Its time to refresh

Plan for refreshes and reuse

Plan in advance. Create refreshed versions of your creative at the outset of your campaign–that way, you are not scrambling for a new ad version every time your performance starts to wane. A simple rule of thumb is to run a new version of your ad at least every two weeks, but it really depends on the size of your audience and how often Facebook is serving your creative. Most advertisers start paying close attention when their average frequency goes above five–then you risk oversaturating the market.

If you plan for it, you can reuse the same creative with the same audience down the line, say, two to three months later. Then you should not see the same fatigue or drop in creative performance, because people have forgotten the ad or don’t mind seeing it again.

Designate a creative planner

To make sure this level of planning happens, designate it as someone’s responsibility. While a media planner is in charge of determining the best audiences to target and how to do so, a creative planner determines and manages the creative needs that your strategy requires.

Before you know it, you’ll have a lot of ads to keep track of. If you advertise year-round, you’ll probably need at least 120 versions. Plus, you also want to take advantage of Facebook’s algorithmic optimization, which makes it easy to A/B test versions. The creative planner can help you determine which ads to test against each other and which to table for a later date.

Tell a story

A great tactic for refreshing creative over time with the same audience is to consider the purchasing journey and to create content that speaks to it. Begin with ads that educate users about the brand, then move into more specific details about products or services and, finally, introduce a strong offer. This helps you refresh performance and convert more prospects, as you are showing them creative in the best order possible for driving action.

Tweak images

The image is usually the most striking and memorable component of a Facebook advertisement. With simple changes, you can create multiple versions of the same creative. Plus, subtle tweaks can drive meaningful improvements in key performance indicators, in addition to the benefits you’ll glean by keeping things fresh. Some quick tips for refreshing Facebook ad images include:

• Change the background color.
• If it’s a product shot, try an image of just the product, then another with someone using it.
• Run the image through a filter to recolor it. (Monotone images tend to perform better than normally-colored ones.)
• Add a shadow or border around the edge to make it pop.
• Add or remove a brand logo.
• Flip the ad, rearranging the position of the image and the text. For example, if there’s a person in your ad, have them looking left instead of right, and vice versa.
• Overlay text over an image, such as a promo code.
• Go from a single image to a carousel.

Tweak text

There are also simple ways for varying copy that can give the same value proposition new life. For example:

• Make statements instead of asking questions, and vice versa.
• Mention (or don’t mention) the brand within the copy.
• Vary capitalization, and try all-caps for a particular statement.
• Add or remove price details.
• Vary the call-to-action verbiage.

Try demographic rotation

Creative fatigue occurs because the same person sees an ad again and again. So in addition to varying your creative, you can also vary your audience, breaking it into smaller groups and alternating who you target. This demographic rotation works as long as the subgroups respond to the same creative or value proposition.