Test Creatives Like a Pro

As the world steps into 2021 mid pandemic, we are seeing a surge in users seeking refuge in their devices. Competition has never been heavier as users tap into their chosen app environments choosing the right app to engage. For app marketers, now is no time to loosen the reigns – they need to raise their game and make sure their ads are sufficiently tested and optimized to convert – and creative assets play a key part. Creatives are an often-overlooked critical element of user acquisition and can be the key to success – after all, it’s the one factor that is totally in the marketers control.

Creative testing can help find the right visual combination for highest possible user engagement and of course best performance, so why not learn from the best? Find below my top tips on how to creative test like a pro:

Clear Goals. Clear Wins

It goes without saying that to achieve a clear outcome, you need to establish a clear goal (or set of goals) when embarking on testing ad creatives.  Your goals lay within your own strategies – there are upper funnel metrics (driven directly by the ad creative), and lower funnel metrics (which are often considered the real objective) to consider.  There is a vast amount of monetization models out there from subscriptions monetization to in-app purchases,  so it’s best to find the right goal for you and test against it. It’s although worthwhile to think outside of the box….

IPM

Creative testing when doing it independently can prove a costly game. By the time you’ve put in the hours to rigorously test every creative element of your ad, you can end up spending like Rockefeller. A key way around this could be to move your goal target slightly upwards in the sales funnel. If optimizing for purchases, it could very well be worthwhile to optimize for impression to install rate (IPM). (-Impression Per Thousand).

We can already hear the outcry: ‘ads with higher CTRs and higher top-funnel conversion rates may NOT be true winners for conversions further down the funnel and ROAS (or ROI).’ But, to stop you right there, while there IS a risk of identifying false positives with this method, it might very well prove safer to take this risk than waste copious amounts of money, time , expense and risk for optimizing metrics at the bottom of the funnel. Not so bad now, eh?

Keep At It

Creative testing is a long and winding road, even when you think you have landed on the winning creative set, it simply cannot stay this way forever, so the creative testing cycle needs to keep running. Ad creatives need to be constantly refreshed to prevent ad fatigue and ultimately dodge the number one crime of this ecosystem’s entertainment: ad boredom. Once you hit that winning creative combination, it could also prove an essential step to push these ads past the confines of your testing group and into different and unknown areas worthy of exploration.

The most rewarding creative tests will have only one difference between the two ads. Think about it, the more variables you put into the test, the harder it will be to pinpoint the reason behind the winning ad and the less understanding you will have of the highs and lows. This stands true for creative assets, KPIs, budget…. and, well, everything in between.

Build Relationships via Testing

Creative testing is key to bridging that gap between creative and analytical teams within your company. Successful results will often come from paid, organic and creative teams unifying to break down and optimize test results. With a powerhouse of professionals collaborating, it is much easier to get the bigger picture of what’s working and what is not in order to scrap some ideas and leverage others for ultimate success.

“Creative testing goes beyond the design team. Quantitative data delivers significantly more insights into what resonates with broad target audiences across a multitude of channels.” says Matan Zemet at Liniad. “With a cross spectrum of expertise in the same room you can really get the best data for best possible methodologies and results from creative testing.”

Consulting a Higher Power

The world of creative testing can seem so long and complex that it’s often easy to forget that there is a wealth of expertise out there dedicated to creative testing success. Indeed collaborating with expert knowledge can be the key to smashing your goals, and can give you that cunning edge to put you streets ahead of the competition. Liniad for example is just one company out there who continually works with different app developers to constantly optimize creatives for best performing playable ads, trailers, videos and banners for all marketing channels. Don’t fear collaboration – embrace it.

Learn more about Liniad's user acquisition services

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