With the rise of AI and other tech tools, creating content quickly and affordably has become more accessible than ever. But here’s the kicker: is all this content actually making an impact?

At Tuff, we’re embracing AI across our creative process, from testing multiple variations swiftly to streamlining everything from concepting to final assets. This not only allows us to pass savings to our clients but also enables us to serve our clients faster and more efficiently, without compromising on quality.

However, there’s one crucial piece that can’t be overlooked: a solid creative strategy. Without it, your content won’t consistently engage your audience or drive revenue, no matter how much you produce or how efficient the process is. Sure, AI has improved our creative process and outputs, but without a strong creative strategy, success can still elude us.

In this post, I want to dive into why we believe that authentic, low-fi assets can actually outperform their slicker counterparts when it comes to developing ad creative that will  maximize your media dollars.

The Cost of Playing it Safe

As organic reach declines, the natural response is to pump out more content faster and cheaper to increase your chances of being seen. Doubling down on paid media often goes hand in hand with this approach. But the reality is that pouring resources into run-of-the-mill content doesn’t necessarily lead to revenue. It just drives your waves of messages into a sea of sameness, regardless of your audience targeting and budget. 

In crowded online (and offline) spaces, generic content blends into the background making standing out tougher than ever. At Tuff, we’ve seen firsthand the power of breaking the mold.

The Rise of Authenticity

One of the most exciting content trend developments we’re seeing is in B2B marketing. Influencers and user-generated content (UGC), once reserved for consumer brands, are now becoming staples in B2B creative. Why? Because behind every business is a human decision maker who responds to visuals and messaging just like you would. In a space flooded with charts, graphs, jargon, and salesy buzzwords, it’s genuine human connection that stands out. By partnering with influencers and content creators to embrace UGC, B2B brands can build trust and connect with their audience in meaningful ways.

B2B Ads With Personality: A Case Study with goHappy

Let me give you a very specific example using one of our existing clients, goHappy. Rather than sticking static assets, we decided to level up by collaborating with a content creator to test a couple of user-generated videos tailored specifically to their audience. Our main priorities with these assets were nailing the messaging and ensuring standout creative design.

• Strategic Messaging: By utilizing goHappy’s persona research and applying insights gleaned from our previous message testing results, we had a solid head start in understanding what types of tedious HR tasks our audience struggles with and some of the language they’re responding to in ads. We also knew that the average HR manager appreciates work related humor, so video scripts were written with some spicy HR memes in mind.
• Creative Design: Nothing humanizes HR like adding some personality. We turned to a UGC content creator marketplace called Twirl to help source a creator that would deliver our scripts in an engaging way. (Our creator, Amanda, even has HR experience, so we knew it was a perfect match!) From there, the Tuff motion team added gifs, goHappy branded motion graphics, and sound effects to her footage to bring additional life to the videos.

The results speak for themselves. After introducing the following 3 video assets to our LinkedIn ad creative mix, we were able to improve goHappy’s CPL by 34% in just 30 days.

Putting People First: Practical Steps for Your Strategy

Now, goHappy is just a single example, and there are numerous ways to infuse your ad creative with a human touch and authenticity. Here are some practical tips, based on what we’ve seen work across our client accounts, that you can start implementing today:

1. Know Your Audience: Dive deep into who your audience is and what their day-to-day struggles are. Aim to help them solve their problems, not sell them your platform. Lean into value propositions, customer research, and agile message testing to determine what your customers care about and how to get their attention. Create Intentionally: Consider the most impactful ways to get your message across to your audience. If it’s a quick message, a static graphic is great. If it requires some explanation, video is your friend. Keep in mind that your viewer is always a human, even in B2B.
2. Test and Learn: Experiment with different approaches and learn from what works (and what doesn’t). As long as you have a creative testing framework, no under-performing content is wasteful. A nimble approach allows you to adapt and evolve your strategy over time.
3. Embrace Technology: Use tools and automation to streamline your content production process. This gives you more time for strategic thinking and ensures your messaging stays human-centric. Currently, we’re finding great support from tools like Envato, Stocksy, Adobe Stock, Pexels, Unsplash, and Artlist.io.

By prioritizing a people-first approach and embracing a nimble testing strategy, you can create content that stands out and drives real results. Whether you’re a big brand or a scrappy startup, these insights apply to businesses of all sizes. By putting people at the heart of your strategy, you can cut through the noise and make meaningful connections that drive growth.

The post Authenticity: A Critical Component for Effective Ad Creative in the AI Era appeared first on Tuff.

From ancient myths passed down through generations to the latest viral TikTok trend, quality storytelling is what captures the attention of…everyone. But beyond entertainment value, stories hold a special place in marketing–they’re catalysts for action. They are the key to building trust, achieving better ROI, and fostering unwavering brand loyalty. When working in tandem with great campaigns, storytelling is an important lever in driving substantial growth.

Importance of Storytelling in Marketing

Before getting into the impact of storytelling specifically, we have to acknowledge the significance of messaging in marketing. Messages are what brands use to communicate their value, products, and ethos to their audiences. The effectiveness of these messages often determines the success of a marketing campaign. You can have an optimized campaign with an unlimited budget, but if your messaging doesn’t stick with the audience, your efforts will be stifled. No trust built = no action taken.

The Psychology Behind Storytelling

Why do stories resonate so deeply with us? It all boils down to psychology. Our brains are wired to seek out and remember stories. We can more easily recall and relate to the beginning, middle, and end of a story. We easily understand that problems need solutions. From childhood bedtime tales to best-selling novels, stories activate areas of the brain responsible for processing emotions and creating connections. 

Marketers are missing out if they’re not making use of juicy storytelling. By weaving narratives into messaging, brands can tap into emotional triggers, fostering a deeper connection with their audience.

Influence of Storytelling on Trust, Loyalty, and ROI

The reason storytelling is powerful is because it’s based on trust. Brand trust is the foundation of customer loyalty and business growth. Storytelling goes beyond conventional marketing by humanizing brands, making them relatable, and establishing a personal connection with customers. When people interact with real stories, they tend to see the brand as truthful, dependable, and deserving of their loyalty.

Building Connections, Nurturing Loyalty, and Driving Growth

Through storytelling, brands can actually create narratives that mean something to their audience. And guess what? This emotional link doesn’t just stop there–it’s what keeps customers coming back and spreading the word, driving and multiplying growth. Here’s how:

1. Copywriting vs. Storytelling in Marketing

We start by understanding the distinction between “storytelling” and “copy”. Sales copy is an important type of messaging that uses persuasive tactics to drive action (namely, purchases). It’s concise and direct, highlights the benefits of a product or service, and asks the viewer to take the next step. While copy certainly has its place in marketing, it’s missing some key characteristics of effective storytelling.

A compelling story gives the audience something to care about from the start. Think of the last great movie you watched. Chances are, you were introduced to a likable character, you saw their problem, and you understood the implications if they failed to address it.

Marketing works in a similar way. If you aren’t able to establish a reason why customers should care about your product or service, why should they care about all the amazing features? 

Storytelling in Marketing Example

Think about promoting a project management software, almost like telling an interesting story. Imagine meeting a character in this “story”—a stressed-out project manager juggling dozens of tasks and struggling to keep everything on track. The obstacles they face, like missed deadlines and communication hiccups, might remind you of your own work experiences. You can clearly see what could go wrong if these issues aren’t resolved—projects slipping through the cracks, missed deadlines, and a burnt-out team.

