New Ideas for Ad Graphics

New Ideas for Ad Graphics

by | Aug 2, 2023 | Facebook™ Ads, Launching, Strategy

If there’s one thing we can all agree on in the world of course launches and Facebook ads, it’s that it can be really easy for everything to start looking the same. And, let’s be honest: this makes sense! It’s hard to constantly reinvent the wheel — we get it.

Here’s the thing, though: making sure that everything *doesn’t* look the same is really a key part of running successful ads. See, if all of your ads look and sound the same, your audience is going to get fatigued… and quickly. Often, this is why we see once top-performing ads become low performers, and it’s why we have to work so intentionally not to fatigue offers with our clients’ audiences.

So, what do you do, you ask? Well, you’re in the right place pals — because as usual, my team has you covered.

The trick to ad graphics and course graphics

If you’ve been here awhile, you’re probably going to guess what I’m about to say here. The trick to ad graphics and course graphics is testing multiple versions — and testing those multiple versions consistently to inform NEW strategies and NEW tests.

Say that five times fast.

But, truly: testing new versions of ads, their creative (graphics, copy, targeting, naming, you name it), and their reach is truly the best tool you have in your toolbox for avoiding ad fatigue and making sure that you’re reaching the right number of people with your ads. Plus, if you’re consistently testing new versions of captions, graphics, and audiences, you start to get a feel and a read on what your audience tends to like — and you can use those well-performing tests as formulas for different ads. This helps you shake up your ads — and avoid fatigue — while taking a lot of the pressure off of your team to endlessly create.

Need some new ideas for ad graphics and course graphics?

Over here, we’re always knee-deep in a course launch or similar launch for our clients — which means that we’re constantly needing to up the ante through tests and versioning over here. Luckily for us (and for you!), we’ve learned a LOT through all of that testing and versioning, and we’ve been embracing the results with some new ideas for ad and course graphics:

  • Gifs, please!: Audiences love any type of creative that moves and engages them, and any type of ad with video or movement tends to perform really well — so try a gif! We’ve been doing this a lot with carousel-type posts. Instead of utilizing the traditional photo carousel, turn it into a gif. Voila!
  • Face or no face?: We’ve been testing a lot of different versions of graphics both with AND without the course creator, and have seen really good results from both. To shake it up with your audience, create 2 versions of every graphic — one with your face and one without — and see which tends to perform better with what audience.
    • Keep in mind, for Pinterest ads and colder audiences, you want your logo on the image for that brand recognition. Sometimes your brand IS your face, where you’re easily recognizable to your audience because they know you. Try adding your name (or your logo!) instead of your face!
  • Numbers on images: Humans react well when they see results and measurements (shocker…) and this goes for ads, too — so try out text on your ad images with numbers to quantify your offer. For example, call your offer something like “ the course with the 10,000-person waitlist,” “the guide to 10xing your traffic,” or “42 lessons, 6 live sessions, 6+ months of content.” This is a really helpful way for your audience to start seeing how your course could help them instantly, and is also a good way to appeal to that logic-filled side of their brains.

See, in all honesty, it all comes back down to testing. Try new things, test them out, and reap the rewards — it’s that simple. You’ve got this!

0 Comments

Double Your Efforts with an Evergreen Webinar

Double Your Efforts with an Evergreen Webinar

by | Jul 24, 2023 | Facebook™ Ads, How To, Launching, Strategy

So, it’s absolutely zero secret that every single one of us loves a successful launch.

I mean, obviously.

But guess what’s better than a successful launch, friend?! Evergreen sales, baby. After all, launch money is great — but continual, passive sales puts the icing on the cake (and the candles, too). 

And, guess what? There’s a simple way to get you there: create an evergreen webinar.

Lemme explain.

How can I double my efforts with an evergreen webinar?

Setting up an evergreen webinar funnel after a launch — or, hey, even without one, if you want to generate passive product income — is truly one of the best tools you have in your toolbox to create constant leads and sales. By digging into the things your audience wants to see and aligning it with the work you do, you can truly create a goldmine of people who want to learn and buy from you — and then, you can direct them organically to a sales page, a booking link, or a product page… time and time again.

