It’s safe to say that acquisition costs are on the rise. This is due to a wide range of different factors.
Chief among them was the release of the iOS 14 operating system for iPhone, which totally changed how information was collected for advertising purposes. Then, there was the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden changes in consumer behavior and motivations that came with it.
Beyond that, there has been increased competition on virtually all platforms. Every day, new brands are shifting their focus to digital platforms to drive as many sales as possible. All this, coupled with the supply chain challenges – meaning extended shipping times that impact conversion rates – have created a perfect storm in the worst possible way.
Thankfully, there is a solution – and it’s a lot more straightforward than you might think. If you truly want to cut acquisition costs moving forward, compelling creative is how you do it.
Why Creative Will Always Matter
Truly, what brands need in order to be successful in the fast-paced modern era is to be laser focused on the creative itself. It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about a blog post or a white paper or something else entirely – you need to create something that speaks to people.
You do this by first identifying your target persona. Who are these people? What are their lives like? How much of an education do they have? How much money do they make? All of these questions should inform everything you’re doing.
Then, you identify their pain points. What problems do they have that you might be able to solve?
At that point, you can identify things like gains and specific outcomes – the latter being exactly what you’re trying to accomplish with your creative.
All of this is crucial because you can then put together a plan for creative that speaks directly to the needs of the people you’ve dedicated yourself to serving. You can develop gain creators that let you know exactly what you need to do to strike the chord you need to make an impression.
Beyond that, you need to identify those platforms that will reach your target persona. Remember, not everyone hangs out on Facebook all day long. Some audiences might prefer Twitter, others might be on places like Snapchat or Instagram. If you’re trying to resonate with someone, you need to know where they are so that they have the best chance of actually listening.
Once this foundation has been laid, you can get to work on outlining the right creative concept for your organization. You know who you’re speaking to. You know what their problems are. You know what they need and how you can help.
At that point, it becomes as straightforward as creating the collateral that checks all of these boxes. Then, you can begin to test what is working and what isn’t and repeat as your audience continues to change.
Truly, it doesn’t get much more straightforward than that.
