Creative testing is a necessary part of digital advertising that involves evaluating different ad creatives to identify top-performing content. This process is indispensable for enhancing the effectiveness of advertising campaigns across platforms like Meta (formerly Facebook) and TikTok. Benefits include eliminating ad fatigue, gaining deeper audience insights, fashioning optimized ads, and capitalizing on budget efficiency.
That said, many advertisers may be losing valuable opportunities by overlooking key strategies that could considerably impact their campaign success. This article challenges the concept of “consolidation” in creative testing and proposes a dynamic approach to discover high-performing ads that might be buried within your account. We’ll also look into the pitfalls of traditional testing methods and introduce a “runoff” testing approach to unlock these “unicorn ads” that could boost your Meta and TikTok prospecting campaigns.
Why Creative Testing Is Better Than Traditional Consolidation Testing
Within Meta Ads Manager, a common practice involves testing multiple ad creatives within a single Ad Set. This allows the platform’s algorithm to optimize delivery to focus most of your budget on the seemingly best-performing ad. However, this approach has a blind spot: it overlooks the potential of other ads within the Ad Set.
But, this doesn’t necessarily imply that the other ads are ineffective; they may simply be underperforming within that specific Ad Set due to budget allocation dynamics. In this case, a runoff testing strategy is recommended to segregate ads for accurate evaluation and identification of unicorn ads. You must test the remaining ads in a separate Ad Set called a “runoff.”
Such an approach allows for a more accurate assessment of each ad’s potential unencumbered by the dominance of a single ad in the original Ad Set. Conduct a complete review of the Meta and TikTok Ad Account, concentrating on ads with modest ad spends, a few conversions, and a substantial reach. Ads meeting these criteria yet underutilized represent unexploited prospects and should be promptly reassigned to new Ad Sets for further testing.
The Power of Runoff Testing
To reiterate, with runoff testing, remaining ads within an Ad Set are tested separately after budget allocation focuses on a single ad to evaluate their potential. It provides a solution for giving under-exposed yet promising creatives a second chance to shine.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1 Isolates the Underdogs
After running a test with multiple creatives in an Ad Set, identify the ad currently favored by the algorithm. Let’s say you sell organic skincare products. While testing various catalog videos for your new line, you notice that your current favorite is the advertisement with a glowing model and natural ingredient text. It leaves close-up product shots or testimonial ads unseen.
Step 2 Gives Them a Fair Shot
Take the remaining seemingly underperforming ads and create separate Ad Sets specifically for them. This runoff test allows each ad to receive a share of the budget and reach a larger audience, ideally over 1,500 people. Copy the name of the original Ad Set, and for the runoff ad set, label it “Prospects—Broad Audience—Creative Test—10—Run Off.” This goes for each additional runoff from the original ad set and uses a numbering system like “Prospects—Broad Audience—Creative Test—10 – Run Off—2.”
Step 3 Uncovers Your Unicorns
Giving each ad a new lease of life helps you find hidden unicorns that convert at impressive rates. You can then integrate them into your established top-performing Ad Sets to amplify their reach and boost your campaign effectiveness.
Without runoff testing, high-performing creatives languish in obscurity. This is because Meta and TikTok ad platforms often allocate budget and audience exposure based on initial performance. Such an approach starves the underdogs of exposure, leading to missed opportunities and hindering your campaign’s full potential. Executing runoff testing unlocks a treasure trove of possibilities that make the most of your Return On Ad Spend (ROAS).
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Creative Testing Best Practices for Scaling and Optimization
Supercharging Meta and TikTok prospecting campaigns requires a strategic framework that prioritizes effective creative testing and agile campaign management. For best results:
Maintain distinct Ad Sets for “Top Performers” and “Creative Testing” to ensure a systematic approach to ad evaluation.
Once you identify a winning ad in the Creative Testing Ad Set, incrementally increase the daily budget to expedite its performance evaluation.
Next, add a label to the Ad Set to signify the transition of validated ads into the primary campaign lineup. For example, the original Ad Set name could be “Prospects—Broad Audience—Creative Test—10.” If one of the ads in that Ad Set becomes a winner, amend it to “Prospects—Broad Audience—Creative Test—10—Top Performer.”
Establish a protocol for testing remaining ads in new Ad Sets. Do this by facilitating the ongoing exploration of creative potential and campaign enhancement.
Monitor ads closely, preempting fatigue by duplicating and transferring successful ads into fatiguing Ad Sets to sustain campaign momentum.
Pro Tip: If a top Ad Set consistently declines in effectiveness for 5–7 days, don’t discard it due to its high daily budget. It’s easier to adjust it downward than completely stopping it.
Duplicate and replenish the “Top Performers” Ad Set. Then, transfer one or more of your “unicorn” ads from the “runoff” testing using the Page Post method. Social proof here is the key to Ad fatigue management.
The Page Post method ensures the transferred ad retains all its likes, shares, reactions, and comments. Otherwise, the ad might struggle to gain traction. If the transferred ad lacks social proof, it might not receive a budget allocation. In that case, consider pausing the fatiguing ads in the original “Top Performers” Ad Set. This allows the new ad a fighting chance.
FREE GUIDE
How to Drive Omnichannel Sales on Meta
11 Steps + 4 Advanced Tactics to Take Your Marketing for Omnichannel Sales to the Next Level.
Unlocking Untapped Potential of Creative Testing With Disruptive Digital
Traditional “consolidation” testing may leave valuable hidden gems undiscovered. Advertisers that adopt a nuanced approach to ad evaluation and optimization can achieve meaningful campaign results and maximize return on investment (ROI). They can establish a competitive edge in the dynamic landscape of social media advertising if they’re committed to ongoing testing, strategic budget allocation, and agile campaign management. This calls for input from professionals.
Disruptive Digital is a full-service digital marketing company that helps businesses excel online. Our services include digital strategy, web design and development, SEO, paid advertising, and content marketing to help clients achieve their digital goals. If you’re a Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) business struggling to achieve your desired CPA or ROAS, we can help you develop innovative strategies to reach your target audience and drive meaningful results. Contact Us today for help improving your Meta and TikTok ad performance.
