Skip to main content
Established 2009

The Secret To Advertising Creative That Works

Should you outsource your social media marketing?

When it comes to business, especially in a wildly competitive industry, trying to get the attention of would-be customers can be especially difficult. Having some incredibly adept, well-defined advertising creative in place is about as good a chance as an operation can have to standing a chance at surviving from day to day. That may sound a bit cutthroat, but in the world of business, being able to keep the lights on, pay bills, and make payroll can feel a lot like walking the plank.

Ad creative work can come across as complex, and truth be told, it certainly has its moments. However, if looked at from a bit of a distance, one thing comes into focus — the customer. In the end, it’s always about reaching the right audience at the right time. That said, not all advertising creative work just works out by happenstance. Sure, timing and luck are great, but there is A TON of work that goes into making all ad campaigns work in one’s favor.

Consider the following:

Simplicity — The idea of simplicity is tricky in that the ad itself is trying to only do so much without getting cluttered. However, the ‘trick’ is that it still has to find a way through the noise of all other media and content. More often than not, the simplicity can win out in both instances, depending on your industry and the environment of the rest of your competing media.

Ad Format — Always work WITH the ad format in front of you. First, determine what formats are best to use based on your audience. Then, work your ad work around that format. It can be tempting to “cut and paste” a previously crafted campaign because you don’t want to have to start again. Unfortunately, this usually only leads to your “new” ad being choppy and feeling as though something is missing.

Go To The User — In the same way you were working with the ad format, it is important to work with the types of devices your prospective audience will be using. This will likely be either a desktop computer, a mobile device, or both. You want to be sure your ad campaign has compatibility with as many user devices as possible.

You may be asking yourself, ‘Where’s the ‘secret’ part in all of this?’ In reality, the ‘secret’ of having advertising creative that works well is in the work that gets put into it by the business itself. There is an unfortunate mindset regarding advertising in the 21st century that is akin to the old as-see-on-TV adage: “Set it and forget!” With so many tools available to even the most inexperienced business owner, putting together a basic ad campaign takes nothing more than a few clicks and the ability to follow a simple tutorial. Sure, it’ll get you started, but then what?

In order for any advertising creative work to do its job, there has to be a continual series of setting goals, assessing progress, tweaking, and assessing some more. Some campaigns may have to be scraped completely ad others may become blueprints for future successes. However, the only way you’ll know whether the campaigns are doing their job is whether you’ve set up goals (both short and long-term) with which to compare them.

Finally, advertising creative requires a lot of leaps of faith by business owners who understandably are a little shaken by current economic conditions and the rockiness of the last few years. This is where working with an advertising firm that specializes in ad creative awesomeness can come in handy…like MindEcology. We’re an Austin advertising agency that knows a thing or two about what it takes to get a audience’s attention. We understand technology, are all about embracing new ideas, and we take risks but not without working with our clients AND studying the data behind it all.

Come see what we’re all about today!