The foundation
If you want to leverage the power of creativity and succeed with paid social marketing, you’re thinking right. It would help to have a creative testing framework: A structured, consistent way to test new creative assets. Here’s a breakdown of the pieces an innovative testing framework needs to be successful:
- A defined testing schedule.
- A structured theme approach.
- A channel-specific strategy.
Testing creative should be a constant and iterative process that follows a defined testing schedule. A goal and structure can be as simple as testing five new creative assets per week. Inversely, it can be as complex as trying 60 new assets consisting of multiple themes and copy variations. The creative testing should lean toward a lower spending account ue to limited event signal and vice versa with a higher spending account. The most important aspect is that the testing continues to move the needle as you search for your next “champion” asset. 4 themes x 3 variants per theme x 5 copy variations = 60 assets. Image Credits: Jonathan Martinez. After setting a testing schedule, define the core themes of your business and vertical rather than testing a plethora of random ideas. This applies to the creative asset and copy and the key value props to your product or service. As you analyze the creative data, you’ll find it easier to decide what to double down on or cut from testing with this structure. Think of this as a wireframe that you either expand or trim throughout testing sprints.
For a fitness app like MyFitnessPal, it can be structured as follows:
- Themes (product screenshots, images of people using it, UGC testimonials, before/after photos).
- Messaging (segmented value props, promo, FUD).
Ensuring a channel-specific approach is vital, as each differs in creative best practices and testing capabilities. What works on Facebook may not work on Snapchat or other paid social channels. Don’t be discouraged if inventive between channels perform differently, although I recommend parity testing. If you already have the creative asset for one track, resizing and formatting the remaining chmediaoesn’t hurt.