Now, consider marketing the software. If you can make potential customers feel a connection with the real challenges of managing projects, they’ll be much more interested in the software’s impressive features. By sharing relatable stories that highlight the struggles of modern project management, you give them a reason to care. This emotional link not only grabs their attention, but it also creates a sense of understanding and appreciation. Suddenly, the software isn’t just a bunch of tools—it’s a solution to their problems and a key component to their success.

Through character development, relatability, and emotional connection, we earn the right to speak to our audience in a persuasive manner. While copy conveys information directly, authentic narratives resonate deeply with audiences, fostering a sense of shared values and experiences. This emotional connection transcends transactional relationships, nurturing lasting brand loyalty.

2. Fostering Brand Loyalty and Advocacy

Loyalty isn’t built overnight; it’s a result of consistent positive experiences and a genuine bond. Storytelling helps brands cultivate loyalty by weaving a narrative thread that customers can relate to and become emotionally invested in. They can see themselves using a product or service before they even hit “Add to Cart”.

Starbucks, for instance, doesn’t just sell coffee–it sells a consistent experience. Through their storytelling, they’ve created a global community of coffee enthusiasts who see Starbucks storefronts as more than just places to grab a drink; they’re spaces that provide comfort, community, and connection (even when they spell your name wrong). This brand loyalty leads to repeat business and enthusiastic brand advocacy as loyal customers willingly share their Starbucks experiences with others.

3. Improving ROI through Storytelling

Let’s address the elephant in the room: “How does storytelling affect my bottom line?” The beauty of storytelling lies in its ability to convert engagement into tangible results. When customers feel emotionally connected to a brand, they’re more likely to become repeat buyers and brand advocates. All because their connection goes beyond the product itself.

Consider the case of Apple. They’ve mastered the art of storytelling to create a brand that elicits a sense of wonder, innovation, and elegance. Their product launches aren’t just presentations, they’re stories that captivate the world’s attention. This storytelling prowess has directly translated into impressive ROI figures, with Apple consistently breaking sales records and commanding a premium price for their products, regardless of how their technology stacks up to worthy competitors.

The influence of storytelling on ROI is undeniable. By eliciting emotional connections, brands can create loyalty, advocacy, and ultimately, increased business success. Now let’s explore how to craft your own narrative and use strategic storytelling to your advantage.

Crafting Your Authentic Narrative

So, how can brands effectively harness the power of storytelling to build trust, achieve better ROI, and foster loyalty? Here are some steps to get you started:

1. Know Your Audience: Understanding your audience’s needs, aspirations, and pain points is necessary. Your story should resonate with them on a personal level.
2. Embrace Authenticity: Be genuine in your storytelling. Highlight your brand’s values, mission, and the people behind it. Authenticity is magnetic.
3. Evoke Emotion: Create narratives that trigger emotions. Whether it’s joy, pain, or inspiration, emotions create connections that lead to action.
4. Consistency is Key: Your story should be consistent across all touchpoints. From your website to your social media, the narrative should remain cohesive.
5. Test and Analyze: By constantly testing and analyzing how messages are received and how your audience engages, new insights can help shape and reshape your narrative.
6. Evolve and Adapt: Your story can evolve as your brand grows. Embrace changes and let your audience be a part of the journey.

Storytelling at the Center of Marketing

As we’re inundated with new information every day, storytelling has become a useful tool to help people organize complex thoughts and connect with brands in meaningful ways. By seamlessly blending narrative with design and consistently delivering authentic messages, brands can actually create deep connections that withstand the test of time.

As marketing continues to change and evolve, one thing remains clear: the power of storytelling is here to stay. It’s not just about selling products; it’s about building relationships, shaping perceptions, and driving growth. So, if you’re looking to elevate your marketing strategy, remember that behind every successful brand, there’s a captivating story waiting to be told.

Need help crafting your narrative? Talk to our growth experts today.

The post The Role of Storytelling in Marketing: Connecting with Your Target Audience appeared first on Tuff.

When analyzing ad creative, it can be hard to tell which element really makes a piece resonate with the viewer. Is it the bold color? The little bit of sass? The scroll stopping typography? Or is it how you articulate the value you’re offering? The audience you’re addressing? 

There are so many variables that it can feel overwhelming. That’s when it’s time to start A/B testing!

At Tuff, methodical A/B testing has allowed us to both make small yet powerful tweaks to well-performing ads and also generate powerful business-level insights. Most importantly, it helps us drive up click-through rate, and drive down costs. This article will take you through our process from the initial creative development all the way to the implementation and analysis of A/B tests so you can supercharge your ad creative too.

A/B Testing 101

An A/B test is when you run 2 versions of the same ad, but with one variable that’s different. You can then look at the ad performance to see which version more effectively resonated with your audience in order to gain insights that will help your overall campaign.

Below is an example where we were A/B testing different hero images to see if people would be more likely to engage with language about “virtual photoshoots” or language that targets a more sophisticated creative demographic that might be looking for “photo assets.”

Here are the results: 

• A Variant (photoshoot company)
  • CTR = 0.36%
  • Purchases = 20 
• B Variant (photo assets) 
  • CTR = 0.24%
  • Purchases = 1 

Notice that every variable is the same from the logo color and placement to the lay-down imagery to the highlight color. While it would have been possible to truly isolate one variable here in this ad (like JUST changing one word) there’s strategic decision making that went into our approach so, before you put pen to paper, it’s important to ask yourself…

Where to Start?

A/B testing for A/B testing’s sake is just about as useless as hanging your clothes out to dry in a rainstorm. Without some forethought and a strategic outline, you’ll be left with results and also a resounding, “so what?”

So, at the outset of creative production, we’ll get our full team together. This usually consists of a growth marketer, or big-picture strategist, a campaign manager, or the person deep in the day-to-day on-platform optimizations, and the creative strategist, or the person on the hook for developing creative that’s on-trend, on-brand, and platform-specific. We’ll ask ourselves three major questions:

1. Why do we want to run this test?

An A/B test that originates in an actual impactful question makes a significant difference in its effectiveness. This can be as simple as: “is our creative more compelling when it features people or just products?” It can be as complex as: “should we position ourselves as a disruptor in the market or a powerful alternative to other stale options?”

2. How do we measure success?

It’s important to outline your KPIs for an A/B test before you develop your ad creative. 

If click-through rate (CTR) is your primary metric that determines success, then you’ll want to seriously consider your hook, the headline, and potentially the CTA as elements that move the needle. 

If you’re more focused on a metric like cost per action (CPA), then you’ll want to consider your holistic message and how well the information, look, and feel of the ad matches the landing page experience in order to determine success. 

Finally, if you’re considering a metric that tells you more about general awareness like cost per 1,000 views (CPM) or watch rate, then you’ll need to talk about what elements of creative will be responsible for driving those metrics and honing in there. 

3. What do we expect to learn from it?

Remember 8th grade science class? Then you’ll remember how important a hypothesis is. It’s critical to have a clear understanding of what you hope to learn, or what you expect to discover by running your A/B test so that when it concludes, you’re one step closer to driving optimal performance with your ad creative. This is closely related to point #1 above, but takes it one step further. Here’s what that looks like using the two examples.

“is our creative more compelling when it features people or just products?”