What do I need to create a successful evergreen webinar?

The secret to a successful evergreen webinar is simple: make it timely (for instance, what’s a topic that aligns with your latest launch or product? What’s a hot topic in your niche that people want to know about?), and then engineer it to have a strong CTA at the end. This CTA can be to buy your product at a discount,  or it can be funnelling them into an email sequence that builds on your webinar topic and leads them to purchase.

Ready to create your own? Here’s your checklist:

  • Webinar content
  • CTA options (we love to test!)
  • Ad creative
  • Sales page or other lead capture
  • Strong email funnel

 

What if my webinar funnel isn’t working?

Underperforming webinar funnels are sometimes par for the course, but they’re also diagnosable — and you can quickly transform an underperforming funnel into a thriving one. 

First, start by diving into your ad campaign’s analytics — are people clicking? If not, adjust the targeting and creative. 

Then, move on to the landing page. Are people opting in? If not, adjust your copy and make sure it’s enticing and aligned with your ad’s messaging. 

Then, go to the webinar. Are people hearing your offer? Likely, if your funnel is underperforming, this is where it starts — because people are falling off. Instead of scrapping your entire funnel and campaign, try re-recording your webinar. Include the offer earlier, pack it with more value, and make the beginning stronger so that people are hooked from the jump.

After you’ve locked down your webinar, look into your emails. Are people opening your emails? Are they clicking? If not, you either need a stronger offer or a stronger email sequence.  If you’re unsure of what needs to be changed, it’s a great time to poll your audience. 🙂 

—

Whether you’re building a new evergreen webinar funnel or trying to strengthen an existing one, trust me on this: if you do this right, it can totally change the game for your sales.

0 Comments

As an Agency Owner, What’s My Ideal Ads Budget?

As an Agency Owner, What’s My Ideal Ads Budget?

by | Jun 7, 2023 | Facebook™ Ads, Launching

There are a lot of questions I get asked over and over again as an ad agency owner — and, guess what? I’m absolutely an open book. I’ll answer any of ‘em!

However, some of the answers I have to give are nuanced… and that’s just the name of the game when you’re in this type of work.

This is especially true when it comes to one of the questions that I get again and again (and again) over here — AKA, “what is your ideal ads budget?”

So, settle on in: because I’m going to give you the breakdown behind this question and answer — but I’ll warn ya in advance, it’s not a straight answer.

Alright, you ready?

 

The truth about ad budgets

You might have already guessed based on the intro of this blog post, but here’s the truth about ad budgets: there is no set right budget number that I can (or would) give you. See, running ads is a highly personalized endeavor for the corresponding business. You have to dig deep into the data, set customized goals, and approach your ad budget from a mindset of both testing and flexibility.

To really define a budget, we do all of this — and then we crunch numbers based on the business to define budgets, and, in conjunction with the clients’ comfort level, go with it. See, over the years, we’ve seen success with $1,500 budgets, and $150,000 budgets — and it’s just further proof that ad budgets matter for the business who’s running them. That’s it. I promise.

How to define the right ads budget for you

Wondering how you can set the right ads budget for your unique needs and campaign? Well,  I’ve got you — always. While I won’t give you a tried-and-true number without knowing the data and goals, I will guide you towards making the right decision for you. Just follow these steps:

  • First: what are your goals? 
    • The cornerstone of absolutely every single successful ads budget comes down to defining and understanding your goals for the campaign. What KPIs (key performance indicators) are you wanting to achieve? What is your ultimate best-case scenario for the end of your ads campaign? What would make you feel like your ad campaign was successful? 
  • Second: what does your data tell you?
    • The coolest thing about running ads is that it leaves you with a TON of data to dig into at the end of every campaign — so, to choose your budget, make sure you’re paying attention to your past data! What targeting was working, and at what cost-per-lead or purchase? Don’t leave this part out because otherwise, you’re guessing or estimating. 
      • Note: don’t have any ad data yet? That’s ok! It won’t take but a few weeks to get insight. In the meantime, there are benchmarks based on your industry. Do a simple search to find out the average cost per lead or purchase for similar businesses.
  • Third: focus on engagement before launching a big campaign.
    • Before you launch a big, expensive campaign, make sure your audience is WARM and ready to purchase — and make your ad dollars work for you, instead of the way around. Nurture your email list, run engagement ads at a lower cost, and focus on showing up with high-quality, valuable content. 
  • Fourth: TEST.
    • The fun thing about ad campaigns is that you’re not married to anything — graphics, creative, targeting, even BUDGET. If your chosen budget isn’t working, feel free to test it alongside a different budget or even tweak it. You’re allowed! 😉

