Get snappy with your ADs

What is the ideal length for an AD? This blog focuses on Meta ADs. 

It's no secret that our attention spans have dramatically dropped since the pandemic and the introduction of short-form video content. We're consuming content much quicker, so the urgency of digital, including ADS, needs to reflect that. 

How often have you watched the first second of a TikTok and then quickly scrolled away? Now, think about ADs; how long would you spend on an AD on Instagram? Probably about the same, right? So our first tip of the day is to keep it CONCISE. 

Get your salient information out there first—none of this "wait till the end of the video for the reveal" or "go to part two." We're demanding, and your audience will be the same, so don't waste time. Get straight to it! The title, the offer and a quick burst of info. 

A static social AD should be no more than 80 characters to be fully digestible, and a video AD should be based on the ultimate goal or outcome.  

Do you want to raise brand awareness? Go for 3-5 seconds. 
Do you want to talk about features and benefits? Go longer, 10-15 seconds. 
Do you want to show people how to use your product or service? 30-45 seconds is golden. 

But hey, we didn't mention sales!?! Ultimately, everyone wants sales and lead conversion (spoiler alert). Ads done well will drive direct conversions (i.e. sales), increase awareness, bring new social media followers, and increase your mailing list. These still count as conversions and allow you to nurture these people into sales.

Stick to the above guidelines when creating your ADs. Make sure you use relevant information that is immediately presentable to your audience to capture them, so even if they scroll away after a second, they'll have the info they need. 

While we're talking, include a website link and tell your client to prioritise mobile optimisation if their site isn't great on mobile.

You could have the best ADs in the world, but if the whole customer journey isn't optimised, you won't get the conversions you could.

FYI, this is why landing pages are important. An ad talks about one thing, which takes the viewer to a landing page on the website that further explains that thing and then has a very clear CTA to convert.