• Hypothesis: the presence of people demonstrating our product in use is a crucial part of generating interest and sales of it. So, we expect to learn that more education about HOW our product works is an important step in the user journey.

“should we position ourselves as a disruptor in the market or a powerful alternative to other stale options?”

• Hypothesis: people are curious about us as disruptors, but are more efficiently compelled to sign up/request a demo when they understand how to compare us to one of our competitors or a “poor alternative.”

4. How are we going to go about it?

This is where the real cross-team fun begins! Before you begin your brief and define how to build your creative to get the findings you’re after, it’s critical to collaborate with your campaign managers to understand their approach to creating an appropriate environment within the right channel. Is this a test for Meta, LinkedIn, or YouTube? What’s the right audience? How about budget and duration? Aligning on these points will set you up for success. 

Developing Creative for Your A/B Test

One of the most popular elements to start A/B testing is the hook of a video.  A hook refers to the first 2 seconds of a social video ad because this is the time it takes most viewers to either get engaged or keep scrolling. It’s basically the 2022 equivalent of the age-old newspaper term “above the fold.” 

A/B testing can be done on a fresh ad idea (like the still images example in the previous section), but we’ve also found success through using A/B testing to revamp a struggling ad that we believe still has potential. This is useful when we know a video ad has elements and messaging that has worked in other iterations, but for some reason, it is failing to draw an audience. This is a great opportunity for developing an A/B Test around a new hook. If we can get a successful hook, viewers will stick around for the valuable meat of the message. 

An example of this was for our product photography partner, soona. On our first round of creative, we were optimistic about a testimonial concept that ended up underperforming. The ad had a lot going for it, the testimonial was sincere, the edit was fun and the messaging was similar to ads we’ve seen succeed in the past. So instead of scrapping the idea, we created an A/B test where we produced a B variant with a new hook. 

We hypothesized that the ad struggled because the viewer didn’t know what soona was quickly enough, so for the B variant, we added a 2 second frame with copy explaining it (a virtual product photography company) with photo examples before jumping into the testimonial. 

Then, we isolated these two videos in a fresh campaign with a modest defined test budget to ensure that the performance of the original wasn’t impacted by an audience that had already seen it.

Here’s our original (on the right) and our B variant (on the left). The two videos were exactly the same except for the fresh 2 second hook in variant B. Headline and text copy remained exactly the same between the two:

Ultimately, the results were surprising:

• The original video (with Rob’s face as the hook) showed a significantly stronger click-through rate:
  • CTR = 0.25%
• The B variant:
  • CTR = 0.11%

So, we proved our hypothesis wrong! And in the spirit of science, we didn’t ball our test up and throw it out, we dug in deeper to try to uncover what it is about this asset that lagged behind. Ultimately, we ran several more additional tests and discovered that short, quippy, brightly-colored stills tend to generate our strongest click-through rates, reaching upwards of 0.8%. 

Top Tips for Structuring Your Test Campaign

Let’s get into the nuts and bolts of how to set up your campaign structure in order to walk away with definitive findings like the ones we generated above.  

The first thing you’ll want to do when planning how to execute your A/B test is put together a strategic plan that outlines the following:

1. How you’ll test the two variables against each other 
2. Where the test will take place
3. How long you’ll be running the test
4. KPIs for success

There are two ways to implement a A/B test on paid social –– using Facebook’s A/B tool or isolating the variables and measuring the data manually. 

To use the A/B testing tool on Facebook, you’ll want to create two new ad sets using the same audience (one ad set with variable A and one ad set with variable B). From there, you’ll click the A/B test button in the main navigation which will take you to a page that looks like this to set up your test. 

For the A/B test above with the two different text graphics, we wanted to make sure that we were isolating the two different assets and testing them in the same audience on Facebook so that way we could have concrete data on which graphic performed better. Since we know that the KPIs vary for different audiences based on where they fall in the user funnel, we typically like to execute the A/B test in one prospecting audience and one retargeting audience. 

From there, we decided that we’d run the test for 10 days or until each audience reached $500, which would give us enough significant data to analyze and determine which variable was the winner. 

Our main KPI for this A/B test was CTR. We also layered on number of purchases and cost per purchase as secondary KPIs. 

Think Like a (Creative) Scientist

Ultimately, to get REAL results from your A/B test you’ve gotta keep an open and unbiased mind and lean in with curiosity. If your test doesn’t generate the results you were hoping for, change up the creative and test again! When you’re after insights greater than “which color button performs better,” you’re reckoning with a number of different variables. So, creating a new hypothesis, and diving back into another test is the best way to keep you inching closer to creative assets that unlock amazing performance. 

Ready to dive into an impactful A/B test with us? Let’s talk. 

The post How to Set Up an A/B Test so You Get REAL Results appeared first on Tuff.

Testing, testing, testing! As a creative team tucked inside a growth agency, we throw around that word a LOT. Especially because we partner with scaleups looking for quick, efficient (and sustainable) paths to growth. Making sure we’re clear about what we’re testing—and executing it within rock-solid social ad campaigns—ensures that on the other side of a few thousands of dollars worth of ad spend (and oftentimes even less), we can take a step back and confidently say, “here’s what worked; here’s what underperformed.” You can read all about that and get our tried-and-true templates in this blog!

How we set up an ad creative test at Tuff:

• Most often when we begin to outline our tests for a new partner, we’re talking value props. Our question: “Which of your core messages is most likely to stop a scroll and win a click?” During this testing phase, we’re keeping the creative formatting relatively simple and getting very particular about the creative messaging. This way, we can isolate that variable and come to a cleaner, more definitive conclusion after our test period has ended. For one of our partners, Betterleap, this is what this looked like!

• After we’ve run a few tests and feel confident that we’ve honed in on our strongest message, we’ll begin to experiment with look and feel of ad creative. In this phase we’ll diversify creative type and formatting, launching a suite of creative that includes user generated content, UX animation, simple/bold copy statements, offers, and more.

• Our goal in these subsequent phases is to hone in on what elements of creative assets drive those clicks. And THAT is what this blog is all about. Although the companies we partner with span across a wide range of industries, after publishing hundreds of creative assets and running dozens of tests, there are three main types of ad creative types that reign supreme. 

Note: while we run campaigns on a multitude of different platforms, this blog centers primarily on what we’ve found to drive the best performance on Facebook/Instagram.

The three types of ad creative that constantly drive performance:

1. Split-Screen Creative

Believe it or not, REGARDLESS of industry or company type, split-screen creative is consistently among our top performers. We’ve even pitted it against bold, colorful branded videos, 3D animations, custom illustrations…you name it. And split-screen creative still drives better performance. When we first spotted this trend (with our partner, AKKO) we scratched our heads and thought, “okay let’s create a fresh version in our next round and see if the trend holds up.” Spoiler alert: it maintained it spot at the top of our performance pyramid and hasn’t wavered since. 

If you’re over there thinking, “no way, jose! Video ALWAYS wins!” Well…that’s what we thought too before we saw the numbers!  

2. Made-On-TikTok Creative

TikTok is unequivocally the fastest-growing social platform. It’s a hotbed for sprouting new trends that permeate every other. It’s also the channel we get asked about the most by organizations looking to partner with a growth agency like Tuff. “Can you run ads on TikTok for me?” is arguably the question that we see most often in our “Let’s Talk” form fill. 

