It is getting increasingly expensive to advertise online in India, across sectors, including ecommerce, healthcare, education and entertainment. Prices have gone up for PPC and PPM across Google, Facebook and channels such as retargeting. It has become imperative now to optimise the ads to increase effectiveness and make the most of our marketing budget. How do we do that? Simple. Images decide over 80% of the ads effectiveness. Below are 6 of the best ways to improve the effectiveness of your online ads through images:
1. Keep the image simple and clean: Focus on one aspect in the image, which is obvious even when the image size is very small. Acknowledge that the customer is not on a particular page to view your advertisement. Your image needs to be clear to stand out and attract a click.
2. Communicate the USP of your brand: Pick your image based on the USP of your business. Are you showcasing the most desired brands or are you showcasing your unique products or services? Ensure that the image you pick showcases this USP. If you retail a brand people love, ensure that it's prominently called out in the Image. If it's unique products that you represent, ensure that the image clearly establishes that in the users mind.
3. Show images with a model: Your product may be great, but for the customer, she is looking at how it fits into her life. Bring it alive for her by showcasing your product on or with a model wherever possible. Images with models have a significantly higher click through rate.
4. Call out a sale or deal: We Indians love to bargain and in the online world, that's substituted with a deal. Highlight the best deal you are running, with a % off sign.
5. Stand apart from the interface: Any communication needs to breakthrough through the clutter. Ensure that your image and copy stand out from the rest of the ads and the environment where it's being showed. For example, if you are advertising on Facebook, ensure that the image does not have a white background as it will blend into the Facebook interface.
6. Test, Test, Test: Finally, there is no easy answer to optimising your advertisement. Test different type of images and copies on different target segments and track which ones give you the highest conversion rates for clicks and transactions.
Shivam patidar2015-02-26 < Reply
I would like to add one more jewel to this necklace like blog by mentioning few more points about advertising image selection on platform like facebook. I think advertising image should be of High Definition(hd) quality,image used should be according to occasion or event-based, image used should be according to your target audience of your brand . And image used should be according to behavioural habits of your target audience like more emotional audience or more informal audience. Example for above examplanation :- like Mercedes Benz wants to advertise its new luxury car in India so it should use hd image portraying a handsome young ,formally dressed,profession looking guy wearing white expensive watch who is posing in front of after arriving in an event with camera flashes on him.
Social Beat2015-02-26 < Reply
Thanks for your inputs Shivam. Having an emotional connect with the users via the images can indeed make it powerful.
socialbeat2013-06-14 < Reply
We do agree jayesh, the conversions are lower in display ads but the retargeting has been amazing at reviving it. You should try out google retargeting or adroll
Jayesh2013-05-30 < Reply
Thanks for the inputs on designing ads but I think search ads are taking over display and banner ads. Display ads hardly get any conversions anymore inspite of so many retargetting platforms
Kiran2013-05-29 < Reply
Great blog, Social Beat. I just stared blogging, hoping to be as good as you one day!
Deepak2013-05-27 < Reply
Amazing blog. Wonderful read on designing digital advertisements
Ashok2013-05-26 < Reply
Fantastic blog Social Beat! Your understanding of digital advertising and digital marketing seems fantastic. Keep it up.
Gaurav2013-05-26 < Reply
Thanks for the info on online ads. We have been using google display ads and we shall try out these techniques. Thanks
Eileen2013-05-16 < Reply
Great content Social Beat. It's genuinely a good for me to pay a visit here, it consists of valuable Information.
Yanni2013-05-14 < Reply
Greetings! This is my first visit to the social beat blog! We are a team of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on.
Tilly2013-05-12 < Reply
Hey there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing many months of hard work due to no backup.
Dunham2013-05-12 < Reply
Wow, marvelous blog layout team social beat! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is excellent, let alone the content!
Christi2013-05-12 < Reply
There's definately a lot to know about this subject. I really like all the points you have made about the online display ads.