Does this sound familiar? You cruise through social media and you think to yourself, “ad… ad… ad…” as your thumb mindlessly pushes content up and out of view. Of course it sounds familiar, because everyone has done this. Why? The ads were not engaging enough to capture your attention and stop your scroll.
Which begs the question: How can you grab the attention of your target audience and compel them to take action?
The key is to create scroll-stopping creatives that demand notice. Keep reading for tips on scroll-stopping social media ad strategy.
The importance of standout content
Engaging social media ads are vital to getting your message to your audience. Digital Silk reports the average mobile user spends about 80% of their screen time viewing ads, and social media users notice about 100 ads per day. They are likely to see more, but they notice 100. Unsurprising, Facebook processes over five million new ads in a day. That’s a ton of new content getting disseminated through just that singular social platform.
With all that ad content floating around, 41% of survey respondents said they only remember about 1%-10% of the ads they saw. That’s not a lot and it makes sense since being served so many ads can be an overwhelming experience.
If you want to push through the social media ads noise and have your brand’s ad capture audience attention, you need to stop the scroll.
Actionable tips for scroll-stopping social media ads
Add these tips to your social media ad strategy to help your brand shine on social:
Ad copy – Be concise and make sure the benefit is clear. Employ a compelling hook to hold attention.
Ad creative – Visual interest with captivating imagery, colors and movement in the form of video can be extremely effective.
Subtitles – This is an important step for reaching those scrolling social media with the sound off. Be sure to include subtitles in all videos so your message still gets across, even without sound.
Placements/formats – Dial in your social media ad format and placements to ensure they are right for your product and audience.
Examples of scroll-stopping social media ads
Poppi
Poppi, the low-sugar soda, used this visually delightful eye spy game to announce its new Cream Soda flavor. Can you spot the can?
Wicked
After complaints about people singing along in theaters, Wicked decided to have special sing-along screenings with subtitles so that the entire audience could sing together. The video ad employed bright visuals, iconic sound and funny messaging to encourage attendance.
FedEx
FedEx’s flat rate box campaign offers an impeccably clean design, short and sweet copy and quick animation video of a bunch of stuff flying into the box send a clear and memorable message.
Avoid these common social media ad mistakes:
To create social ad creatives that stand out, be sure to avoid these common missteps:
Overcrowding text or graphics – White space is your friend, and if it looks like too much to process the audience isn’t even going to try.
Not optimizing for mobile – Mobile is where most of your audience is going to see your ad. Optimize your social media ads for mobile for the best success.
Relying on a one-size-fits-all design – One size does not fit all when it comes to social media ad strategy. Different platforms, products, audiences and messages will require different designs. Put in the extra effort to secure the results you want.
Stop the scroll
Even in a sea of social media ads, it is possible to stop the scroll with marketing that demands audience attention. When copy, creative and other best practices are in play, you’ll get more engagement and see a stronger ROI.
Our social media team excels at creating scroll-stopping social ads. Connect with Beyond Fifteen to learn how we can maximize your social strategy.