So, we started building a network of creators and making high-impact ad creative for TikTok! We also spotted an easy opportunity to test this creative outside of the TikTok ad platform. Our results: regardless of channel—but most clearly on Facebook/Instagram—our made-on-TikTok ad creative type drives incredibly strong performance (even when resized in 1080×1080 for in-feed placements). (Note: click the image to see the full video!)

3. UX Animation

The third type of creative that consistently puts up strong click-through rate numbers is UX animation. This doesn’t just apply to SaaS businesses, though, when we can show what the user experience of any platform is like (even if it’s just a checkout flow or onboarding process—something the user might only experience once) we see performance inching higher.

Our hypothesis: when we can demystify the “how it works” part of the equation right out the gate at the top of the funnel, we subliminally communicate to our audience that we really care about their experience. So much so, we want to show them ALL the inner workings before they even click! Especially because the most-used sites on the internet are user obsessed, your potential customer has a low tolerance for clunky interfaces or ugly design. Positioning yourself as a winner in UX from the get-go is consistently a win! (Note: Click the image to view the full video!)

There you have it! While we’re always generating new ideas and hypotheses, these three ad creative types are ones you’ll consistently see within our ad creative suites. Because they work!

Have you been experimenting with creative formatting? We’d love to hear about it! Or, if you’re curious about what we could uncover about your organization and target audience through creative testing, let’s chat!

The post Ad Creative Types That Constantly Drive Performance (Regardless of Industry) appeared first on Tuff.

TikTok…it’s a tough nut to crack. Not only because it’s notoriously the most ephemeral channel (who, who, WHO is responsible for all of these amazing trends?!) but also because TikTok users are extremely adept at sniffing out BS. It takes a smart, authentic, real story to capture the attention of a TikTok scroller. And we’ve spent a LOT of time this past year and change developing the perfect TikTok ad recipe. 

And, as your trusty TikTok Ads Agency, we’re here to spill the beans. 

1. Get Vulnerable – Tell a Real Story

Okay, I’m admittedly a serial TikTok scroller here, but one of the things that I (and MANY others) love about the platform is the way it amplifies real people’s stories. And when I say “stories,” I’m not talking about the airbrushed, Face-Tuned stories we see on Instagram, or even the HD, studio-lit stories of YouTube. The great thing about storytelling on TikTok is that it gives you access to someone who picked up a phone in the spur of a moment and shared something personal! No joke, the third video that popped up for me when I opened the app just now was this vulnerable, real, and in this case, heart wrenching story. The courage! (The makeup!). Another example is this video in which a woman captured a funny-not-so-funny email she received from Facebook support.

Did you click on those links? Even if you did, swing back by to check out the view/like count. DANG. Proof that people are drawn to stories that feel human! For marketers and creators looking for our audiences out there in the app, this is a crystal clear nudge to get vulnerable ourselves. Here are a few examples of our approach:

• MyWellbeing: Does My Therapist’s Identity Matter?
• Pathstream: Stuck in a Dead-End Job?

What are the pain points your audience experiences that drives you to create a better product/solution every day? Start there and then get real.

2. Don’t Overthink It – Keep it Lo-Fi

As mentioned above, false peeks into curated lives and expensive camera equipment really have no place on TikTok. If you find yourself reading from a script, directing a scene, or breaking out the Red camera…STOP. 

Take a moment to scroll through the app yourself. Almost every single video looks like it was shot on an iPhone. And even the ones that were shot with nice equipment get some sort of filter or treatment that *suggests* it was casual or off-the-cuff.

Our approach: sketch out a general idea or main ideas you’d like to cover then jump into the app! Creating a video is so quick and easy that it’s fun to work through a few iterations in the app, scratch them, workshop them, and refine in real time. 

3. Uplift Diverse Voices – Find Great Creators

Part of building trust and resonating with your audience is dependent on finding real, personable creators. This one is without a doubt the trickiest. There’s no easy way to track down, hire, brief, manage, and get great creative from creators, but we’ve learned first hand that when you put in the effort, it pays off in spades. 

The really effective piece to this puzzle, for us, has been CLLCTVE. For a reasonable monthly subscription price, we’re able to submit a form that includes information about what the organization is about, the type of creator we’re looking for, and other relevant information to the job. Then, CLLCTVE’s team of creator recruiters will compile a list of people that fit our criteria. From there, we’re free to reach out directly to each creator and roll with the project however we please! Here are a few fun examples of videos we’ve made with creators:

• Nova Credit: New to the US?
• Teachable: You Could Monetize That

4. Shake Your Booty – Create with Music in Mind

TikTok is a supremely sound-focused app. Unlike Facebook—which most seasoned ad creative makers are used to—”88% of TikTok users said that sound is essential to the TikTok experience.” (source). Oftentimes, when we begin to make ad creative, we’ll find the sound we want to use even before we begin to concept out the rest of the aspects of the ad. 

Disclaimer! It’s super important to ensure that when you create a video to use as an ad that you select from TikTok’s library of commercially-licensed sounds. There’s admittedly a notably lesser selection, but TikTok’s AI is quick to ding your account if you’re caught using unlicensed tunes. 

How to use commercially-licensed sound:

1. Open the video creator, and tap “Sounds”
2. In the dropdown, tap “Commercial Sounds”
3. Choose the one that best fits!

5. Cover Your Ass – Drop the Watermark!

It’s a small detail but one of the most important—never publish an ad on TikTok without first removing the watermark. Trust us on this one, we learned the heard way that TikTok AI is swift in its abilities to find ad creative with that pesky watermark and ding your account. They also aren’t super into second chances. So if you aren’t trying to get your account suspended until you can reach a TikTok rep, make sure you’re dropping that watermark!

Thankfully, it’s simple to do:

1. Cruise to a site like SnapTik or SSSTikTok
2. Drop in a link to your published/public TikTok video
3. Voila!

So, are you feeling inspired? If so, drop us a line, we’d love to see what you create! If you’re feeling a bit intimidated and not quite sure where to start, let’s chat!

The post The 5 Main Components of Effective TikTok Ad Creative appeared first on Tuff.

Does it follow the brand book? Does it speak to the right audience? Does it abide by general design principles? 👈 These are the questions that most designers or agencies ask themselves when they’re answering the question: “so…is that good?”

But, as a creative team nestled within a growth marketing agency, we demand much, much more out of every asset that leaves our desks. 

In addition to putting our assets through the typical creative wringer, we put each through a gauntlet stacked with data. That allows us to work in-step with growth marketers and channel experts to design creative that uplifts campaign performance and, ultimately, drives revenue. 

Primary Metrics and How We Use Them

Hop into Facebook Business Manager, TikTok Ads Manager, or any of the other back-end dashboards that power your campaigns and you’ll see a wealth of data to parse through. Here are the metrics we hone in on when it comes to benchmarking creative and what they tell us about each asset:

Click-Through Rate: When we see a high CTR on an asset, we can deduce that it was attention-grabbing and compelling enough to drive our audience to click. 

Cost Per Click: Similar to CTR, CPC is a metric that helps us understand how “grabby” our creative is. The lower the CPC, the stronger the creative. 

