How to Get Better Results in Google and Meta Ads Using Generative AI
As the year comes to a close, businesses are feeling the pressure to wrap up their marketing efforts and hit their targets. However, with so many platforms, ad formats, and targeting options, it’s no wonder businesses sometimes abandon their advertising plans before they even begin. Yet, digital ads drive significant revenue for businesses that use them effectively.
But here’s the good news: AI is starting to bridge the gap, making it easier for businesses to create and manage effective ad campaigns. In this blog, we’ll explore how AI can simplify the ad creation process and help your business get better results with less effort.
How Digital Ads Work
Digital ads are paid promotions that businesses display on platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram. These platforms allow businesses to target specific audiences by focusing on user interests, demographics, and online behaviour.
Here’s what makes digital ads effective:
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Targeting: Ads are shown to users based on browsing habits, interests, and behaviours.
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Payment Models: Most digital ads work on a pay-per-click (PPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) basis. With PPC, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, while CPM charges based on how many people see it.
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Ad Formats: Digital platforms offer a variety of formats, including text, display, video, and carousel ads, to help businesses engage users in different ways.
Know Your Options
When it comes to digital advertising, almost every digital platforms offer ad placement. However, we will cover some of the biggest platforms such as Google Ads and Meta Ads.
Google Ads
Google Ads allows businesses to display ads across several Google-owned properties. It also places ads on YouTube and across its wide Display Network, which includes literally thousands of platforms partnered with Google. It is best for businesses that want to reach people who are actively searching for products or services. If someone searches for “plumbers near me,” Google Ads allows your business to appear at the top of the list.
Types of Google Ads:
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Search Ads: Text-based ads that appear at the top of Google search results, ideal for driving traffic and generating leads.
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Display Ads: Image or banner ads that appear on websites across Google’s Display Network, great for raising brand awareness.
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Shopping Ads: Product-based ads that display at the top of search results for eCommerce businesses.
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Video Ads: Ads that appear on YouTube are perfect for engaging users with multimedia content.
Meta Ads
Meta Ads allows businesses to promote their products or services on Facebook and Instagram. It is best for businesses looking to build brand awareness and engage with users based on their demographics and interests. In addition, organic content has become a go-to strategy for its authenticity and trust-building benefits. This is where Meta Ads give you leverage by using the same content you’d post regularly, but reach your broader target audience on their feeds.
Types of Meta Ads:
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Image Ads: Single image ads, great for showcasing products or offers.
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Video Ads: Engaging videos to capture users’ attention in their feeds or Stories.
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Carousel Ads: Ads with multiple images or videos that users can swipe through, perfect for showcasing a collection of products.
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Lead Generation Ads: Ads with built-in forms to capture leads directly on Facebook or Instagram.
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Stories Ads: Full-screen ads that appear between users’ Stories, ideal for highly visual engagement.
AI Tools for Ad Creation
Now that you understand the basics of digital ads and the platforms available, here’s how AI tools can assist at every stage of ad creation:
Brainstorming and Idea Generation:
While AI tools like ChatGPT can’t predict trends, they are excellent at helping generate creative ideas based on relevant themes. For example, if you’re running ads for a holiday promotion, you can input keywords like “gift ideas” or “holiday discounts” into ChatGPT, which will then suggest multiple variations of ad copy and headlines. This not only saves time but also gives you fresh ideas you might not have thought of. Try inputting 5-10 industry-specific keywords to get several creative variations and refine them to match your brand’s tone. Don’t be afraid to iterate your prompt to zero in on your hottest keywords.
Audience Targeting:
AI-powered platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter adjust ad targeting based on user behaviour, ensuring your ads reach the most relevant people. While ChatGPT can’t directly manage audience targeting, it’s a valuable tool for helping you develop buyer personas, too. By inputting demographic or industry data into ChatGPT, you can generate accurate audience profiles. To further refine your targeting, use tools like SEMrush to identify which keywords resonate most with your audience. This process helps you fine-tune your ads for even better reach.
Ad Copy and Visuals:
Platforms like Facebook’s Advanatge+ Creative can automatically generate multiple versions of your ad copy and visuals, and then run A/B tests to identify which combination performs best. Similarly, Google’s Performance Max optimises ad placement across Google’s platforms, ensuring that your ads are shown to the right users at the right time. Upload your ad assets (such as copy and images) to these platforms, and allow the AI to generate various versions, saving you time while improving your campaign’s performance.
So, Can AI Work As Standalone?
While AI offers great benefits for automating parts of the ad creation process, it’s not a perfect replacement for human expertise and oversight. It’s the creativity aspect that many underscore which is fair enough as it requires lots of trial and error (and tieration) to get the right recipe. Remember, that’s what creates the bond between you and your target audience.
With the year-end fast approaching, we know many businesses may not have the time to manage these moving parts. That’s where we come in. Click Creative Digital Agency can help you leverage both AI tools and human expertise to ensure your ads perform well before the year closes. Merry early Christmas everyone!
