. 
4. Cross-platform contest: run a contest that requires users to engage with your brand on multiple platforms to increase overall visibility. 
5. Omnichannel product launch: coordinate a product launch with teasers on TikTok, detailed information on Facebook, and push notifications for the actual launch time. 

Conclusion 

Creative ad formats are important for standing out of the crowd. However, pay attention to the platform you’re advertising in. We’ve explained that TikTok users appreciate the ingenuity and authenticity, while Facebook’s audience favors more polished and prolonged content. 

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to draw attention to your campaigns. This is the case with push notifications, which can lead to landing pages, designed for other ad formats — it saves time and works just as fine. 

However, no matter the platform or ad format, keep your brand voice consistent and always do A/B testing to maintain exceptional performance. Feel free to consult us, if you need any assistance with A/B testing or any other strategies mentioned here. We know how to get the most of the users’ attention.