Conversion Rate: While we use the platforms’ owned dashboards to peek at CTR and CPC, when it comes to CVR, we’re all about Google Analytics. When we see a higher CVR on a piece of creative, we can deduce that not only was the creative compelling enough to earn us a click, but also the user was equipped with enough information (and excitement!) to complete a desired action once they hit the site. Obviously, the ad creative is only part of this equation (site experience and UX is the other big-hitter when it comes to this metric) but it’s still super helpful in understanding the performance of an asset. 

Cost Per Conversion: Similar to CVR this is a metric that helps us understand how actionable our creative is. The lower the cost per conversion, the stronger the creative. 

Secondary Metrics and How We Use Them

Just the same as how the DNA of each growth marketing strategy differs, so do the KPIs and useable metrics. So, while the above four metrics are typically the most important, sometimes we don’t have the luxury of leaning on them. Instead, we can use other helpful metrics to fill in the blanks. 

Time on Site: TOS is a great substitute for conversion rate and cost per conversion for organizations with higher customer acquisition costs. 

Leads: This one is simple – instead of peeking at conversion rates, sometimes lining up the total number of leads or conversions, take a look at the hard numbers. 

Here an example of how we’ve subbed in other metrics when CTR, CPC, CVR, and CPC can’t tell the whole story:

We work with an organization with a relatively high cost per conversion. That means, with their monthly budget, sometimes we’ll only have one or two conversions on even our best-performing assets. In this case, CVR and CPC are relatively useless metrics (because they’ll only give us information on a few of our assets). To solve for this, we’ve subbed in time on site (TOS) in place of CPC and CVR.

Industry Benchmarks by Platform

Okay, so you’ve compiled your data, you can see which assets are driving stronger performance. But still, is it good? Take a peek at the industry benchmarks by the the most-used platforms to see how your creative measures up. We’re only including click-through rate and cost per click in the chart below because conversion rate, cost per conversion, and time on site depend so heavily on factors outside of the ad platform (like the UX of your site, cost of your product/service, etc):

Facebook (including Instagram):

• CTR: 0.9%
• CPC: $0.97

TikTok:

• CTR: 3% to 12% CTR
• CPC: $1.20

LinkedIn:

• CTR: 0.55%
• CPC: $5.58

Note: these are averages across all industries. There can be significant discrepancy depending on industry, so make sure you dive a little deeper to get the full story!

Leveraging Data to Make Better Creative

Data for data’s sake is simply a waste. So, the most important part of the entire equation is gleaning insights that make a massive impact on what you make next. While leveraging data to untangle what’s working and what’s not is a bit of an exercise in educated interpretation, overtime, it can make a massive difference. Here’s a shortened version of our process here at Tuff:

1. Gather the growth marketer, social ads expert, and creative lead ‘round to get a big-picture view of the best performing assets and the ones that were left behind. 
2. Identify common threads among the top three/four at the top and bottom of the pack. Investigate things like:
   1. Which value props are featured?
   2. Are there color/type similarities?
   3. What type of creative are in these groups? Videos? GIFs?
   4. What kind of content is featured? Big, bold copy? Testimonials?
3. Articulate your high-level insights about what worked, what didn’t work as well, and how you plan to create a fresh round of assets that honors what works and leaves behind what doesn’t.

Think you could use a hand gathering and synthesizing data to make creative that doesn’t just look nice, but drives real results? Let’s talk.

The post So….Is That Good? The Complete Guide to Benchmarking Ad Creative appeared first on Tuff.

“Do you make creative?” This is the question (that we got over and over again) that planted the seed that eventually bloomed into the creative department here at Tuff. 

But, it was a question that we considered carefully before taking the plunge. There are a handful of other growth marketing agencies out there making “performance creative” but we knew that if we were to treat creative as an extension of our growth marketing services, we needed to make sure that everything we made answered to one queen: data!

So, that’s just what we did. And over time, we’ve built, refined, and perfected our creative analysis template and we’re excited to share it with you. It’s designed to hold our creative accountable—a way for us to make sure we axe the assets that aren’t contributing to driving clicks or revenue for our partners. And, ultimately, build out a suite of creative for our partners that centers on the stickiest messaging and drives the best possible traffic towards conversion.

Here are the two templates we reference in this article: 

• Full Creative Analysis Spreadsheet
• High-Level Creative Analysis Worksheet

The Alternative: Slow-Moving & Expensive

Branding and creative-first agencies serve a definitively important purpose in the marketing world: a solid and cohesive brand has the power to instill trust and lay a great foundation. It’s also a powerful tool for building your employer brand. But, check out the H1 of our Creative page, and it’ll tell you everything you need to know about why our creative team is different: “Creative doesn’t have to be a production.” 

We decided to take creative into our own hands after we, quite simply, realized that most branding agencies don’t have the tools or the in-house expertise to measure the actual effectiveness of their creative. It’s worth saying that almost every creative agency we’ve worked with (or at!) has incredibly insightful and talented people on their teams. But oftentimes, our growth team would submit a request for effective ad creative and, weeks (and sometimes thousands of dollars later) we’d get a file full of creative that, once we deployed it, had variable performance. 

Additionally, with the rise of emerging platforms like TikTok, user generated content is consistently showing the results we’re looking for (case in point, one of our all-time favorite posts: ​​Got a Crappy iPhone Video? You’ve Got the Perfect Facebook Ad). And, simply, UGC is a creative format that most traditional creative agencies aren’t set up to produce. 

The Short List of Questions to Vett an Agency’s Ability to Produce Effective Ad Creative

• Do they measure the effectiveness of creative as a part of their process?
• Are they able to use data to justify their creative decisions?
• Are they invested in their creative actually driving measurable results for your business?
• Can they produce assets in a variety of formats?

Why We Do a Creative Analysis

Beyond simply knowing what kind of ads to make next, we perform a creative analysis once every four to six weeks and apply our learning to all other areas of our growth marketing strategy. When we can take a step back and identify patterns among our best-performing assets (like messaging, colors, imagery and even format type), we can extend our learnings to improve landing pages, email, and more.

One of our favorite tools we lean heavily on whenever we’re strategizing new messages to test or new creative to make is the Value Props worksheet. At the outset of every partnership, we’ll fill out this worksheet and, originally, use it as a level set to make sure that the ways we’re planning to articulate points of differentiation and value aligns with the expectations and insights of our partners’ teams. But, creative analysis exercises help us treat this as a living document; consistently tweaking and refining it to reflect the messaging that’s driven the absolute best results. 

Beyond making the creative objectively better, the creative analysis exercise is a tool we use to also keep us laser focused on our main goal: drive results for our partners. And, when we center data in all of our creative work, it keeps the full creative team ego-less and unified.

How We Do a Creative Analysis

This is where left brains and right brains unite! Here’s how we conduct a creative analysis step by step.

1. Pull the data

When analyzing results, there are a lot of variables to take into account. Depending on the objective of the campaign, we will pull different data points to check out performance. We look at Facebook for metrics like cost per link click, click-through rate and amount spent and then look deeper into user behavior in Google Analytics for metrics like time on site, bounce rate and pages/session. This is where organized naming conventions come in handy! When working in Google Analytics, we add a secondary dimension of the ad content and then use the advanced filter to look at the data by creative asset and audience. Not only is it crucial to look at creative performance but it is also crucial to understand audience performance and why certain messages resonated with certain people. 

If we are analyzing video content, we also take a peek at how much of the video users watched, when they dropped off and what the messaging was before. 

