Brands, marketers, and advertisers are constantly searching for ways to elevate their ads strategically, thus finding more targeted consumers, increasing brand awareness, and ultimately, growing their brands with more people buying their services or products.

That’s old news.

However, there IS something new, as marketing is constantly changing and evolving for good…

And in today’s article, we’ll walk you through the very best ad campaign tactics, some best practices, and the importance of measuring your campaigns right to take your brand to where it belongs: Success.

What are ad campaigns?

In a nutshell, ad campaigns are the heart and soul of paid advertising.

According to WordStream, an ad campaign is “a set of advertisements that revolve around a single message intended to achieve a particular goal.”

We can realize that ads, as paid marketing, are pieces of content that call an audience to perform a specific action. So, it means ads SHOULD be targeted. Like, very well.

But you already know what an ad is.

However, did you know that ads are not meant to drive sales right away in some cases?

Using ads to increase brand awareness, and just then, retarget your audience with a more compelling call to action.

The magic behind this is that you first need to introduce your brand for a cold audience, as they first don’t know you. The good ol’ know, like, and trust.

Then, after you’ve nurtured their minds enough to trust you… You retarget them to buy your product or service.

How do ad campaigns work?

Every marketer must consider the primary performance and functioning of an ad campaign.

Like Neeva says, “advertisers, ad platforms, and consumers all play a role in online advertising.”

And this is the absolute truth.

As a marketer, you need to be aware that the ad environment is composed of three main actors: Consumers, Networks, and Advertisers.

So, in a nutshell, consumers use web services or networks to consume information for free. Just like maybe you came across this blog article. Hence, they still pay for it with their data and attention. (Sometimes knowing it, sometimes not).

Then, we have the websites or networks. These vessels collect the consumers’ information, creating segments of people who could be targeted. This provides the necessary information for the next actor to do what they do best.

Ultimately, advertisers. These are the ones who leverage data and pay websites or networks to display their targeted ad. This allows them to get revenue when the targeted audience clicks on their ad and buys their products or services.

At Curastory, we allow brands to run their ads by pairing them with content creators that have the attention of the audiences these brands are targeting and recording the ads in their own voices. This will enable them to increase the possibility of converting them into clients and take their ROAS to new heights.

By using Curastory, brands leverage the power of their ads and make sure the message goes out loud and clear to those who matter to them, saving money, and optimizing time.

Curious? Check out our new page and discover how it works.

Why are ads important?

Well, Directive Consulting explains it best, saying that “Ad campaigns are important because they can give your business a focused edge when it comes to marketing and advertising. Of course, the goal is not to beat out other businesses, but to find the people who will most benefit from your business.”

Ads are crucial to attract new customers to your business, increase brand awareness, and measure and optimize your strategy.

Besides, it’s something every brand in this century will have to learn how to leverage if they want to make it. 

The Importance Site lays it out all in 10 steps.

1. Because it has grown to become a huge part of marketing, ensuring that your message goes out timely to those you want to engage with.
2. Because it tells a story. Or, it should, at least. This increases the chances of people clicking to seize their curiosity around the subject.
3. Because it lets your brand find targeted potential customers.
4. Because it increases brand awareness for past customers… Positioning your service at the top of their minds.
5. Because it is a great resource for businesses and brands who want to support their organic efforts.
6. Because, through voice and messaging, ads allow brands to show their true colors and customers to relate to them better.
7. Because it increases brand reputation.
8. Because it enhances the brand’s monetization, positively if done right.
9. Because it increases sales opportunities.
10. And finally, because ads can go viral… And there’s a chance you don’t want to miss that. 

How do brands use ad campaign tactics through social media platforms?

So, there are basically two giants in the advertising world: Facebook (Or, actually, Meta) and Google.

Meta owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, among others. This includes Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads.

Google, on the other hand, owns YouTube, thus owning YouTube Ads and Google Ads.

So, now that we’ve set the family picture, let’s dive into each one of them.

Facebook Ads is a powerful tool, no question. As you know, there are different ways a brand can use these tools to increase awareness and drive sales…

Like, in Facebook Ads’ case, in the form of Photo Ads, Video Ads, Stories Ads, Collection Ads, and Carousel Ads.

Forms may vary, but the essential goals are to build brand awareness, send traffic to your website, and ultimately create conversion opportunities.

Now, Instagram follows a very similar structure, only differentiated by the fact that this is a majorly visual-driven platform, so long-form posts that might work on Facebook would not even be considered for Instagram.

For Google, it’s a very different approach.

Think about it – when a consumer is looking to solve a problem, they type a question into Google’s search engine. Like asking a friend.

This means they are in a state of awareness that could be higher compared to Facebook. They want to solve the problem NOW.

