This post was sponsored by Ad World. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.
Ad World May 2021 was one for the history books.
It set a new record with 53,721 attendees and 4,163 companies tuning in from 166 countries to hear what the world’s most brilliant minds in advertising had to say.
They exchanged a whopping 174,462 messages and collectively streamed 151,566 hours – that’s 17 years and 110 days!
Packed with juicy tips, step-by-step strategies, bulletproof blueprints, and real-world case studies, Ad World delivered massive value for its audience.
Here are five of the most powerful takeaways from this season’s largest advertising conference in the world.
1. Flip Your Marketing Funnel Into a Megaphone
Seth Godin challenged us to use the “network effect” – by turning customers into loyal evangelists, brands would garner much more success than trying to get their message out on their own.
Once a business creates something worth talking about, it will accumulate an army of loyal fans who will then help amplify their message – making it more genuine and free of cost.
Godin revealed more during his session.
Don’t Churn People Through a Funnel
Remarkable businesses succeed not because they take prospective buyers through a funnel, but because they do what it takes to be extraordinary in every way.
Turn the Funnel Into a Megaphone
Instead of vying for people’s attention at the top by bombarding them with messages and social media likes, focus on delivering something worth talking about and let them do your marketing for you.
2. Harness the Powerful One-Two Punch of Animated Shorts + Long-Form Sales Page
Ezra Firestone walked Ad World attendees through his ad account, revealing the exact ingredients and steps that go into his ecommerce advertising campaigns, which have generated over $35 million.
The Top of the Funnel Needs Two Key Elements
Firestone broke down his double-buy box structure, winning ads, sales pages, and strategies at his tactical masterclass.
Grab Customers’ Attention With Animated GIF Ads
Driving traffic from GIF ads directly to the long-form sales page has worked like a charm for his beauty ecommerce store as prospective customers have felt confident seeing all of the ambassador testimonials while being clearly guided along the sales process.
Each animated short includes various elements, most often social proof, hero product benefit, and a call to action.
Fortify Your Ads With a Curiosity Builder and a Controversial Statement
Use questions or controversial statements as headlines to build curiosity and ignite customer interest, and make sure to keep copy lean and focused.
3. Automated Chatbots Can Skyrocket Your Personalized Outreach by 800%
Chatbot marketing has proven to be exponentially more effective than email.
With open rates of 60-70%, chatbots reach audiences that slip through the cracks of email.
Natasha Takahashi demonstrated new ways of marketing through Instagram DM with exclusive features in a beta-test stage that are not yet available to the public.
She delivered a tactical chatbot strategy ready to be applied within seven days to maximize reach and conversion.
Create an Evergreen Offer and Follow It up With 5-8 Automated Messages
One method involves deciding on just 1 free evergreen offer and building a 5-8 message conversation via the chatbot automation tool.
Next, choose a one-word message to trigger your automation. Lastly, post a story – image or video – that tells people to DM you that word to receive the free offer.
Chatbots Can Turbocharge the Advertising of Virtual Events
Ever since the world went online in 2020, virtual events have taken over.
According to Takahashi’s experience and a case study of $1 million spend per month, Virtual Conference Bot Funnels are the best way to advertise a virtual event, a coaching program, or a conference.
Let Robots Do Your Work
Messaging automation allows businesses to find out more about customers and leads within seconds, plus the process needs no human intervention.
4. Creating Amazing YouTube Ads Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank
Tom Breeze walked the Ad World audience through expert methods to make the most out of a smaller budget and create killer ads on a dime.
Contrary to popular belief, high-ROI ads don’t have to cost a fortune.
What matters more is how the ads are tailored, positioned, and strategically launched to the right audience.
Implement a Timer to Boost CTR
One way to ensure maximum ad impact is to leverage Google’s custom audiences to target people who searched for terms that are relevant to your business.
Another is to use a simple timer that increased their YouTube ad CTRs by 32%.
Breeze showed us what this timer looks like and gave us many more concrete, proven methods to boost YouTube campaign ROI.
You Should Advertise on YouTube No Matter How Small Your Business Is
Some marketers may not realize that when the everyday consumer sees their brand on YouTube, they immediately make the mental association that the brand is already successful.
In and of itself, advertising on YouTube brings an inherent status and value even if the campaign costs a grand total of $10.
Top Reasons Why Marketers Fail on YouTube
Why do some marketers nail their YouTube ads and others fail?
According to his experience, Tom Breeze explained that the three major reasons for failure on the video platform are that marketers can’t simply copy and paste a Facebook campaign and expect it to work on YouTube.
Secondly, ad creatives have to be a lot better than “okay,” and each video needs to be able to do the heavy lifting on its own in terms of engagement and storyboard.
Finally, Breeze emphasized that marketers should not get discouraged and give up after a single week if their efforts haven’t met the expectations of hitting 20X ROAS.
5. Critical Strategies for Adapting to iOS 14.5
Thanks to the updates of iOS 14, customers are allowed greater control and privacy of their data.
Jan Roos took the stage at Ad World to answer the most pressing questions and concerns regarding the new iOS 14.5 update and actionable steps for navigating the new reality of data.
Adopt an ‘Aggregated Events Measurements’ and a New Segmentation Approach
We find ourselves amid a data privacy revolution. Businesses are now required to show exactly what data they collect and how it’s being used.
Assuring that privacy and personalization can coexist, Roos advises that by implementing aggregated events measurements, businesses can still analyze key data insights without encroaching on individual users’ data.
He also declares that it is time for brands to find new ways to segment audiences because the lines between prospecting and retargeting audiences will be blurred with the new iOS privacy updates.
Implement and Honor a New Data-Handling Strategy and Identify Customer LTV
Roos suggests that marketers should give users a choice of which data they allow a business to collect and honor those choices.
“First-party data is becoming even more valuable. And those businesses who understand the lifetime value of their customers and what actions drive the most value, will have an advantage,” Roos remarked.
He advises us to find out the LTV of our customers and learn which of their specific actions drive the most value, so that we can more wisely choose the now-limited number of Facebook pixel events to use.
He’s betting on prioritizing event-match data such as email addresses and phone numbers.
Don’t Miss the Next Ad World
Once again, Ad World delivered unparalleled value, packed with cutting-edge insights, tactical tips, and a large dose of inspiration.
With over 120+ sessions, there were so many actionable strategies and key lessons to extract from May’s event that we only just scratched the surface in this article.
Ad World returns in October.
We promise to bring you more of the juicy formulas, 7-figure strategies you can copy + paste, and the motivation you crave to finish the year strong.
We can’t wait to see you again at Ad World in October, which is poised to be the most epic yet. More details are set to be revealed very soon!
Grab your ticket now while we’ve extended our Early Bird Ticket Sale and save $625+ on tickets. We look forward to seeing you there!
Image Credits
Featured Image: Image by Ad World. Used with permission.
