I’ve always had a passion for being creative. It doesn’t matter what the task is, as long as I can bring different ideas to life, I’m happy. This led me to where I am today in marketing, but, more specifically, doing a lot of content creation which was a very cozy spot for me. I was happy to learn as much as I could in any area, but creativity isn’t something that can be taught. Everyone perceives any number of things differently, and that’s what makes it fun. Building an idea and watching it come to life is what led me to want to choose this as a career path.
Being as cozy as I was with content creation, I was asked to help in another area: digital marketing. This is something I worked on before and was glad to help where I was needed in the past, but making this change full time was something I was apprehensive about. The coziness of creating and developing content was going away and that’s what made me anxious about the change. Using analytical skills, following/remembering certain rules, and learning more about a complex landscape was a challenge for me, but then I realized something. Going digital didn’t mean an end to my creative route… It’s just the beginning.
Getting someone to react to a digital ad is the ultimate goal. You want a consumer to perform some sort of action once they’ve been served the ad. The creative process is a part of everything you do in digital marketing because of this.
This area is so much more than numbers and analyzing data. A big part of making an interesting ad to build brand awareness or tell a story requires a great amount of creativity for it to be effective. Catching someone’s attention as they’re being served anywhere from 4,000 – 10,000 advertisements per day is a challenge for everyone, and it won’t get easier as more brands compete for audiences.
Think about it this way: How long do you view an online ad? Not how long is it on your screen, but how long do you actually look at banner ads on the websites you visit? It’s not long, so as marketers, you must convey a compelling message that will catch someone’s attention in a ridiculously short amount of time. Your creative strategy is what makes you stand out from everyone else and grab the consumer’s attention.
So, developing a compelling message and visuals to match are key components to having a good digital marketing campaign. You can target the right people, but, once you’re in front of them, you have to make it count.
The creative process doesn’t just start when you’re looking into what the ad should look like. You also have to think about who should be viewing the ad. You might know your typical demographic, but where will these people be online and what are they typically interested in? Is there an intersection between men who are avid sneaker shoppers and men who eat out at an excessive rate? Is targeting sneaker shoppers worth it if you’re building a campaign for a new restaurant? When building a digital ad campaign demographics such as age, gender, and income are good building blocks to a great campaign, but you must take into account everything about your audience which you can also get creative with.
My journey in the marketing world is far from over, but realizing I can continue expanding my own skills while doing what I love is what drives me. Developing analytical skills and thinking about how creative works combine two different methods of thinking. These must work together to deliver our clients the results they need to grow which helps me grow as well.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Francisco is a full-time Account Coordinator at 898 Marketing, now moving into a Digital Marketing position. Francisco graduated from Youngstown State University in May 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Advertising and Public Relations and a minor in Marketing Management. At 898 Marketing, Francisco assists with the development of social content for a variety of clients, and helps clients achieve their digital needs.
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