How creative ads can boost your app revenues

As we live in an ecosystem of apps and games that are mostly free to download, the goal of any acquisition manager or media buyer is to acquire quality users that generate profitability.

For this, there are several options: from offering in-app purchases to pass through to the next level or obtain premium features in the case of gaming applications, proposing a business model based on subscription, striking a deal with a third company for an affiliate agreement or show monetized ads from other brands.

In all cases, without exception, creativity is a great ally and, if you still have doubts about its benefits, in this article we will show you why.

Benefits of creative ads

Impactful, persuasive, and compelling ads allow you to work with different drivers and brand attributes that have a direct impact on conversions. The main benefits are:

1. Attention: creativity serves to attract the attention of the audience in the microsecond it takes to see your ad to capture attention and prevent viewers from skipping onto the next thing. If you show the same old ad or one that everyone uses, it will be likely that your brand will not cross the microsecond barrier. However, with creativity, you can capture their attention so that they stay and listen to your message.
2. Interest: generating interest in your app should be your primary goal. Beyond attracting the attention of your target, you have to capture their interest so that they consider the app, decide to take the next step of downloading it, and, most importantly, use it. How is this achieved? With ads that create a “match” between what your app offers and what your audience is looking for. In other words, creativity oriented towards relevance.
3. Brand recognition: by maintaining consistency in the tone, colors, and visual codes of your brand in repeated marketing impacts you show your target and develop brand recognition. In other words, you get users to identify you, know who you are, and know what they can expect from you, which is essential to start generating income. Several studies indicate that more than 80% of consumers click on brands with which they are familiar and can identify and even interpret their atmosphere and territory just by seeing their logo.
4. Recall: a creative ad makes your brand stand out from the competition and this generates a positive and lasting impression that stimulates the memory of your brand so that the user considers it when thinking about acquiring products of your category. In fact, the more creative the ad, the more positive the memory of your brand will be, the more likely they are to trust it and reach your ultimate goal of generating revenue.
5. Lower media spend: creativity ensures you meet your goals at the time and boosts your return on advertising investment (ROAS) rates and, therefore, allows you to earn more with less. Creativity is profitable, it allows you to streamline your recruitment campaigns and, consequently, save money. Think about it, is it better to develop a creative ad that really works or three random ads that you aren’t sure will get you the return you seek? It’s as simple as that.

It is about generating visually attractive ads that attract the attention of users and increase engagement. The more attraction, the more downloads for your app and the more engagement, leading to more opportunities to monetize the time users spend in your app.

Tips and techniques for creating eye-catching ads

There are several factors that you must take into account to make creative adverts that skyrocket your income:

1. Don’t generate false expectations: You must consistently unify the ads you show with the app you offer or the landing page the ad leads to. The design, messages, colors, and, of course, the brand, must be the same in the ad as in the view or landing page to align the user experience with their expectations towards your app. Otherwise, if the user gets a different idea than the one they end up finding, this confusion or even distrust will lead them to abandon the action they were about to take (a download, a purchase, etc.). However, accurate and consistent creativity attracts quality users who are more likely to interact with your app. For example, if your goal is to attract new users to your gaming app, now is the ideal time to demonstrate creativity in game mechanics. This way, those who click on the ad to install it will be much more likely to continue playing (because they have already understood how it works), make purchases that improve their gaming experience, and demonstrate greater trust in the ads you show them.
2. Know your audience: You should segment by clusters and customize ads based on their demographics, interests, and previous behaviors. The creativity, tone, and level of persuasion that you should use when singling out a target that sees your brand for the first time, is not the same as when they have already bought the app. For example, in a retargeting ad for an e-marketing app, if you know that the user has visited a sports page, the creativity you must demonstrate to encourage them to make a purchase must adapt to this context. If you want to be relevant, engage and make the user purchase the app (to increase your income), you will have to show them a sports ad and not any other product. This personalized creativity based on your intentions will achieve a higher CTR and, consequently, more conversions. In retargeting game apps, the same thing should happen. If the potential gamer has shown interest in one of your strategy games, don’t hit them with sports games. This is the only way to be relevant until the gamer considers the value proposition of your strategy games. The same goes for ads to re-engage users and curb dropout rates. In this case, you can show them relevant creative ads to encourage them to move onto the next level and offer a reward or a new feature of your app that they have not yet tried. It is about adapting the ads to their circumstances to add value and be relevant to them
3. Adapt creative ads to the platforms where they are shown. It doesn’t make sense to show the same ad on a short video platform as a news site or another app with like-minded users. Users of each platform are different and expect to consume different content on each of them. Content that is usually easy to consume. That’s why you should apply the KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid) and create ads that are easy to understand and remember. You have very little time to connect with your potential audience, and you must take advantage of it by using visuals of adequate quality to attract their attention, transmitting a single message with a very clear call to action. Formats are also important here. In digital media, video is king. Not only is it scientifically proven that the human eye is more attracted to movement, but ads that use animated GIFs and short videos work much better than static texts and images. Linked to the previous point, you can also explore native ads that simulate the look & feel of the platform on which they are displayed.
4. Do A/B testing: There is always a margin of trial and error. Therefore, to generate greater income, A/B testing and the optimization of creativity based on the data you collect are fundamental. To test your hypotheses and check which one works best for your brand, you must change only one element in each A/B test. It can be the image, position, color, copy, CTA… But ensure to keep to only one item per test, so that the results can be attributed solely to that change. You should also do tests frequently, but without going overboard. Keep in mind that the platforms’ own algorithms have their times and need a margin to show your creativity to a reasonable margin of users. If you change it ahead of time, the results may not be reliable.

At Tappx, we can create captivating creative ads for you

As you can see, creativity is a clear driver capable of boosting the income you generate with your app. So, you should consider implementing expert partners in your marketing and user acquisition strategy who can help you not only by advising on how to implement it and what criteria are required for each platform but also providing active support when designing adaptations and formats. At Tappx, we can help you with both tasks through our performance agency services.