A lot goes into a successful social media ad, from your targeting criteria and ad goals to your call-to-action and landing page URL.
But one of the most important elements is the meat of the social media ad itself: the copy and visuals that make people want to click.
So, what should you include in your ads to make them a success? Let’s dive in.
Sections
1. Use images that make people stop scrolling
As humans, we’re highly visual creatures. And social media platforms cater to that. When designing your social media ads, develop visuals that pop and arrest attention. Take the Facebook ad below from Fandango.
The bright colors stand out in the news feed, as does the word “friendship” in big, bold, capital letters. People are on Facebook to connect with their friends, so leaning into that sense of friendship in the ad taps into an essential motivation of Facebook users — and then ties it back to the CTA for “Get Tickets.”
Experiment with different image content for your social media ads, including:
- Memes
- Data points
- Original graphics
- Real-life customers
2. Take it up a notch with video ads
The only thing more interesting than an image is a moving image. Enter: video ads.
Half of social media users prefer video over other types of content, and a majority will watch a brand’s entire video from a brand so long as it’s less than 60 seconds.
You can do a traditional, commercial ad spot like this TikTok ad from Walmart. By including a popular celebrity like Fred Armisen, it’s natural for people to stop scrolling and watch:
You can also show your product in action to help your product feel more real and encourage people to imagine using it. Here are two examples from food delivery companies. The CookUnity Instagram ad shows a scrumptious meal being prepared, inviting viewers to envision themselves becoming a pro in the kitchen.
This TikTok ad from Spoonful of Comfort highlights another fun part of the customer experience, by showing different customers opening their box with delight.
3. Feature testimonials from customers and influencers they trust
Testimonials are a powerful way to advertise your brand on social media, whether you’re a B2B or B2C business. By featuring real people who have used your products and services, customers feel more inclined to believe what they’re seeing.
Two out of three people say they’re more likely to make a purchase after watching a testimonial video demonstrating how a business, product, or service helped another person like them. And, nearly eight in ten people who have seen a testimonial video from a brand say it helped convince them to buy.
So, let your customers do the selling, like Bic does in this TikTok ad for one of their razors. The ad features the influencer happily walking along the beach as well as in her bathroom at home, where she walks customers through all the features of the razor.
4. Bring the shop to them with Carousel and Collection ads
Carousel and Collection ads invite customers to window shop from the comfort of their social media feed. Carousel ads typically feature several different images or videos which users can tap through, while Collection ads feature a main cover image accompanied by a few smaller product images.
Both ad types are great options for driving online window shopping and making it easy as pie for users to check out right from a social media platform. On Facebook, Carousel ads drive a 10 times higher click rate than traditional image ads.
Here’s an example from a Carousel ad on Pinterest. Rifle Paper Co smartly taps into what people use Pinterest for — brainstorming and inspiration — by featuring multiple different designs of their wedding invites.
Discover success with social media ads
Are you ready for social media advertising success? Talk to the advertising experts at Your Marketing People. Our team will help you develop, design, and execute an advertising campaign that drives clicks, conversions, and more.