So, my pals, there you have it: a few tips to help you define the right budget for YOU. Just remember: this number is unique, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. I promise.

Stay tuned for more deep dives on this verrry topic.

0 Comments

How We Made $1.4M With a New Client’s First Launch

How We Made $1.4M With a New Client’s First Launch

by | May 24, 2023 | Case Studies, How To, Launching

We’re big proponents of FB ads over here. (Duh.)

But here’s why: because they WORK. They really, really work. And today we’re diving into a new case study with one of our clients to show you a super successful launch that’s basically, well, a MIRROR into what can happen with a killer ad strategy.

You ready? Let’s go!

Who: System Envy client who has a successful personal brand and was prepping for a new course launch (at a $997 value). This new client had onboarded riiiight before their launch, so we didn’t have a ton of time to build audiences and lists — and the course was brand new, too.

How: We immediately launched engagement videos right away to start building awareness and engagement audience via ads — and then we had to move quickly to complete the ads onboarding for iOS, to get her domains verified, to install her pixel, and to prioritize events. Once it was time for launch, we followed this strategy:

  • Free training invite ads
  • Free training reminder ads
  • Cart open ads
  • Cart close ads
  • Final day/urgency ads

The numbers:

  • Estimated return on ad spend: between 725% and 825% (a whopping $1.4M)
  • Purchases attributed to ads: 1,200+
  • Cost per lead: 137K+ leads for $0.81/lead — an insanely good CPL
    • Note: typical launches are around $4-8 CPL
  • Cart close ad tripled cart open in purchases

The takeaways:

To say that this ad campaign was successful is an understatement — it was a big goal crusher for our client, and here are a few things we’ve been able to take away from that:

  • Engagement ads WORK — and they work well. In this launch, warm and lookalike audiences performed best.
  • Pushing urgency can be a huge winner when it’s done right
  • — and for us, this showed up big-time in the cart close phase (which tripled the sales of cart open).
  • Boosted posts are fun to play with! In this campaign, we utilized Instagram and Facebook lives of the client inviting people to her free training and to take part in her course.
  • The backend setup matters, and it matters big time. Taking the time to get this client onboarded quickly and efficiently — yet successfully — was a big win for us all.
  • A killer launch makes for a yearly repeat — and our client is now making this course a yearly drop!

So, there you have it — proof that an engaged, warm audience can make ALL of the difference (and then some!) with a launch. This launch showed that being intentional about warm audiences — regardless of how long you’ve been launching — is a big marker for success.

Also, 725-825% return on ad spend?! Yes, please! 

We can’t wait to see you scoop these strategies for your next launch.

Stay tuned — we’ll be back with a new case study so soon!

0 Comments

How We Made 1,741% ROAS Launching a New Product

How We Made 1,741% ROAS Launching a New Product

by | May 17, 2023 | Case Studies, How To, Launching

Did somebody say CASE STUDY?!

Yes. We did. 🙂 We’re back for another installment of our new case study series, and today we’re putting the spotlight on another one of our clients: a photographer client who runs courses, has a monthly membership, and also creates tons of other content. I thought this would be a fun study to highlight as the budget for this launch was tiny but the return was huge. I think a lot of times people hear launch and they think it has to be 10’s of thousands of dollars. It doesn’t! Especially if you’ve been consistently and strategically building your audience and engagement as part of your overall marketing strategy. 

 

Let’s dive in!

 

Who: System Envy client who’s a photographer with courses, a new guide for photographers ($297 value — but on sale for $147 for this launch), a membership, and photography resources, plus has an established warm audience.