2. Analyze the findings

Sitting among a suite of growth marketing tactics and strategies, creative is its own unique beast. So, analyzing the data and coming away with insights that can incrementally improve results can be a bit of an imperfect science. Sometimes the results are obvious: like motion outperformed stills. But other times, the takeaways aren’t as clear.

This is where it helps to enlist a creative brain (or two) to take a step back, and check out the spread. Here, it’s all about finding distinct patterns/similarities among the top performers. While it’s not always comprehensive (and sometimes necessitates a deeper look) check out our quick list of questions we ask to help us compare the top performers with the underperformers:

Among the top performers…

• Which messages are featured? (Revisit the value props sheet here)
• What creative format do we see? (Carousels, videos, GIFs, etc)
• What kind of imagery do we see? (Lifestyle, illustrated, portraits, etc)
• Is there a color pattern? Is one brand color featured more prominently?
• Are there any other noticeable shared elements? (humor, testimonials, offers, etc)

3. Create a game plan for a fresh round

Here’s where it all comes together! Once you’ve got your list of findings and your full team (including your partners) are in general agreement about the patterns among the top and bottom performers, it’s time to outline a game plan for the next round.

Again, this is where it’s handy to have a creative brain on your team to synthesize all of these findings and create a fresh brief that lays the groundwork for new concepts and ideas that uplift what’s working, ditches what’s not, and introduces a few new ideas to layer on. Over time, and after a handful of these exercises, you’ll have a growing list of messaging, creative formats, imagery, colors, and other shared elements that you know are going to generate the results you want to see.  

Creative: It Can and SHOULD Bow to Data

If there’s one major takeaway from this article: there’s no room for creative egos when it comes to making ad creative that uplift growth marketing strategies. Even the most amazing, high-quality, expensive video can simply flop. And that stings. But instead of allocating more spend, trying new audiences, and trying to coerce some performance, sometimes (most often) the right course of action is to just scrap it and try something else! 

Ready to get ruthless with your creative and see real results? Let’s chat!

The post Bow Down to Data: How We Use Metrics to Dictate Creative (+ Creative Analysis Templates) appeared first on Tuff.

In two short words, we can sum up the whole point of this article: video performs. No matter if we’re talking ad performance (like we’ll dig into in this article) or organic engagement, landing page CRO, and beyond, video works. 

Here’s the thing, though, not all video is created equal. As a growth marketing agency, no matter how gorgeous, flashy, or on-brand a piece of creative is, we’ll ditch it any day in favor of creative that converts. 

Like any seasoned growth marketer will tell you: there’s no clear path to growth. An effective strategy leans on fearless testing, thoughtful hypothesizing, and an unshakeable zest for learning from failures. So, over the years we’ve accumulated a list of learnings as a direct result of successes and failures. While these are not complete (and will, frankly, never be because ad platforms are constantly changing), here are some pointers for getting your creative wheels turning:

• Get to the point QUICKLY. Like within 15 seconds. 
• Drop in some memorable branded elements (like a subtle logo overlay).
• Captions are a MUST. About 80% of users watch video on Facebook without sound.
• Don’t overthink it! Ad creative is ephemeral. It’s more important to get something out there than wait until it feels perfect. 
• Humor is HARD. Unless you can really do it right, it’s best to steer clear.
• Constantly search for inspo! Our favorite places to go are Facebook Ads Library, WPromote’s Ad Creative Bank, and PIVADS

Ultimately, when you’re thinking about kickstarting a campaign with video, our greatest pointer: don’t overthink it; just start.

Tip #1: Have Stills? Don’t Count Them Out

If you’re feeling extra tight on budget, short on time, or, you just have a gorgeous collection of stills, simple over-image text animation is an easy way to significantly boost performance. There are two relatively simple ways to go about this:

1. Hire a freelance designer that can add over-image text in Adobe Illustrator (or some similar program) then migrate it into After Effects to add a little magic of movement. Looking for the perfect fit? Upwork is a great place to start to hire contractors that can jump on it quickly and most often for a super reasonable price. 
2. Try your own hand! There are tons of drag-and-drop design tools out there to help people without much design experience create something usable in minutes. The reigning champ (in our opinion) is Canva. Pro tip: lean heavily on their templates especially if you don’t have lots of design background.

Animated text inspo roundup: Pilot | DoorDash | Blue Apron

Tip #2: Get Yourself Some UGC

User-generated content is, quite simply, golden. Think about it: how much more likely are you to buy a product like a razor when you see a real, relatable person incorporating it into their everyday life (like billie does) vs. a staged ad that showcases the product in a sterile, overly-glam staged environment (like Gillette does)?

Companies like billie that do UGC remarkably well are likely able to tap a wide range of influencers and probably have a community manager on their team (or partners with a PR firm) who spends most of their week connecting with influencers, managing the creative production, and keeping up with contracts. 

For most smaller businesses looking to get into the UGC game, it can be a challenge to know where to start. That’s why we recommend testing a service like Billo. The interface is super easy to use, the creators are friendly, fun, and super professional, the support is amazing, and it makes getting user-generated content super doable on a tight (financial and time) budget. 

We tested a UGC video from Billo for our partner AKKO — check out the results!

UGC inspo roundup: Shopify | Ritual | Ruggable 

Tip #3: Try Your Own Hand

One of the most experienced Social Ads Experts/Growth Marketers on our team wrote an article awhile back. The title tells you all you need to know about our recommendations for testing video on you ad platforms if you’re not ready to try Canva or UGC: Got a Crappy iPhone Video? You’ve Got the Perfect Facebook Ad.

The TLDR; “Typically, brands think that developing video assets = 💸💸💸. But that isn’t the case. Shoot the video on your iPhone, edit it together in TikTok, and export it to use on other social channels. Mimic the latest video editing trends on social, and you can get scrappy with creating your own video content — and see great results.”

Tip #4: Build Yourself a Rolodex of Freelancers

There are SO many different ways to infuse movement into your ad creative. And so it naturally follows that there is a seemingly infinite number of creatives to help you make it. If you’ve got a bit of a budget to spend, you’ve got the opportunity to hire creatives ready to bring your ideas to life. 

As we mentioned above, Upwork is where we’ll start if we’ve got no existing connections to leverage for a new creative idea. Here’s a quick list of things to keep in mind when you hire a freelancer to help with video ad creative:

1. Can they help with illustration/animation? (This is one of the easiest ways to create flexible assets that don’t depend on a costly video shoot).
2. Do they have experience working with ads? They function quite differently than brand creative.
3. Do they charge hourly or by project? (For three unique video assets without shooting, earmark anywhere from $1200 – $2000)
4. How quick is their turnaround?

Once you’ve found a freelancer that meets your criteria, write up a quick document outlining your three unique video ideas, the most important messaging you’d like to convey, any existing branded elements you have, and a full folder of creative assets (like illustrations, photos, video, etc) that the freelancer can use. The more information you can provide (plus examples of what you like), the smoother the process will go.

Illustrated ad inspo roundup: Bench | Hotjar | SEMRush

Tip #5: Test, Test, Test

So, we put our creative through the ringer early and often to check up on four key metrics:

1. Cost Per Click (CPC): is the creative grabby/interesting enough that it can generate a quick click from our audience?
2. Click-Through Rate (CTR): another way of looking at CPC and essentially answers the same question. Is it compelling enough that we can get someone to want to learn more?
3. Time on Site (TOS): does the creative match the site experience? In other words, does your creative provide a smooth transition once your user hits the site?
4. Leads: Can be swapped for revenue, signups, etc. based on your business. This tells us which creative kickstarted the strongest path towards conversion.