That’s why the search engine shows a series of paid ads before organic results are in a queue to help these consumers solve their problems as fast as possible.

For YouTube Ads, again, it might be slightly different. These consumers are also consuming content on the platform, but these sets of ads will appear on a specific video, almost showing themselves as an alternative to it based on interests and pains.

And brands know this.

Just like Hootsuite says, advertising on social media is “a hyper-direct way to reach the audience you want. You can target brand new customers or returning ones. It’s also a chance to do some hands-on A/B testing.

Best practices for ad campaign tactics on each social media platform:

Big names such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have all different best practices for brands who want to increase their awareness and get the best ROAS possible there.

So, let’s begin with a crowd’s favorite: Facebook.

In Facebook Ads’ case, it’s imperative to dive into the platform’s ad manual. Because what best way to understand Facebook Ads than using the owner’s manual?

Coming in hot from Meta’s help center, there are three top best practices to consider:

1. Use vertically-positioned videos, as most users will see your ad using their phones.
2. Use fewer texts on your images, since ads with less than 20% of text in their images perform better here.
3. Always use a CTA button. Always.

Now, Instagram has similar best practices, but there are three to rescue according to Espresso:

1. Always test different variations of the ad format. A/B testing helps like magic.
2. When running video ads, always use closed-captions. Your video might be running on mute by default.
3. Focus on the visual aspect of the ad, because of the platform’s natural use.

LinkedIn is a different place. A whole new universe. In fact, they are just recently pushing their Ads structure, so best practices will constantly be changing over the next few years.

However, there are best practices to note from their Help Center, like…

1. Share value – this means, always giving away a free trial or resource.
2. Keep your headline catchy and under 60 characters.
3. Leverage Message Ads – these must be extremely targeted, as they land on your prospects’ inboxes.

Now, YouTube has very interesting best practices for brands… Some of which agencies highly value and squeeze to the most:

1. The script must be highly relevant for the audience, keeping a hook that’s as punchy and captivating as possible. Remember the average user’s attention span is 5 seconds.
2. Your ad’s headline should speak for itself – highlight the problem, and give the solution.
3. The CTA must immediately direct the user to what it’s supposed to.

Following these best practices, your brand shouldn’t have any problem.

How to measure your ad campaigns?

Luc has very specific and useful insights on how to measure your brand’s ad strategy.

For example…

Setting a Specific Goal for your Campaign. Setting a goal of increasing your followers by 20% is much more effective than just increasing your number of social media followers… And it’s way more useful. Something always to consider. Besides, it’s easier to track overtime!

Analyze Site Traffic periodically. If you’re doing things right, you should see an increase in traffic or visitors. That’s why you should always track activity around your brand’s account to optimize as you go. 

Review Lead Quality.The higher the lead quality, the greater your chance of gaining a new customer and growing your brand’s revenue. Besides, it will give you the opportunity to review your targeting criteria as well.

Some brands with incredible ad campaigns on social media:

At Curastory, we are suckers for awesome ads and brands killin’ it with a creative purpose. And here are two brands that are doing things particularly well:

Nike: Just Do It

Nike’s campaigns are legendary for a reason. They are captivating and motivational from the core.

This has helped them shape their reputation around the world, and basically, it’s impossible to skip one of their ads. You just can’t do it.

Volvo: The Epic Split

Featuring Jean Claude Van Damme, Volvo surely knew how to use a powerful influencer technique to their advantage. 

A fan’s favorite, by far.

Curastory is enabling brands to take their ad campaigns to the next level. Here’s how

The sole reason Curastory exists in the first place is to empower both brands and content creators to get their consumer’s attention with ease, maximizing their profits and ROAS, and reducing time waste or budgets to unseen levels.

That’s what drives us. That’s our goal.

That’s why we’ll share our top 3 secrets on how to take your ROAS to the moon using Curastory, saving you time and money in the process. Shall we?

First, is to match your product/brand/content to the content creator topic tags. This will allow you to fulfill a marketer’s dream… Staying on top of your audience’s mind at the right time. By enabling this option, your brand will tap into organic content that resonates with your audience ahead of time. Like magic.

The second is to make sure your ad script is on point. We know it could be tricky – but it’s crucial. Curastory’s reach power works best with consistent messaging from brands, connecting with consumers deeper through their creative direction. Having a logical and captivating tone and messaging enables brands to leverage Curastory’s energy at its finest.

And, third is to use Curastory’s A/B testing feature. By gathering accurate data and seeing how it performs in real-time, your brand will be able to optimize campaigns as they go without worrying about wrong numbers slipping through. 

No pressure, no trouble, no time to waste. Just success.

You can always visit our blog to discover how we’re taking brands to the next level.

And, as always, feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about ad campaign tactics and what to do to take your brand to where it deserves.