Out of 4 billion users, 3.5 billion users are using social media today. Imagine how many people would see your brand if promoted on these platforms.
Keep reading and by the end of this blog, you will know all the elements required to create your own social media ads.
Content
Topic 1:
About All Platforms
Marketing if done right can bring billions to a brand. But behind that marketing, visual engagement plays an important role.
Social media promotions has taken a different toll altogether. But if you are targeting your interested audience, so does your competitors.
To beat all and be on top, you need to keep a few factors in mind while creating your social media ads.
Since among social media platforms, Facebook & Instagram are on top (Well Youtube ads are video ads. That will take different blog entirely.)
So let’s focus on the Facebook ads and Instagram ads.
Facebook Ads Types
Domain Ads
That links to your website
Multi Product Ads
Shows different products on each slide
Offer Ads
Gives out a compelling offer that the customer can not miss out.
Video Ads
To keep users on the platform, there are facebook video ads that helps users play the video and still be on facebook.
Lead Ads
If you want to use these ads for lead generation, there is a separate category in facebook ads to build a lead gen ad campaign and track your conversions.
Branded Content (Sponsored Mentions)
Brands collaborate with each other to target both of their audiences and increase their customer database.
But let’s not get technical.
As per facebook business, it is noticed that an image with less than 20% text works great than the images with too much content written on it.
Facebook ads provide the description box separately to write about your featuring product/service.
Now most people would judge your only by the image in the first appearance.
Adding text in your image is necessary as it gives away the first impression. Facebook has a great tool which can tell if your image contains too much text.
However, there are a few exceptions like Book covers or product photos or even the event’s sponsored ads.
So use it for your advantage. But keep the ads text to the minimal.
Instagram Ads Types
Per HootSuite, 75% of the people take action on instagram ads. Well why not?
Instagram is all about the images. And videos as well.
Leverage this opportunity to create something attractive.
Instagram is commonly a youngsters platform. And they do make purchases quite often.
Minimalistic social media graphic design tends to work in the ads as well.
- Show your product
- Less chaos around it
- Connect with the audience
That’s all you need.
For example, showcase your meal that drives hunger. Rather than asking the audience to “Order”, make them place an order.
2 Top Ad Types Other Than Video Ads
Quick Read:
What to avoid while creating a logo [10min]
Creative market explain what to keep in mind while creating a logo. [10 min]
Topic 2:
Which Social Media is right for you?
If you sell e-books, do you think the video ads is the best option for you?
I guess not.
Picking the right ad type depends on the goal of your brand. Majorly the top goals for any brand are:
- Brand Awareness
- Engagement
- Conversion
- Website Traffic
Let’s take a look at them.
Brand awareness targets a large audience. The objective here is to let people know that you are here and you offer great services.
Instead of diving directly into asking people to sign up, create an engaging content that draws their attention and hold on to them.
Sure a little less intense images could have been used in the above campaign but the idea is wonderful.
Instead of asking people to save animals, they used the “the last selfie” concept to make public aware about the issue.
If you goal is Engagement then it requires downloads or sign ups. But the trick is the same here as well.
Do not ask for it. Show them their benefit of using your product and make them download it.
The best ad type here can be the video ads in case of Game apps. Or if you offer a discount on their first purchase, use the image ads.
Conversion helps you make profit. People see your ad, they click on it and purchase an item from you.
When it comes to conversion, you need to add a feature in your social media ads for audience’s comfort and easy navigation.
Like a call to action button which leads directly to the page where they can make a purchase.
Image ads or Carousel ads are best suited for conversions.
For Instagram, the stories ads works like a charm. Most of the time, people tend to view a story and buy the product instantly.
Generating traffic on your website is similar to the conversion practice. You need to provide a path to the audience to reach you.
All types of ads are applicable to generate traffic on your website. However, image ads and stories ads are on top of the list.
Knowing your audience and their likes-dislikes can make a difference in your social media ads performance.
Now that you know the types of ads and your goals, let’s get into creating some designs of our own.
Quick Read:
99designs showcase the what and why of responsive logo [10 min]
Topic 3:
How to make Social Media content
Four things to keep in mind:
- Brand Identity. Your ads speak for your brand.
- Colors and Typography should be as per your brand guidelines
- Less Text More Graphic
- Minimalism and Simplicity at its best
First things first, the dimensions are as shown below for each ad type.
| Ad Type | Dimension |
|---|---|
Facebook Image Ads | 1200 X 900 |
Facebook Carousel Ads | 600 x 600 |
Instagram Image Ads | 1200 x 628 |
Instagram Engagement, Driving Traffic Ads | 1080 x 1080 |
Instagram Conversion Ads | 1936 x 1936 |
Open your designing software and start creating the template.
Four things to keep in mind:
- Brand Identity. Your ads speak for your brand.
- Colors and Typography should be as per your brand guidelines
- Less Text More Graphic
- Minimalism and Simplicity at its best
Let’s take an example.
You have a sale coming up. And you are selling a variety of products.
How would you show them all in a single image?
We will not. The thumb rule is to keep one graphic/product on one image. The reason is to let your audience focus on their benefit.
Having too many graphics in a single image confuses the mind and thus people end up ignoring your future ads.
If you are supposed to show just one product, display your best highly profitable product on the image ad.
It helps in creating brand awareness while having conversions that are most profitable for your brand.
Go bold. Your image may not be related to your concept as all but if it can engage people, that’s a strategy.
Few content examples to add in your images:
- For a travel discount: “Discover Paris With Us.
$5000$3500”. Match this with a great background view of Paris. - For Apparels: “Right boots for your perfect dress”. Instead of showing a model wearing dress, showcase your idea of pairing different items to make a complete attire.
- How about a bold color with a cute dog for your sale?
Try and test what works best for your brand but find your brand style and stick to it.
Never forget to use a high resolution image. Nobody wants to see a blur sale where they can’t even put their finger on the product properly.
Topic 4:
Great Examples
Conclusion
I thank you all for reading all the information.
Social media is going to stick around for long and it would be foolish not to take it’s advantage for your benefit.
You already know how to create designs. The major factor is to know your audience.
Target the right audience with the right design and your sales will go up and beyond your expectations.
Summarizing what we learnt above:
- Know your goal. It can be selling your product or just getting the downloads or sign ups. But the goal should be clear to create a social media ad design that works in your favor.
- Know your audience. Social media is all about them. They make you famous there. Know your audience and work around your design to engage them with your ad.
- Select your ad type. Will it be an image ad? Or a video ad? Or a story ad? This would be clear once your goal is set.
- Create your template. Create your brand statement. Keep consistency in your ad designs so people recognize you for longer time period.
Did I miss out on anything? Let me know if the information was too much or too less.
Practice Example: Create a social media ad for the millenials promoting your music app. The goal is to increase engagement.
Let’s see what you got and show it to the world.