How To Make Social Ads That Convert

If your ads aren't converting, chances are your ad creative and copy is to blame.  If you want someone to buy your product, you need to get them to stop scrolling first. 

Ad creative has two goals: 

1. Make a person stop and pay attention
2. Get them to click with an open-to-buy attitude. 
   

The Framework for Ads That Convert

One of the best frameworks to create better ads is also one of the oldest— the AIDA framework.

• A stands for Attention 
• I stands for Interest
• D stands for Desire 
• A stands for Action
  

Let’s break down how you can use this framework  to create better ads. 

Attention 

• Grab your audience's attention with bold colors that draw the eye. You’ll want your ad to be engaging, while still feeling like it belongs on the platform. 
• Use a high-quality photo for your image ad or thumbnail for a video ad that depicts your product in action.
• Use a headline that clearly tells the audience what benefits your product can bring to their life
• The first 3 seconds of your video need to have a strong hook.

Tactics For A Strong Hook

• Starting with a claim that teases the undeniable value of your products
• Starting in the middle of the action. This inspires curiosity as the audience will have a gap in their knowledge and want to know what happens next. 
• Starting with a statement that makes your viewer feel like you read their mind and understand their problems. 
• Starting with novel images or characters that catch the audience by surprise
  

Interest: 

• You’ll want to make a pain point your audience is experiencing seem even more painful. Set the stakes. What bad thing happens if this problem isn’t solved? 
• You should focus on benefits, not features. People don’t really care about your product. What they care about is how it makes their lives better. 
• You should show people how your product works.

Desire: 

• Create an emotional connection with your brand by showing your target audience that your brand’s personality and purpose align with their values. 
• Rather than simply showing your product alone, show real people using your product so that potential customers can imagine themselves in their place.
• Use social proof showing how other people are improving their lives using your product. People don’t like to feel like they are being left behind. Envy is a powerful motivator of human behavior.
• Use limited-time discounts, limited-stock or limited product runs to create a feeling of urgency. The fear of missing out is a great way to increase desire. 
• Use risk reversal so people understand that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying your product. 
  

Action

•  Offer a clear call to action. This should be easily visible in the creative. 
•  Make it straightforward and make it seem easy
• Rather than simply writing “buy now” or “sign up today”, make the CTA feel more personal by tying it to the key benefit your product provides.
  

The Most Effective Types of Ads

Product Demonstrations 

Product demonstrations are simple and they work. They help people understand how your product works and what problems it solves. They also help people visualize how your product would fit into their life. ‍

Testimonial Ads

Testimonials are a great way to build trust with potential customers. People trust previous customers much more than they do brands. 

Novelty Ads

Brands like Dr. Squatch and Purple Mattress have proved how effective using novelty and humor can be at driving sales. If it’s right for your product, these types of ads can create a viral loop that can make your ad spend go much further. These types of ads are particularly easy for a potential customer to recall. 

Ad Sequencing

When creating ads, it’s important not to think of them in a silo, but rather in a sequence. By building out an ad sequence from the very beginning you maximize the effectiveness of your ads because you can tailor them to a person’s stage in the customer journey. 

You should be creating ad sequences that hit each one of these funnel stages: 

Awareness 

In this stage, your ad should help people recognize that they have a problem that is worth solving. These ads introduce customers to your product as a solution. 

Consideration 

In this stage, your ad should help people overcome objections to buying your product. These ads should build trust and help people form an emotional connection with your brand.

Conversion 

In this final stage, your ads should be primarily reminder-based. The earlier ads in your sequence have helped you build the credit you need to earn a sale. These ads can use promotions or discounts as persuasion tools to prompt an immediate purchase. 

A/B Testing Ads

The real conversion magic comes from iterating on your ads. This is done by identifying variables that could be changed and testing them against each other. A/B testing removes the subjectivity from ad iteration. When running an A/B test it is important to only test one variable at a time so you can correctly identify which elements are working.

Some variables that you should be testing include: 

1. Images
2. Video Hooks
3. Headlines
4. CTAs
5. Layouts
6. Targeting a new audience
7. Offers and Promotions
8. Ad Copy