As campaigns across the country navigate how to reach voters, leveraging digital ads is key to mobilizing voters. Fortunately, there’s more than one way to connect with voters and deliver compelling messaging that drive wins when it comes to advertising online. There are various types of digital ad formats that campaigns can use to deliver their message. If you want to learn more about the types of ad formats, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn about three common digital ad types and tips for gaining traction with your ads.
Banner Ads
A banner ad, often referred to as a display ad, is an effective tool to draw in more voters, promote a campaign, or grab the public’s attention. A banner ad is comparable to a digital billboard to attract visitors to the candidate’s website because it uses visuals to grab attention. Banner ads are a great choice for those looking to convey a message quickly.
Tip for better banner ads:
Be consistent with the landing page: Banner Ads, like any other ad type, require some level of consistency. Here, consistency means that the traffic from your banner ads should go to the relevant landing page, which has all the candidate’s information.
Video Ads
As the name suggests, video ads are one of the more straightforward digital advertising types. It’s simply a video that in some way advertises the candidate or cause. Before watching a video on a web page, an ad, also known as a pre-roll video ad, might play. There are also other formats, including mid-roll (plays in the middle of content), out-stream (plays when the scroller reaches a “trigger area” on the page), post-roll (after a video plays), and videos that play in mobile apps.
Tip for better video ads:
Evoke emotions: The ability to effectively convey the proper emotions to the viewer is the key to a successful video ad campaign. When evoking emotions with an ad, the script, music, editing, or visuals are all good places to start. To increase name recognition, remember to state information such as candidate name, election day, etc., within the first five seconds of the ad.
Native Ads
Native advertising is similar to display ads; however, they’re more strategic and intentional with placement and audience targeting. Native ads circumvent ad fatigue because of their relevant and captivating material. They disguise and blend into feeds. Native ads commonly appear as content recommendations, such as recommended articles at the end of the article you just read. These native ads imitate actual web page referrals and get web users to read more without feeling forced.
Tip for better native ads:
Utilize images of real people: Images can convey a message without words. You might see someone rallying while wearing a uniform or a suit. These pictures tell a lot about the message while also assisting users in visualizing the impact of electing a candidate.
Performance Tip
While working with ads, it’s crucial to pay attention to how certain ads perform. Reporting metrics such as impressions, clicks, and video completions can all help you measure the effectiveness of your digital ad campaigns. Determining which KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) align with your goals and accurately measuring advertising effectiveness allows you to demonstrate the impact of your marketing efforts. Comparing your past performance also will enable you to improve ads in the future. For these reasons, measuring the efficacy of your digital advertising campaigns could help secure wins.
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