In the chart below, we ran a creative audit for a partner of ours that does bookkeeping for SMBs. We tested a wide variety of creative then pulled the top-performers and bottom-performers to compare metrics and glean insights. Based on what we see here we have a strong idea of what messaging resonates best, what creative led to the most conversions, and which creative just simply flopped. 

Now, based on what worked and the resources we’ve gleaned along the way, we’re ready to hit the ground with a creative refresh that leans heavier on what worked and ditches what doesn’t.

Ultimately, creative doesn’t have to be a production. While it should take time and consideration, we see too many organizations that shy away from video to their own demise! Looking for help kickstarting your own ad channels or leveling up your creative game? Let’s talk.

The post 5 Tips for Making Great (and Cost Effective) Video Ad Creative appeared first on Tuff.

When balancing the main components of a growth marketing tactic (strategy + targeting + creative), there comes a time when many organizations find themselves in a chicken-and-egg scenario: which comes first? Is it the campaign strategy and targeting that should dictate creative? Or should great creative—backed by battle-tested value props and watertight messaging—lead the way into a strategy that can really bring it to life; serving it to the right people, and driving up conversion?

The short answer: it depends. (I know, I know).

In a perfect world, the world in which giants like Verison, Budweiser, Nike, and other Super-Bowl-ready players operate, there’s an endless well of data at the ready to inform all of the above. And you’d know what creative works best on which channel paired with which optimized audiences, etcetera, etcetera. But! If you’re here, you’re likely looking for a growth marketing agency that can operate with trim budgets, run efficient tests, and use scrappy creative to drive quick wins and set the stage for scaling. 

So, before we talk about creative, we’ll need to broach the topic: what kind of creative do you already have at your disposal? Your answer to this question might help you hone in on which channels are your best starting point. Here’s our quick guide:

Making the Most of Creative You Already Have

Before you jump headlong into creating a full new library of creative for the channels on which you’d like to run ads, revisit your existing assets with a fresh lens! How about that product shoot you shot last year? What’s left in the B-Roll folder? Revisit that brand video you commissioned for your sales team. Check in with your videographer to see if you might be able to snag some other shots out of his archives to repurpose instead of planning a full new shoot. 

Still Photography/Images:

• Suitable for: Facebook/Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter, Gmail Ads, Display Advertising, Email Marketing
• Make them ad-ready: Hire a freelance designer (we love UpWork) or get your own hands dirty with a drag-and-drop tool like Canva. Add simple on-image copy and your logo in an unobtrusive way so it’s super easy for a user to understand who you are and what you do in a flash. 

Owned assets (meaning images, illustrations, or other graphics that have been created specifically for your brand) are typically much more impactful and drive better results than stock photography. But, that doesn’t mean you should rule out stock! 

GIFs or Simple Motion

• Suitable for: Facebook/Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Gmail Ads, Display Advertising, Email Marketing
• Make them ad-ready: Ensure your freelance designer from UpWork has the ability to accomplish simple animations in After Effects or a similar program. Canva also has some simple, easy-to-use motion templates as well. The same advice goes for GIFs or simple motion in your video — make sure it’s super easy for your audience to get the message. If possible, even keep the copy to 5 words or less. 

Super simple motion, like animated text flashing over a still image or a 3 second looping video almost always performs better than still imagery across all the above channels.

Video

• Suitable for: TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook/Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Gmail Ads (as longer as they’re under 30 seconds long)
• Make them ad-ready: Swing back by Upwork and find yourself a scrappy video editor that can help you recreate ad-ready assets. Ensure product placement (or super strong branded elements) appear within the first 3 seconds and that your video does not run longer than 30 seconds in length.

No matter if you’ve got a branded video, YouTube reviews, or a scrappy library of shot-on-iPhone video, it’s definitely worth splicing, dicing, resizing, and testing video against your still assets.  

🚨 Important! Before you start drawing up your strategy, investigating your targeting options, and setting aside budget, be sure to check out this Creative Ad Specs cheat sheet to make sure your files are large enough and are either in the right aspect ratio or can easily be reconfigured.

Pro tip: you’ll (likely) see better results quicker if—instead of creating brand-new creative—you instead focus on resizing your existing assets to fit each placement. 

How to Create High-Performance, Channel-Specific Ad Creative

If you only take ONE thing away from this whole article: don’t bust your budget on creative. Our approach (and, truly, the only way we can get behind creative production): test, test, test. Then, only then, consider investing in more high-value/bigger-production creative after you’ve gotten an opportunity to really hone in on the messaging and visuals that drive down cost per click (CPC) and drive up conversion rate (CVR).

Here at Tuff, when we take on creative production on behalf of—or alongside—one of our partners, here’s the approach we take:

The Tuff Timeline: Creating, Deploying, and Learning From Creative

When you hire a revenue and conversion-first growth marketing agency like Tuff, before we dig into pre-production, we’ll ensure the first weeks of our engagement are centered on rapid, actionable testing so that we can confidently make new creative that really resonates (and is worth the cost).

Days 1-3

Before we spend a dollar, we’ll start by digging into your target audience and validating/battle testing your value props. Based on the site experience, your sales materials, and what we can learn from you, are we confident that we can make creative that can hit the right people with the right message at the right time? 

Days 3-5

From there, we’ll get into concepting. If “fair, modern and inexpensive insurance” are the strongest high-level value props (for example), we’ll build creative ideas around them and workshop them with you to make sure we’re aligned.

We’ll create three very distinct concepts to test against each other so we’ll be able to understand—from a high level—which works and which don’t work as well.

Days 5-15 (depending on complexity of the creative)

Then, we’ll get into production. We’ve got a Rolodex of photographers, videographers, and designers to quickly and efficiently produce great creative.

We’ll produce 1-2 different pieces of creative underneath each of the three distinct concepts (for a total of 3-6 pieces of creative) every 6 weeks until we hone in on winners and double down there.

Days 30-60

Finally, and most importantly, we’ll put that creative through the wringer by conducting a full creative analysis that measures its effectiveness using two major data points:

• CPC (is it grabby/compelling enough to get a quick click?)
• CPL (is the ad-to-site experience seamless enough that the creative helps smooth their path towards conversion?)

From there, we’ll emerge with insights about what’s performing, what’s not, and a game plan for a fresh round of production (the timing on this cycle is totally dependent on ad spend and audience size).

Ready to Get Started?

Whether you’re ready to break out and start testing what kind of creative drives the best results for your growth or you need to enlist the help of a team that can take that burden off your hands, we’d love to hear about it!

The post The Beginner’s Guide to High-Performance, Channel-Specific Ad Creative appeared first on Tuff.

If you’ve been following Tuff for truly any amount of time, you know that we have a history of taking a hard stance on email marketing. Hyperboles aside, email is a channel that truly pulls its weight in a full-funnel marketing strategy. What’s more, your customers (and/or clients, leads, prospects) WANT to hear from you. Need some proof?

Did you know that 72% of customers prefer email as their main channel for business communication? Did you further know that 60% of consumers say they’ve made a purchase as the result of a marketing email they’ve received? (Source)

The short story: an opt-in is a sure sign from your customer that they want to hear you. When you honor that with timely, actionable, and relevant communication in their inbox, you energize your on-the-fence customers and engage your best ones. In other words: you create a real, scalable path to growth. 

