The ongoing growth of digital space has changed the way the audience interacts with brands. With the evolution of consumer behavior, huge pressure is being put on marketers. Companies across the globe allocate millions and even billions of dollars to marketing efforts. Digital advertising campaigns have a strong track record of transmitting targeted messaging to an engaged clientele. According to our research, digital ad campaigns account for over 60% on-target rates for reaching the target audience.
A perfect digital ad campaign has a number of moving parts that work together seamlessly in pursuit of business growth. On the basis of the business scale, a digital marketing strategy can combine a variety of digital strategies, and each of them might have a different goal. Apart from attracting an audience a digital ad campaign which is fresh, creative, and forward-thinking can educate, entertain, and inspire people. Growing numbers of digital channels underline the importance of innovative approaches and out-of-the-box thinking that can create powerful campaigns.
But what do we mean by 'powerful campaigns'? Our proven expertise shows that the most successful digital ad campaigns appeal to diversity, it is a truly hot button these days. The concept goes far beyond background diversity: it also pertains to diversity in thought. Society came to realize that all people are different, so they are treated in different ways. And this idea appears to be a perfect springboard for creativity when different people are put together in bringing up subjects that matter. A killer digital ad campaign creates a connection and debunks what we consider makes us different.
Tips for a successful digital advertising campaign
Since digital advertising is a powerful weapon used for increased visibility through a wide audience, it requires much skill and deep knowledge of major postulates. We have assembled a set of tips on how to nail a digital advertising campaign like a pro in order to achieve the desired outcomes. So, here we go.
- Be creative. The abundance of varied digital content is something that the audience has really become used to. Visual elements used in a marketing campaign is the perfect tool for transmitting a compressed version of extensive information. Catching the eyes of the audience and maintaining their attention demand the incorporation of unique and creative visuals. Consistency is crucial: it is vitally important to refresh creatives constantly and check their relevance. Different variations should be tested, however, visuals must be committed to consistent aesthetics in order to look familiar to the customers. Remember that the ads tell a cohesive story.
- Choose your own path. There is no single approach to be applied by everybody. As long as each platform provides a particular value, it is essential to analyze the outlets which require more time and money investments than others. This aspect is specific for each brand and so are the advertising efforts, creating the basis of the decision-making process in digital ad campaigns. Walking in the right direction means targeting people who are genuinely interested in a company's product or service.
- Research, research, research. Relevance is the golden rule of a successful digital advertising campaign, and it implies leveraging the data on the target audience. The clear idea of what will work best stems from the data on previous experience with your ads, behavior, habits, trends — that helps you to predict and plan. All the actions being taken have to be supported by a set of figures. Knowing the face of the target audience helps to capture the target audience's attention and give it the desired content.
- Build a robust structure. When research is done and all the vital data is accumulated it is time for the structure to be developed. A well-structured digital ad campaign gives a chance to minimize mistakes via eliminating last-minute work. At the same time, clear-cut units of the advertising can maximize the outcomes. An ad campaign can be organized on the basis of the target market, goal, or product. In any case, each campaign must have a clear heading and a number of subheadings. You are free to experiment with different structures before finding a perfect fit.
- Budget allocation. You might have come across the following phrase: "half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, the problem is I don’t know which half” – John Wanamaker. Well, top marketers cannot afford such a luxury. Small businesses, for instance, tend to spend 7-12% on marketing. The amount of the budget intended for ad campaigns has to be defined in accordance with the business nature as well as the buying process. Moreover, the funds' allocation depends on the specific strategies and business lifecycle.
- Test. You will hardly find a business that managed to define the perfect approach from the very first time, and if someone tells you they did — do not believe them. In the world of marketing testing is a prerequisite, and finding the right channel is a matter of trial and error. A perfect digital ad campaign is like a puzzle where different parts come together to create one picture: it conveys business goals on one side and corresponds to the audience's needs on the other. Test, analyze, and synthesize the best solution.
OK, now let's proceed from theory to practice. There are a number of brands who managed to create compelling digital advertising campaigns that have resulted in increased attention, engagement, added value, brand awareness, and love of the audience. We shall have a look at companies working in different industries and figure out what their campaigns have in common.
American Express
Creation of community has become one of the most sought destinations, however, there are few who really created a community of value. American Express is one of them: the company has been investing in word of mouth via leveraging industry expertise on the Open Forum site. Authors share their vast experience, business knowledge, and wisdom, which results in rich and valuable content. The community is created by many people: find industry leaders and ask them to make a contribution. This will ultimately build an audience and drive traffic.
AirBnb
Travelling and accommodation have really changed and we have to thank Airbnb for that. The marketing strategy of the brand is meant to get together hosts and travelers, and its digital marketing is to a great extent reliant on user-generated content (photographs and videos), how-to videos for hosts, and city guides. This very case teaches us to create value around the product, bringing up interesting subjects. Create content that evokes interest, and money will follow.
Google Android
This video was used in Android's "Friends Furever" campaign: it is simple, super-cute and it became the most shared video of 2015 — 6.4 million shares. The footage presents a series of short clips with animals doing funny stuff and playing around. What is so special about this campaign? Sometimes you do not need to spend millions to create valuable content: even the simplest video ever with engaging subject matter can generate hype and become popular with an audience. It is an appeal to people's emotions that will never lose the game.
GoPro
GoPro is another brand that stands on user-generated content, however, this case presents an exception: a pretty touching one, where a fireman saves a kitten. Speaking of brand positioning, GoPro defines itself as extreme and adventurous, thus, digital ad campaigns have to correspond. This video was used in order to reach a wider audience and appeal to other people outside the extreme sports lover community. This footage works on so many levels: it is poignant and inspiring, it is all about everyday heroism, vulnerability. Lesson: do not be afraid to push boundaries and search for ways to express the brand's image and grow the audience.
Code.org
The video starts with a quote of Steve Jobs, the one who inspired millions of people and will remain one of the most meaningful visionaries in world history. Code.org is an organization that provides computer science education in schools across the USA. The personalities in the video — some of them are quite familiar — tell their own story. It is all about influencer marketing: these people are in charge of the world's largest software businesses, and they all talk about their first humble steps. In other words, it is important to be on the same level as the audience you are appealing to. The audience is looking at the business through the prism of the industry, and leveling with it helps decrease barriers.
All of these cases display the importance of “the human touch”. Of course, knowing laws of the digital ad campaign is the spine of the process, and there is a certain framework we discussed in these tips. A perfect digital ad campaign is a mixture of science and art: the creative constituent must be based on analytical data and research.
