What is the Creative Testing?
Creative testing methodology is one of many processes you will find in creative strategy. It is based on testing a variety of different campaigns, using methods such as split testing (A/B) to compare creatives and measure the impact of changes based on audience response.
The process includes:
- organizing creatives;
- analyzing competition;
- testing creative concepts;
- noting successes;
- studying and interpreting results;
- refreshing creatives to prevent ad fatigue.
The idea behind creative testing is to test a large number of different ideas and creatives to find the most effective elements for a particular client.
Still sounds a little complicated, right? So why bother? The aim is simple – to find the most effective elements that drive campaign performance. This, in turn, gives us an easy way to create better campaigns that deliver better results for the client.
What is creative strategy?
Creative strategy is a very broad concept, so today, we will focus on applying it to paid advertising.
A Creative strategy is a plan to achieve a client’s business goals through the creation of creative, thoughtful, unusual, and innovative concepts. It is, therefore, the main guideline for the conception, design, and implementation of marketing campaigns.
So why do we need a creative strategy? It’s quite simple. A well-planned strategy means that we know what our goals are and that we have a precise plan for how to achieve them.
What is the value of creative testing?
The value is huge. Thanks to creative testing:
- We can optimize our advertising efforts: Creative testing helps us identify the most effective ad elements, such as the hook in a video or the copy in static banners. By determining what resonates best with the target audience, we can optimize our advertising efforts and allocate resources to the most effective creative. This results in better overall campaign performance and a higher return on investment.
- We make decisions based on data. A data-driven approach allows us to make more thoughtful decisions, minimizing guesswork and subjective opinions. Relying on data ensures that changes are based on evidence, not assumptions, resulting in more effective campaigns.
- Continuous improvement: By continually testing and iterating creative, we can adapt to changing trends and preferences, keeping campaigns fresh and relevant. This results in better engagement and conversion rates.
- Competitive advantage: Creative testing allows us to stay on top of advertising trends and consumer behavior. By identifying winning creative strategies, we can create campaigns that stand out from the competition and gain a competitive advantage.
- Audience segmentation: Audiences may respond differently to different advertising elements. Creative testing allows us to segment audiences and tailor creative to specific groups, increasing relevance and engagement.
And what’s the best part? It is not just the client who benefits from this process. Of course, the client comes first, and with this methodology, we can offer them new ideas, campaign variety, and a continuous growth process. But for us, as a creative agency, creative testing is a continuous process of development and learning.
We are not in the business of simply creating campaigns. Our contribution goes much deeper than just coming up with ideas for a campaign because we need to know what we want to test, what we want to learn, how we are going to do it, and how we are going to implement the conclusions in the future. Therefore, a campaign is no longer a simple task to carry out. It is part of a process to achieve the client’s business objectives. And that, for us, is a much deeper goal, meaning we can treat each case as a completely new challenge.
Does creative testing pay off?
Of course it does! At first, it may seem like a completely unprofitable process. After all, we have to research, come up with an idea, plan what we want to test, break it down into specific tests, implement it all, and still draw conclusions at the end. Sounds like a lot of work.
And honestly? It is time-consuming and labor-intensive. But at the end of the day (or quarter/year) it is an investment that really pays off. And why is that? Because without this process, you would still be guessing and creating campaigns based on subjective feelings. And that leads to wasted time and wasted money. The math is simple.
How to implement creative testing?
Implementing creative testing is a fairly complicated process. The best way to start is to create at least a basic Creative Strategy. Then, with a theoretical knowledge of creative testing methodology, you can start planning individual tests. Base it on data and don’t forget to ask yourself what exact value a particular test should bring. Add to this a creative mind, a touch of analytics, and graphical skills and you are on your way to your first creative tests.
If you think your brand needs creative testing but don’t know how to go about it, we’re here to help!
Our team will be happy to create both the strategy and the tests for you. We will also walk you through the ins and outs of the process because an informed client is the best client!
