Simple Ideas for Creating an Effective Ad (That Works!)

It’s not easy to draw in consumers nowadays with crazy competition and confusing social media. But have no fear; with a few of these simple tricks, you will blow the competition out of the water with unique and eye-catching ads.

Martech and Adtech can be helpful, but only if you know their complicated jargon and strategies. Skip the boring business lesson with these helpful tips on effective ad ideas.

Consider the following when creating your new ad: color, culture, location, and creativity. Mastering these simple steps can turn boring ads beautiful and bring in new customers in droves.

Color

From wildflower meadows to sunsets, the colors of the world are constantly drawing the attention of people. There is complicated science behind why specific colors make you happy and what makes some colors easier to read- but we will go over the basics for now.

Give your ad a pop of color. Neutral tones like grey, white and tan are good background colors but can get boring quickly. On the other hand, too many vibrant colors hurt your eyes and make customers feel confused.

Instead of losing your product in a sea of colors, pick a primary accent color for a pop of flavor. It draws your product out, makes it easy to see, and is attractive to the eye. An accent color should boldly contrast your ad background, so play with the color wheel to find the perfect opposite color.

Consider blues and greys for a serious mood, easter pastels for something calming, and saturated primary colors for joy and excitement. Match the mood of your product with the right colors to invoke your customer’s emotions.

Culture

Now that your ad looks nice, you have to make it sound nice. But using too much modern slang can quickly lose the interest of older customers. The younger audiences will tune out complicated words with more old-fashioned diction.

Know who you want to sell to. Your target audience is your focal point, so research what they are most interested in. Don’t stress yourself trying to sell sweets to a dentist; focus instead on those with a sweet tooth.

Memes and trending media stars are great pulls for a young audience. Catchy jingles and strong customer reviews satisfy your older audience.

Get rid of jargon. Assuming your audience knows what it means can instantly isolate potential customers.

If you feel stuck, don’t be afraid to reach out to your target audience. Seek the opinions of friends to see if your message is clear and relevant. If eligible, the advice of children can be priceless. Their eye for color and joy is unfiltered, and they will never shy away from an honest opinion.

Keep it simple but relevant. Most popular trends have a lifeline of two weeks, so while it’s good to know the trends, it will be a waste of resources if you aren’t continuously generating new ads. There is a way to get around this, of course, but we will explain that below.

Location

Even the most fantastic advertisements will go to waste if you leave them on a billboard in the middle of nowhere. Don’t waste time posting an ad to dead websites or creating a great visual ad for the radio. Match the location and add style to the areas where your audience is most likely to look.

We mentioned earlier to be careful when keeping things trendy. After all, a Christmas theme billboard will lose its flare in March, but it’s not always easy to replace your ads. Thankfully, social media can allow for quick updates and cultural touchstones before they disappear.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other popular platforms allow for quick and easy free media advertisement. It’s ok if you find Insta posts and Facebook stories intimidating at first. There are plenty of video ad templates online to guide you through complicated social media systems.

Newspapers, radio, and TV ads can be great eye-catchers but can be costly to use. Play it smart, and think of where your customers are most likely to see your ad before investing in a dead medium.

Creativity

This may seem like an easy step to master, but it can often be the hardest. Companies desire creativity for their ads, but often want you to fit into a specific mold. The employer will usually require certain words, images, objects, and even logos to put into your ad.

The key is learning how to balance your client’s desires without recycling old and boring prompts. Templates can create great temporary structure but can quickly become a crutch. Push the boundaries of the template to create an ad that employers have never seen before.

True mastery of creativity utilizes what is discussed above. Creativity can mean turning a single-page photo ad into an interactive social media post on Instagram. Creativity can mean delivering an important message that informs but doesn’t shy away from valuable language and advice.

Creativity can even take an avant-garde form. Some of the most successful ads are the strongest ones around. Seek inspiration from companies like Cards Against Humanity, who once bought a 30 second Super Bowl ad that features a potato with the word ‘advertisement’ on it. It was strange, but it was bold and eye-catching and successfully stole the show that year.

Be bold and be memorable. Don’t be afraid to get weird and think outside the box. Put your personalized stamp on every ad you create. Advertisement is art, even if the art is trying to sell you something. Embrace the art and wow clients who have grown tired of the same old ad formats.

Final Thoughts

It can be hard to consider all these factors at once, but they will become second nature with time and practice. Don’t be afraid of revisions. You’re not a mind reader and can’t fix what you didn’t know. Color, culture, location, and creativity mean nothing if you aren’t confident in what you do.

Stay brave and determined; if you don’t believe in the product you’re advertising, then customers won’t either.