Examples of successful GDN creatives for prospecting (cold traffic)
Here are a few samples of creatives that are crushing it in prospecting, day in and day out.
They are under the categories below, which are a good start:
- Straight ads: LP is the home page, category or product.
- Offers: LP is a page with an offer (that expires soon)
- Competitions: An excellent way to grow your mailing list. In the end, announce the winner, and offer the rest a special discount.
- Blog posts. Very suitable for responsive ads, which are easy to create. You will be surprised how far “not selling” can go.
- FB Ads. If you are doing FB Ads, nothing is preventing you from doing what works in FB but on the GDN. If it is long-copy, simply put the content of the ad in a LP or blog page. On the same token, things that work well on the GDN are likely to work on Facebook (including, or especially on, Instagram stories).
Straight ad samples
Wiper blades
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/15667263004539995352
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/10299170076636484042
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/14313818276190260041
Pool Cleaners
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/8044881089067250961
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/16276333951660246494
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/17215862682938058772
Pool Supplies
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/6238527597406759801
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/15446955685425150519
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/4654915605353230274
Note, these ads are being used in all available sizes including responsive. (Here is a sample )
Offers.
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/9124303536979196526
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/9186934083935690723
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/10222589020306801009
(expiry date for the offer at the landing page is always next Friday, but don’t tell anyone)
Blog posts
Responsive Ad
landing page: here
Competitions:
The CPA of the GDN campaign, plus the cost of the slide was lower than search campaigns for slides.
This helped grow the mailing list, and the customers that did not win were presented with a 20% Off offer, bringing even more sales.
FB Ads:
Your pump (Original FB ad )
The LP contains the long copy that was on the FB ad: Plus some products and a link to a form.
Giant Cow (original FB ad )
(I don’t know about you, but down under everyone with a pool and an instagram account owns a giant inflatable flamingo… it has to change!)
Do you pay for this? (original FB Ad)
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/9917775408855115122
Hope this gives you some inspiration. There is a huge potential for prospecting on the GDN. The best is that once you crack a winning formula, it is a lot more stable and reliable than other mediums out there (WTFB?). Plus, there are no restrictions on text ratios and things like that.
Account structure and targetting play a major role, more than on other mediums. Often sweet spots are at the intersection of targeting options (for example topic + in market, placement + custom intent, etc.).
Usually, a lot of testing and investing is required. A systematic way to test targeting segments real fast goes a long way (Editor + Excel are your friends). Analytics metrics are helpful to judge what works earlier on (time on site, pages browsed, bounce rates), without waiting for conversions if budget is strict.
An easy way to test an offer before splashing $ or bothering with account structure, is to setup smart GDN campaigns.
