Creativity is the secret sauce to making ads that stop people mid-scroll. Harry Lowes, director of mid-market at ANZ Meta, explains how you can captivate new audiences with magnetic content and unlock increased ad performance.

You only get one chance at a first impression. As a small business, simply getting your ads seen isn’t enough anymore – you have mere seconds to stand out and grab someone’s full attention.

But, how do you create ads that stop the scroll and drive meaningful action? The secret lies in creativity that connects with people on a deeper level.

Don’t believe the myth that you need massive budgets to inject creativity into your ads. By focusing on a few simple strategies, you can elevate your adverts, increase engagement, and ultimately see a boost in performance. In fact, data shows that diverse, visually distinct creatives can lead to a 32% lift in performance compared to similar ads^[1].

Here are four tips to get your creative juices flowing.

Tip 1: Design magnetic content with your brand’s personality at the core

The digital space is crowded, and to stand out as a brand requires creating content that immediately grabs attention. Australian sunglasses brand Quay Australia has mastered the art of creating bold, eye-catching visuals, using a variety of ad formats to engage their fans. Their vibrant and trendy graphics paired with lifestyle imagery help them stand out in the eyewear market.

To replicate this success, focus on your brand’s personality and build your content around it. Mix visual formats and experiment with short videos, lifestyle images, and carousels to show off your products from different angles. By testing which formats your audience engages with most, you can tailor your creative strategy to maximise impact.

The more visually distinct your creative assets are, the better. Studies show creativity drives 56% of the impact on purchase intent, making a clear link between increased creativity and better campaign results^[2]. So, don’t be afraid to go big, be bold, and think outside the box to captivate your audience.

Tip 2: Craft messages that speak to your audience’s motivators and barriers

Remember, the words you use are equally as important as the visuals. Spend some time getting to know what drives or holds back your audience. Figure out the top three motivators or barriers for your customers, and think of creative ways to connect each with a benefit your brand can offer, and call to action (CTA).

For Australian fashion brand The Iconic, knowing their customers love trends but are also budget-conscious allowed them to create a messaging strategy that spoke to these desires:

• Motivator: “I love the latest trends and fast fashion.”
• Benefit: “The Iconic offers the latest styles at unbeatable prices.”
• CTA: “Discover more spring newness in app & online now.”
• Barrier: “Seems too expensive and high-brow.”
• Benefit: “The Iconic runs great mid-year sales”
• CTA: “Discover hot offers via link in bio.”

By directly speaking to your audience’s concerns or desires with benefit-driven messaging and a clear action, you’ll boost your chances of turning interest into action.

Tip 3: Use AI to bring your wildest creative ideas to life

As a small business, the advent of AI means you can experiment faster, identify what works, and scale up successful ad strategies without needing huge teams or budgets.

You’ve likely encountered AI in some form by now. Beyond asking it to write annoying emails or helping you decide what to have for dinner, you can also use these tools to create ads.

AI tools can generate text and images, and also help you experiment with new creative concepts without breaking the bank. They can also streamline the creation and targeting of ads, meaning you can reach new fans with less effort. The creative possibilities are truly endless.

Tip 4: The best ideas are the tried and tested ones

Creativity isn’t just about coming up with fresh ideas; it’s about constantly refining your approach. Test different variations of your ads to see which ones perform best, and use data to guide your creative decisions moving forward. For example, if one ad format consistently drives higher engagement, double down on that style while continuing to experiment with new ideas.

Regularly checking performance metrics like clicks, conversions, and return on investment (ROI) will help you spot trends and identify what’s working and what’s not.

Incorporating generative AI can significantly speed up this process, with marketers anticipating up to 5 hours saved per week by using AI for creative tasks.^[3]

Australian businesses like The Iconic and Quay Australia have proven that creativity, AI innovation, and a willingness to test and refine strategies are key to success in online advertising. Now it’s your turn to tailor messaging, experiment with diverse formats, harness AI tools, and constantly optimising your approach to make creative ads that delight audiences and drive results. 

^[1] Meta “Seasonal Holidays Study” by YouGov (Meta-commissioned online study of 1,359 holiday shoppers aged 18-64 in Australia), Dec 2023. ^[2]MANGA media study ^[3] Sep 2023 survey of the small set of advertisers that participated in AI Sandbox’s early testing

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