We are surrounded by advertisements of all kinds. Each day, we see different company ads show up on social media feeds, billboards, websites, commercials on TV, and even when we go to fill up at the gas station. We see so many different businesses in just one day. In fact, one study found that, “…consumers are exposed to nearly 10 million bits of visual information (e.g., ads, images, sound, video, and colour) per second through their senses daily” (Alsharif A., Salleh N., Al-Zahrani S., Khrainish A. 2022).
That’s a lot of information for audiences to be receiving each day! You probably are not even aware of all the displays you see each day. The same study goes on to say that most of the input goes by unnoticed; it becomes background noise to consumers. So how do we make our advertisements different? How do we draw the eyes of our target audiences, and encourage new ones to join? After all, the last thing you want is to have your business fade away into all the background noise!
Here are a few psychological tips and tricks to improve your advertisements–– whether they be physical flyers, digital pictures and videos, or social media designs, this guidance is sure to help your business capture its audience. Understanding what these tactics are and why they work allows you to display your greatest strengths––in a way that helps others to see them, too!
Visuals that Reach an Audience
Sight is the sense we use most often to glean information from our surroundings––rarely will you smell or taste an advertisement. Having a visual that catches the eye is extremely important if you want your information to stand out. Your company’s name and other basic information should be visible, graphically pleasing, and easy to understand.
Coloring
Researchers have discovered that “warmer” colors often draw visual attention much more quickly and positively. This is why works of art often have a warmer center of light around the subject; it naturally draws our eyes. You can generate positive responses to your ads by using
- Reds
- Yellows
- Oranges
- Pinks
If your branding has a lot of “cooler” colors (like blues, light purples, or soft greens) it may be a good idea to find other creative ways to make your images look warm and inviting.
Tie it to a Prize: Reward Systems and Customer Decision-Making
Additionally, researchers suggest using your ads to tie your products and services to a “reward”. In the earlier referenced experiment, the psychologists say, “…visual features (e.g., product design) that are correlated to reward…will make the consumer prioritize, therefore attracting the consumer’s attention automatically.” Our brains’ reward system is tied closely to our decision-making systems. We are naturally drawn to things that seem to benefit us in some way. If a person can visibly see that something good will follow their action, they are a lot more likely to click on your ad!
Fill your images with all the perks your company has to offer! Show consumers why it is that they should attend your location, buy your product, or participate in your services. Show, don’t tell, is a great way to look at this principle. Your business is full of promise and great benefits–– let others know what you bring to the table!
Utilizing Social Media
Social media platforms are areas of high visibility. People of all age groups get much of their news from TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X.com, and other media sites. Utilizing these as tools for your business allows it to soar above the chatter of your competitors. Social media ads bring attention to customers who then put their money into your business. In fact, statistics have shown that, “social media ads account for 28.8% of all digital advertising spend.”
Creative Tactics for Social Media
In current times, companies, smaller startups, and even thriving businesses are using social media to draw attention to themselves. The productions of The Great Gatsby and The Lion King on Broadway currently use TikTok and Instagram accounts to draw more people in.
Some of their tactics that you could try are:
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Use high-quality photos and video clips to advertise
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Interviews! Interview employees, clients, leaders, etc.
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Create fun influences. This could be online jokes, using fun sounds, or even creating new trends or hashtags of your own! Leverage things that make your company unique in order to make your media stand out.
Another company that employs these principles extremely well is Big Red Jelly. They consistently update their social media pages (on all of the aforementioned sites). Their strategies often include interactive and creative updates to social media.
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Visuals
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Infographics
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Video Interviews
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Company updates or company news
Additionally, they have a regular podcast and a channel on YouTube. Finding media that works for your company and its audience is crucial to maintaining your presence. You can also share YouTube, podcast, and other posting updates onto your other social media platforms. This connects them all together! Of course, this is not to exclude other (non-social media) sites, such as LinkedIn and Indeed. Creating online connection is a great way to maintain relevance as your business gains traction.
Branding and Feelings
Think of a company or service that you recently received. How did you feel about the brand before using its services? If it was negative, did you still participate in their work? Most of the messaging we receive is unconsciously processed as positive or negative in our brains. We aren’t always aware of messages we are absorbing in advertisements, only recognizing the impressions we received.
This is why, when creating an overall brand, it’s important to use tools that will elicit positive responses from people. Positive colors, messaging, and overall views creates a favorable image in the public eye. Audiences need to see for themselves that a company has all they are looking for.
Big Red Jelly has a major focus on creating branding that is uplifting and appealing. It is important to have concepts that a whole company as well as clientele can get behind. Josh Webber, the Big Red Jelly CEO, states, “Brand purpose is meant to be…emotional…What does your brand do for people that allows them to feel a certain type of way?”
Psychologically speaking, this is a brilliant strategy. Research studies showed that when people looked at posters, brands, and other advertisements that they felt positively about, the “motivation” and “activity” sides of their brains had more neurological signals firing. This means that if you can brand in a way that allows others to feel positively, their brains want to leap into action––toward YOUR business! It’s all about giving people good feelings around your brand.
Raise Your Visibility NOW
There has never been a greater time to advertise for your business than now. There are countless options for your brand, your vision, and your goals. We want to be a part of your journey in improving your advertisements! Schedule a consultation with Big Red Jelly now and see how we can help you to employ the strategies discussed here!
