3 Game-Changing Must-Haves for Your Next Digital Advertising Campaign

Thinking of running digital ads to boost your business? Before you dive into designing those eye-catching visuals, it’s crucial to focus on a few foundational elements that can make or break your campaign.

Digital advertising is more than just flashy graphics; it’s about capturing attention quickly, delivering a clear message, and driving the desired action—all while standing out in a sea of competing ads.

To ensure your ads are not only noticed but also effective, make sure you prioritize these three must-haves. Here’s what you need to do before hitting that ‘publish’ button.

1. Don’t clutter up the design. Simple wins.

What you may not realize when designing (and you have the option to zoom in) is that the LESS info on an ad the better.

Sounds counter-intuitive, but consumers are hit with SO many ads on a given day that the more info you shove on it, the faster they will scroll past.

Stick with simple, clean designs.

Example:

2. Make sure your calls to action are uber clear.

What do you want them to do? The answer to that should be ONE thing.

Make it very clear the action you want them to take next and have a link that directs them precisely there. This means you may not always want to send them to your website’s homepage.

Think about it:

If you saw an ad with a promotional price for your favorite beverage (like I’d put in anything else here), and a call to action of “Take Advantage!”, you’d be pretty annoyed to be taken to the manufacturer’s homepage right?

Exactly. You’d want to go to the specific page where you can buy the drink OR the one where you get the promo code to buy the drink.

Easier you can make the purchase path the better.

3. Always add UTM parameters to the ad links.

A UTM parameter is a digital way of tracking the impressions and clicks various creative designs and sizes get.

This way you can easily see which ad sizes, designs, and placements (i.e. one website vs. another) is getting the most traffic to YOUR website.

More traffic = more successful ad/platform.

Why This Matters

Remember, each of these tips is rooted in DCM Communications’ core belief:

marketing and PR should always tie back to sales.

By focusing on clear, uncluttered designs, pinpointing your calls to action, and tracking your ad performance with UTM parameters, you’re not just creating digital ads to expand your brand awareness—you’re thinking strategically to maximize your ROI.

The way you get the most out of any investment in your business is by establishing clear goals for why you are spending the money, designing to reach those goals, and ensuring they ALL can answer “How will this boost my business’ bottom line?”

Every dollar spent on marketing should help to drive trackable results that contribute to the growth of your business.