The catch: between e-blasts, marketing emails, transaction emails, list segmentation, and automation it’s hard to know where to start. We’ve got your back. 

Disclaimer! As a growth marketing agency, we’re constantly preaching about prioritization; how to identify your highest-impact/lightest-lift activities so you can quickly implement, optimize, test, and use your findings to build more detailed, impactful strategies on other channels. Email is no different. This article digs deep into drip campaigns: in our opinion, one of the best ways to drive revenue using email. But! That’s not to say that e-blasts or automated flows might make the greater impact for you. Not quite sure where to start? Let’s talk.

The Vocab: Email Marketing 101

A solid email strategy starts with a clear understanding of your options. An important note: depending on where you’re getting your information, the following terminology may vary (or be used a bit differently).

E-Blast vs. Drip Campaign vs. Automated Flow

There are a number of different methods for emailing your customers that have opted into hearing from you. The first, and typically the most common is e-blasts. This is where most founders or marketers start: this is a one-off or a consistently sent email meant to keep your customers up to date on new content, product launches, and/or events. These are manual and hands-on—the content will change each time you send. 

A drip campaign, meanwhile, is static, predetermined, and scheduled content based on pre-defined triggers. For example, a series of email that sends to someone who’s just created an account, abandoned their cart, or downloaded a white paper. The content of the series is catered specifically to the action that the user has taken. And while particularities of the content (like dynamic product content blocks based on the actual items in the user’s abandoned cart), the series itself is a fixed number of emails that eventually ends. 

Finally, an automated flow is a series of emails that dynamically changes based on a user’s behavior (the distinction between a drip campaign and an automated flow is relatively subtle). For example, if a customer has indicated through a series of behaviors that they’re a top user of your app, you can program an automated email to encourage them to upgrade their subscription, leave a review, refer a friend, or take another higher-value action. Then, if that user ends up taking that action, the automation will either drop them out of the flow or put them into a new one. 

While each type pulls its weight in a holistic email marketing strategy, above, they’re ordered from the simplest to the most complex. We recommend starting with e-blasts and maintaining a steady cadence while you build out drip campaigns. Once you’ve had an opportunity to really hone in on list segmentation, get super specific with user behavior patterns, and collect data on your open, click through, and unsubscribe rates, then (in our opinion) it’s time to dig into automated flows. 

How to Build an Effective Email Drip Campaign

Drip campaigns are communications that meet a customer when they’re most engaged: right after they’ve taken a notable action. Before you write one subject line or begin to map out your campaign, it’s super important to get specific with your triggers. 

Step 1: List Every Possible Trigger

No matter what kind of business you run (SaaS, B2B, B2C) your customer journey is stacked with actions for your potential customers to take. From the very first time they discover you, all the way through to conversion, they’ll (likely…ideally!) be seeing and clicking on your ads, finding new ways to learn about you, engaging with ways to save, and ultimately, buying. Here are just a handful of examples:

• Placing an order
• Attending an event at your store
• Signing up for a webcast
• Registering for a report or white paper
• Abandoning a shopping cart
• Engaging with customer service

This is also the step during which you’ll do the heavy lifting when it comes to segmentation.

We could (and probably will!) write a full extra article on segmentation but the short story: if your lists aren’t thoughtfully and properly segmented, the rest of your strategy will have a hard time getting off the ground.

Step 2: Determine Where Each Trigger Fits in Your Marketing Funnel

Where these leads sit in your funnel helps dictate how you message them and what actions you call them to take. Here are the above examples organized by where they fit in the funnel:

Top of Funnel → signing up for a webcast, registering for a report or white paper

Middle of Funnel → attending an event at your store, engaging with customer service

Bottom of Funnel → abandoning a shopping cart

Step 3: Decide How Often to Send

Quick tip: you can send more emails than you think you should. Customers WANT to hear from you. Our tactical recommendations differ depending on industry (eCommerce companies can get away with sending at a higher cadence while B2B or SAAS companies should resist sending more than five emails a month).

Lay out your email cadence depending on how long your sales/conversion process usually takes and/or how long it will take to tell a complete story about why they should purchase or subscribe based on where they are in the funnel.

A quick blueprint to help you find your starting line:

• Plan to include 5 – 10 emails in your campaign
• Send 4 days apart if you’re B2C, 7 if you’re B2B

Step 4: Create Your Email Content

An email drip (as well as an automated flow) is a story — how do you tell a full story from end to end? Again, this messaging will vary greatly depending on where your user is in the funnel. 

Users in the top of your marketing funnel will resonate best with heavy education (how does your product/service make their life better), a word from experts, general tips for how easy it is to integrate your product/service into their life. Consider crafting all emails with the primary CTA of “Learn More.”

Users in the middle of your marketing funnel are in the consideration phase. Core messaging here should be focused on how your product or service tactically works, insights or experiences from real users, and press mentions. The primary CTA here is get in touch with customer service or start shopping.

Users in the bottom of your marketing funnel are nearing conversion and actively looking to buy from you or a competitor. Core messaging here should center on your brand story—why they should believe in your company and how you outpace the competition. Here, we’ve found that personal notes from founders, explaining why and how they’ve built the company in all its particularities can make an impact. The primary CTA here is to place an order, subscribe, or whatever your ultimate conversion action is. 

Step 5: Launch, Check In. Optimize. Rinse & Repeat.

No matter which email strategy you adopt and implement, it’s critical to continuously check in on your drip campaigns to increase performance and, overtime, drive more revenue. Here’s a quick cheat sheet outlining the best metrics to scrutinize and what to try to elevate their performance:

Deliverability Rate

• What it is: The number of emails accepted by the recipient’s server. 
• Why it might be underperforming: You bought a list of emails (BIG no no), you don’t have a clear unsubscribe rate, or you’re using spammy/overly-salesy language.
• How to improve it: Continuously clean your lists, delete any addresses that bounce or are invalid, and ensure the unsubscribe button is clearly visible.

Open Rate

• What it is: The percentage of recipients that open your email. 
• Why it might be underperforming: Your email has landed in the spam folder, it’s hard to tell who you (the sender) is, or your subject line is uninspiring.
• How to improve it: Use simple A/B subject line tests to see what kind of language your audience resonates with.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

• What it is: The percentage of people that open your email and also click through to a link. 
• Why it might be underperforming: Your CTA buttons are too far down the email, it isn’t clear to your recipients what kind of action you want them to take, or the link isn’t compelling enough.
• How to improve it: Test different text lengths, button styles, and actionable copy to encourage a click.

Conversion Rate (CVR)

• What it is: The percentage of people that click through to your site and also make a purchase. 
• Why it might be underperforming: The experience of your email doesn’t match the experience a user has when they hit the site.
• How to improve it: Ensure a smooth/consistent experience from your email to your site.

There’s truly no gilded road to email success—the best strategies start with the questions, “what’s going to be the most impactful for my business and my customer/prospect?” Sometimes, this can feel a bit daunting. The good news: we’ve got your back! Ready to fire up some effective drop campaigns? Let’s talk!

The post They WANT to Hear From You: How to Use Email Drip Campaigns to Engage Your Best Customers appeared first on Tuff.