Creative Services Ads Review to Boost ROI

Thanks for sharing @Erica Franck! Will get you feedback by EOD :)

@Erica Franck Thanks so much for sending these ads along! Our team really likes them overall—they’re engaging and clean. Here's some feedback we have to optimize them even further: 

Copy 

• On the first ad, the copy is snappy, but could go further to express the value prop. “We’ve got you covered” is a bit vague—in what way? A tweak I could see helping: Change the messaging to something like, “No matter the mode, we’ve got you covered with exceptional network coverage.” (I’m presuming this messaging can be similar to ad #2, but of course this can be tweaked if these are ads for different products/services.) Target audience should also factor in here—being specific about what you offer will be particularly important if this is targeting a top-of-funnel audience. 
• On the second ad, the checkbox design is compelling, but there’s too much copy to easily take in. We recommend 10 words max for heading copy and 15 words max for heading + subheading copy combined (and 10 words max for all leaderboards).  An easy change would be streamlining the four checkboxes to two checkboxes (for instance, by just including “Exceptional Network Coverage” and “Competitive Rates,” two of the strongest for showing value). This will also allow you to increase the font on the subheading, which would help make this actionable copy stand out more. 
• We often find that it’s better to orient the copy toward what the prospect will get from your product/service — so a second-person v. first-person framing. To this end, something like “Evolve Your Freight Process with Intermodal Transportation” might be stronger than “Leverage Our Scale and Expertise in Intermodal Transportation.” 
• Small typo: It should be “Exceptional,” not “Exeptional.” 

Design 

• We typically find that images of people (ideally staring directly at the camera, with a relaxed and friendly expression) work best—but these shipping container images are really strong. They’re versatile, while also instantly adding context. Of the two, the image in the second ad, with the shipping container swinging overhead, is the most compelling; playing with scale and camera positioning is eye-catching. For this reason, it may be worth pairing this visual with the other ad copy, perhaps in an A/B test (see below). 
• Avoid condensed fonts as much as possible, since they’re a little more difficult for the reader to absorb at a glance. 
• Consider A/B testing a more traditional CTA button. These CTAs, which are bleeding off the page, are fun, but we haven’t seen a lot of success with this approach. They’re worth trying, but would be good to test against a standard button to see what works. 

Campaign set-up 

• Make sure you build the optimal ad sizes for reach and performance. We recommend 300x250, 728x90, 320x50 (if you’re running on mobile), and 300x600. And the 300x600 can typically be removed without impacting reach if you want to streamline further. 
• A/B testing is advised to drive up CTR and find what works. Ideally, this is done by building two distinct ad groups with one isolated creative variable at launch (eg same design, different copy). Then once both ad groups have reached 50K impressions, deactivate the lowest-CTR ad group and iterate on the highest-CTR ad group (eg by taking the winning copy and pairing it with a new visual approach).  If these are ads for the same campaign, you could follow the process above. Since the copy and design are distinct in both, it may be a little harder to ID what’s driving a difference in performance, but you can still take the winning ad and test a new spin on it for an iterative round. 

Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.  

Hey @Adam Freides Here’s some feedback on your ads! Thanks again for sharing. 

• With 300x600 ads (which have a lot of real estate), the most important thing is to make sure the value prop, not the imagery, dominates visually. In both these ads, the imagery takes up more than half the real estate, overwhelming the copy. I’d increase the size of the copy block and reduce the size of the photo block, while also making the copy a bit larger so it stands out more. (You may also consider switching the order of the blocks, so the copy/CTA block sits atop the imagery block and is further emphasized. Perhaps something to consider in an A/B test.) 
• The copy could be tweaked just a bit to make it more actionable and compelling. On the first ad, I’d swap the order of how you say things and be a little more specific about the tool you speak of; the messaging is a big vague as is. For instance: “Build an Unbreakable Safety Culture With [enticing descriptive adjective] Tools.” Sample adjectives that could work (but I’d need to see the landing page) include things like high-tech or next-gen.  
• On the second ad, some simple streamlining, with a more actionable CTA, would help. For instance: “Which Driver Violations Can Predict Future Crashes?”/”Find Out Now.” It’s also worth noting that while this copy is inviting, it doesn’t do much to say what you offer, which could be affecting VTR, particularly for top-of-funnel audiences that don’t already have a strong understanding of your company. If there’s any way to get your value prop in here (even in a subheading), that would help. 
• The logo is a bit small in both ads—this, too, could be contributing to relatively low VTR, especially for top-of-funnel audiences. We recommend that heading copy be the largest element in an ad, followed by the CTA and logo (roughly size-aligned), and then subheading copy if you have it. 
• We generally find that photos with people—ideally staring directly at the camera, with a relaxed and friendly expression—perform better than those without.  When we helped your team build ads in the past, we specifically found that images of people in vehicles worked better. Here are some photos we tried before that performed well: 

Let us know if you have any other questions!

Hi @liz.olson@e2open.com Thanks for sharing. Will get you feedback by EOD!

Hi @liz.olson@e2open.com--thanks again for sharing these ads! Feedback below:

• Consider making the copy more explicitly tailored to your audience of tech manufacturers--with an industry-targeted 1:few campaign like this, you can be more personalized with your messaging. I'll share some examples of how to do this below.
• On both ads, the copy is a bit too dense. And on the first ad, it's too long. We recommend no more than 10 words max for heading copy and 15 words max for heading + subheading copy combined, with short, streamlined sentences that readers can easily digest.
• Keeping in mind both of the points above, here are some potential iterations to try:

• On both ads, increase the size of your subheading copy; it looks like it could pose readability issues, particularly on mobile. We recommend 12 px minimum for all fonts.
• Make the CTA a bit larger to optimize its clickability. We recommend that heading copy be the largest element on an ad, followed by the logo and CTA (roughly size aligned), and then the subheading. The CTA looks too small relative to the logo and other elements and is getting a little lost.
• Here are a couple options to make everything fit with the larger subheading and CTA:

• Your images are strong on contextual relevance and general quality. But they feel a bit stiff and staged, and don't do enough to catch the eye. We find that more naturalistic, inviting images work best. Photos of people staring at or toward the camera (with relaxed and positive expressions) and those featuring natural movement can work particularly well. A soft focus background can also be effective, as it keeps the focus on the subject and draws the reader in. Here are some contextually relevant examples our designer pulled of these best practices in action.

Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.

@liz.olson@e2open.com Glad it was helpful, and yes, happy to provide more feedback!

In addition to applying the recs above, here are some other things to keep in mind:

• In these vertical ads, you have the room to make the subheading copy and CTA larger without having to move the photo or place the logo and CTA side by side (and the logo-copy-CTA composition works as is). You should probably make the photo a little smaller, though--both to make room and to allow the value prop to visibly take center stage.
• Another thing to consider is centering both the logo and CTA. Left alignment isn't necessarily wrong, but centering these elements can help them stand out more.
• Be careful about composition--it looks like there's a bit more space between the logo and copy than there is between the copy and CTA. Ideally, everything should be evenly spaced apart.
• Here are some ideas on how to streamline/strengthen the copy:

• Imagery-wise, the photo on the first ad is quite strong and you could probably leave as is--though if there's another pic from the same or similar photo series with a person staring more directly at or toward the camera, that could do more to catch the eye.
• The photo in the second ad isn't particularly compelling and doesn't drive home the "Strengthen your negotiation power" messaging. Consider, again, a person staring at or toward the camera, with a natural expression that also conveys the power of strengthened negotiating power and improved cash flow. Passive imagery doesn't fit the messaging.

Hope that helps! Great work on these ads overall!

Thank you, Liz! So glad you'll be able to join!