Performance creative should be journey-based

Performance creative should speak to where the buyer is at in their journey— or that was our hypothesis going into episode 10 of our video series, The Hypothesis. In this episode, we discuss why creative messaging should go beyond buy now, how to create an emotional bond with your consumers, where you need to place these ads, and tailoring for each channel. Watch the full video below or listen to the episode here to hear the full conversation. More of a skimmer? Keep reading for our top takeaways.

Top takeaways from this episode 

What is journey based creative?

• The assets we create that connect to our audience throughout their purchase path or their decision-making experience. From brand awareness down to buying, it's those little moments we connect with them emotionally for them to make some sort of conversion-based decision. 
• The other side of journey based creative is the buying side. It's the path they take to interact with a brand, whether that's just getting to know it, doing their research, or clicking that buy more button. It’s how they become a lead or a consumer of your brand.
• Journey based creative is primarily used in digital tactics but we believe it should also be considered for broader, traditional tactics too. 
• Different messages in each ad set should speak to different parts of your funnel. 

Why use journey based?

• Putting the same message and creative across all platforms and parts of the buyer journey doesn't work. Tailoring ads based on where a user is in the exploration journey around your product or service will work better.
• A lot of creative messaging centers around "buy now!" but your relevant audience isn't always ready to buy now. Using that as the only type of creative messaging is alienating. 
• 95% of your market is not in-market to buy at any given time (read the full research around that here).
• There is a case for spreading all different types of messaging across the funnel and various platforms to make sure you hit all relevant target audience members. If you're going to go this route, make sure you're still keeping the messaging diverse though.

Is journey based always relevant?

• Short answer, no. Low consideration, low price point purchases like a $10 widget don't necessarily need drawn-out funnels and educational content. 

How to start planning journey based creative

• Start by introducing your audience to your brand. This is us, here's our position, this is what we represent. In this phase, don’t use the “buy now” call to action (CTA). Focus on learn more, explore, discover, get to know us, etc.
• Next, now that they know your story, you can move to, "Here's what we can do for you". The features and benefits. A few testimonials can also be plugged in at this stage. Still not moving directly to the “buy now” CTA. 
• Towards the bottom of the funnel, the messaging becomes product and some price point. Now you can start introducing some shop now, buy now, promo messaging, some product, and maybe a little price point. 
• Avoid "buy now" from the top all the way through the bottom. You really need to curate messaging throughout their journey to facilitate that relationship and emotional connection.
• Make room to experiment within this framework. Try new ad types, try new creative formats, try new concepts. Big changes can lead to big results.
• Don't forget, journey based creative needs to be tailored to the platform it's on and the user journey stage. The mid-funnel ad that worked on LinkedIn still needs to be updated for TikTok.
• Finally, there's no silver bullet with performance marketing or with creative. Sometimes you need to be anywhere and everywhere to capture your audience's attention and money.