Terra was asked to judge an ad contest. Though she cannot reveal specifics about who won or what the contest was, there are several lessons you can apply to your ads.
First, determine how you can measure your ad’s effectiveness by considering your objectives, the ad’s design, writing, technical elements, and professionalism. Then narrow in closer and look at the details, and you’re sure to create an ad that converts.
Objective
What is the objective of your ad? Who are you trying to reach, and what message do you want to get across to them? Decide this first, and your ad is well on its way to being effective. At every stage, ask yourself, “will this ad help me reach my objective?”
Design and Graphics
In judging the contest, Terra initially put all the ads in front of her at once. Even from thumbnail size images, the graphics should be appealing. The two that stood out from this experiment ended in respectable third and fourth places overall.
Does your design fit the overall image of your brand? Is it creative? Is it original? Will it stand out in the publication it’s being placed in? If your ad blends into the background in either color or style, it won’t gain a second look.
The winning piece from the ad contest used a visual analogy. The image shorthand for the core message the company was trying to convey. If you use an analogy, euphemism, or metaphor, make sure it’s original and easily understood. Cliche or complicated illustrations won’t win you any business.
Writing
The copy of an ad needs to be concise, readable, and clear. Headlines especially need to be short and impactful. Be a ruthless editor and cut out anything that isn’t necessary. If you have a lot to say to make your point, bullet points are often a better choice than a paragraph. Think about making your text easy on the eyes and guiding them through the ad.
Your writing should appeal to your demographic. For example, will they be interested in numbers and statistics or something more sentimental?
Technical Elements and Professionalism
What is the overall quality of your ad? The professionalism is in the details. Some of the pieces that didn’t work for me were because the talent had the wrong posture (proper body language is crucial!) for the message, the background looked fake, or they chose a background that didn’t fit their demographic.
If you can’t hire an independent professional or an ad agency to create your ads, consider drafting a mockup and paying a pro to take it from good to great. This will require a minimal investment compared to having an agency create multiple mockups and run several ad iterations.