With so much information and visual content online today, it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.
As a business, digital advertisements offer the chance to get your name, your brand and what you’re all about in front of more people. But if your adverts aren’t up to scratch, they’ll just become white noise.
Our eyes take in hundreds of images, words, logos and more while browsing online. There are incredible amounts of things we see, but our brain doesn’t really register for one reason or another. This could be lack of visual appeal, lack of interest or poor page placement.
It’s therefore in the interest of businesses to get the design and content of any online advertisements spot on.
Our digital ad checklist
What goes into creating an advertisement that attracts interest, looks great and provides all the required information?
There’s no perfect recipe, but there are a few proven techniques you can rely on to help get the most out of your digital ads.
“Visual ads are an important way of attracting a user’s attention and generating engagement,” says Andy Lally, creative designer at Williams Commerce. “Of course, they need to look good. But beyond this, the most important factor is that they perform well.”
So what are the top 5 key things to focus on when looking to create the perfect digital advertisement?
- Be visually engaging – A strong visual design is important if you want people to actually see your advert. The stronger the design, the more likely a person’s eye is to be attracted to the advertisement in the first place. “I’m a fan of movement, animation and subtle transitions as a way of attracting attention to adverts,” says Andy.
- Prioritise the most valuable information – Adverts are there to provide information. Whether this is around news, promotions and discounts, or a new slogan you’re using, a good visual ad needs to direct the eye to the most important info. Don’t clog your ad with unnecessary things. Get to the point!
- Enable quick associations – Make your adverts distinctly and obviously yours. Brand awareness is a vital part of customer acquisition and retention, so it’s important people can quickly align visual triggers with your company. Ways to do this include careful logo placement and distinctive aesthetic styling and clever use of branding.
- Less is more – Keep things simple and on point. Say what you want to say and include what you need to include. Don’t stick anything onto your ad for the sake of it. Cluttered, claustrophobic advertising is the domain of print media and directories. Times have changed and in the digital world, simplistic design is the key to success.
- Make call-to-actions clear – You’ve launched your ad for a reason. If you want viewers to visit a certain page, make it easy for them to do so. If you’re providing information, make that info as easy to digest as you can. Basically, make sure your advert serves its intended purpose.
“I like the KISS acronym,” says Andy. “Keep it simple, stupid! I see some companies seeming to want to reinvent the wheel when it comes to visual design, but there really is no need. Know what you want to achieve, take the time to identify what looks good, and get your aims achieved through strong visual advertising.”
Contact the Williams Commerce marketing team if you’re keen to learn more about our visual design services.
