Have you ever scrolled through your Instagram feed and found a paid advertisement that felt like it was speaking directly to you? Maybe it talked about a problem you’ve been experiencing or highlighted a product category you’ve been shopping for. When it comes to paid advertising, the best performing ads feature creative that speaks the language of the audiences they’re targeting. Both the ad copy and imagery or video content should be relevant to the specific users the ad will be served to. This alignment builds trust among users and encourages them to take action.
Looking for ways to align your ad creative with your paid social media audiences? Read on for five tricks to try!
1. Match Your Message to the Audience
Before targeting capabilities existed, marketers were forced to create messages that resonated with a wide audience to catch the attention of a few relevant people. However, with today’s targeting technology, you can send specific messages to different people within your target audience with today’s targeting technology. The key is to ensure your messaging is relevant to the users who will see the ad. For example, if a clothing brand that offers both men’s and women’s styles is targeting their female audience, the ad copy should focus on products from the women’s section.
Targeting gives marketers the ability to choose exactly who their campaigns reach. This allows them to tailor their messages to meet those people’s wants and needs at different points along the customer journey. Although it does take extra effort to tailor ads to specific audiences, the payoff generally includes an increased click-through rate (CTR) and better conversion rates.
2. Offer a Deal
No matter who you’re serving ads to, it’s important to include clear calls to action (CTAs) that tell the user what to do next. Many advertisements use “shop now” or “learn more” as the requested action. However, if you want to go a bit further (and gather more information from your customer base), it’s helpful to offer a deal along with it. You can even include a deadline for added urgency to encourage people to take action right away.
Product discounts and free downloads (including eBooks, whitepapers, and other content) are some examples of deals that will entice your audience. Just be sure to consider the specific users you’re targeting when strategizing what offerings you’ll include with your ads. For example, business-to-business (B2B) audiences will likely appreciate educational materials, while individual consumers might prefer sales and coupon codes.
3. Build Trust and Credibility
When you choose the right tone, wording, and imagery for each target audience, you’ll boost your brand’s credibility and trustworthiness. You’ll be fighting an uphill battle to make paid social work in your favor. No one wants to see ads that clearly aren’t meant for them, and not taking the time to ensure your messaging is relevant and valuable to your target audience will likely push them away.
4. Send the Right Message to Retargeting Audiences
Retargeting audiences have already interacted with your brand in some way, whether through your social media profiles, by visiting your website, or by adding a product to their carts (regardless of whether they purchased it). Of course, the goal with retargeting ads is to re-engage these users and encourage them to convert. Your messaging is crucial in achieving this objective.
When writing ad copy for retargeting audiences, consider the specific users you’re targeting and their past behaviors. Then, write ad copy that speaks directly to them. For example, users that added something to their cart but didn’t check out should be encouraged to “come back and take another look” or “complete their purchase” before the item sells out. This messaging can be accompanied by a promo, such as a discount, to further encourage a conversion.
5. Share Quality Content
Putting out content just for the sake of it is never recommended. Poor-quality ads don’t give your readers enough (or any) information to make it worth their time to read them in the first place. Your ad creative and copy should answer your readers’ questions, solve their problems, or provide an enticing offer depending on the marketing funnel stage you’re targeting. This will ultimately help you earn that coveted trust we talked about earlier. Plus, when your social media ads are valuable, users will be more likely to share, further expanding your reach and growing your audience.
Bonus: Work with an Expert Digital Marketing Team
Of course, one of the best ways to improve your creative alignment on paid social media is to partner with a team of paid social experts. If you’re looking to reach the right people with the right messages, Zero Gravity Marketing is here to help. Reach out to us today to learn more about our paid social media advertising services!
