There are so many ads out there, it’s unbelievable. Businesses thrive on ads. It’s how they get their messages across to their potential customers. But the problem is, there’s so much content out there, your ads have a high risk of getting buried among the hundreds of other ads out there. Your ads have to catch people’s attention. You want to create ads that people will LOVE. Something that they will remember. An ad that makes them want to click on it.

People hate attempts at catching their attention using cheap tricks like popping up out of nowhere. Annoying pop-up ads, while they create brand awareness, aren’t really a crowd favourite. Most people vehemently stop themselves from clicking on such ads. Personally, I believe pop-up ads were the main reason for the inception of software like AdBlock. They ruined ads for everyone. Don’t try to shove your products/services down people’s throats. Make them feel interested in what you have to offer.

If you want to create an impact with your ads, and need help, we’d love to help out. That’s all for now, let’s move on to the article.

So if you’re the kinda person who’d rather have your audience click on your ads, because they want to, here are a few tips for you.

Subtle advertising

Here’s something that we are going to repeat many times in this article. Your ads shouldn’t feel like ads. There are many ways to go about doing this.

Here’s an example of an ad that doesn’t look like an ad. When Game of Thrones’ costume designer Michele Clapton revealed that he had used a $79 Ikea rug to make Jon Snow’s costume, Ikea posted this:

This ad is awesome.

Make each ad personal. Maybe tell the world a little about who you are and what you do. People love stories. Incorporate a story into your ad and it has an actual chance of becoming a crowd favourite.

Free stuff and giveaways!

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Ads that give away free stuff are always going to attract people. But do not use this technique to trick people, or you’ll be seeing a huge bounce rate.

Talking about free stuff, one of the new best ways to market yourself on social media is influencer marketing. Let someone with a decent number of followers on Instagram use your product/services for free. Let them talk to their followers about your brand. Here’s another way you can approach this. Give them free products or discount coupons, and let them do a giveaway on their social media profile. This method ensures high engagement and you’ll get the publicity you want. We’ve got a detailed article on influencer marketing. Click here to check it out.

Gamification

This is also another ad that doesn’t seem like an ad. You could post contests, games, and anything else that would be fun for your audience to engage with. We’ve got an entire article on this. Check it out here.

Use nostalgia.

Nostalgia is a great way to touch people’s hearts. Raymond is one brand that has consistently used the nostalgia trick in their ads. Their ads feature a cover version of an older Bollywood song. Towards the end of the ads, the song slowly transitions to a rendition of “Träumerei” from Kinderszenen Op.15, by Schumann, the tune popularly known as Raymond’s jingle. For more on using audio in branding and advertising, check out our article on sonic branding.

It’s all in the copy.

When writing copies for ads, most people tend to write about themselves. Stop. Consumers don’t want to know how great you are. Whatever you have to say, they’ve heard it before. Instead, keep your sentences short and lead with value. Focus on how they will benefit by using your products/services. Get your points across in a clear and concise manner. Keep your copy short too as most people have the attention span of a goldfish.

Wholesome content.

People love it when brands put out content that feels wholesome. In a world where brands are constantly trying to outsell each other, Lifebuoy did something that attracted a lot of attention. During the corona outbreak, they published an ad that told people to use their competitor’s products. It looked really wholesome and people loved it!

Use these tips to create likeable ads, you’ll definitely see an improvement in your campaigns. One thing that most people new to marketing forget is that what matters most while creating an ad, is not your business or your product/services. It’s the audience. Think of them. Think like them.

If you’ve heard of other ways companies have tried making their ads fun, drop them down in the comment section below! If you want ads like the ones mentioned here, we’ve got some creative geniuses in our marketing team. Check us out here.