 

What: This client has a lot of offers, and we’ve run ads for a lot of those offers — particularly, though, we’ve spent a lot of time running engagement campaigns and launches for her photographer courses. This launch was specifically for a sale inside of her shop and to launch a guide for photographers. 

 

How: We approached this ad campaign with a huge focus on engagement and connection, especially: 

  • Repurposed video content from her YouTube channel for engagement ads
  • Evergreen engagement ads
  • New videos, launched weekly
  • Carousel testimonials 

 

The numbers: 

  • The launch revenue from our ad strategy was +$34,000
  • Return on ad spend: over 1,741%
  • Around $5/purchase return (on a $297 offer)
  • 33% of sales came from testimonial ads (they were queen!)
    • Note: these are wonderful to be used as a selling point — they’re so powerful!
  • The “last day!” ad we ran was responsible for almost 50% of sales

 

The takeaways:

This ad campaign taught us a lot, but also really cemented some strategies we focus on big-time over here:

  • Last-day ads are always worth a try (and they were a huge win in this case and in most cases)
  • Testing creative is super effective — by testing carousels, longer-form videos, *and* our regular, static image ads, we had a great opportunity to both educate the audience and gather sales (and data!) from all types of creative and content
  • You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel! We repurposed an older YouTube video for this campaign and it went insanely well
  • Testimonial ads are very often the best way to launch products like this — people want to hear from other people!

 

My friends, there you go — a new case study for ya! This one is really such proof that engagement and social proof matter massively and you don’t have to run a huge budget to see big wins! Put these strategies to the test for your next launch!

0 Comments

How Our Pre-Launch Strategy Supported A +$560K Launch

How Our Pre-Launch Strategy Supported A +$560K Launch

by | May 11, 2023 | Case Studies, Launching, Strategy

As you know, launches are the name of the game over here — and helping EVERY single client we have, every single blog reader we have, and every single email list subscriber we know is paramount to what we do.

 

No gatekeeping over here. Ever. 😉 So to make sure you always know how to rock your next launch with Facebook ads, we’re kicking off a new case study series where we share a success story from one our six-and seven-figure entrepreneur clients over here at System Envy.

 

Introducing… How our pre-launch strategy supported a $560K launch!

 

Who: System Envy client with a course (at a $297 value), an established warm audience, and a long break from live launching — she hadn’t run this course live in 2 years (!)

 

What: Though we’d been running evergreen course content for years, this particular launch was a live webinar-style launch. In the months leading up to the launch, we focused on engagement and on long-term planning. We strategically ran freebie ads and relevant engagement ads — so her audience was warm and ready to go.

 

How: We approached this live webinar-style launch with the following ads in strategy:

  • live webinar
  • webinar reminder
  • webinar replay
  • cart open
  • cart close 
  • last-day ads

 

The numbers: 

  • The estimated launch revenue from our ad strategy was +$560,000 (which was more than 50% of the total revenue generated)
    • Note: this is just what we could track inside Ads Manager. The overall launch actually resulted in around $1M of revenue
  • Estimated return on ad spend: over 300%
  • Around $5/purchase return (on a $297 offer)
  • Doubled the number of purchases since the last launch, even with a 33% increase in the price of the course

 

The takeaways:

This was a hugely successful launch, and — as all launches do — it taught us a lot! Here are our two biggest takeaways from this launch. These are what we felt moved the needle by and large:

  • Warm audiences are SO, so important (they are almost always our top performer by far). How do we get massive pools of warm audiences? People tend to think of ads only for launches but the truth is, pre-launch is just as important for launch strategy as the actual launch. Don’t skip it. Run engagement ads, boost your pre-launch reels (be strategic, don’t boost your cat…boost the reels with content that is aligned with your live launch subject), host a live on Facebook or Instagram, ask questions in your posts and ads. These are great ways to build large, warm audiences quickly ahead of a live launch. 
  • Video content was a huge hit! We really focused on ads talking to the camera, specifically with our client holding the phone in front of themselves and speaking directly to their audience! This is usually a huge hit during the launch, and we saw that confirmed during this one
    • Fun fact: We provide ‘video wishlists’ to clients and these types of videos are always on there for a launch. We’ve shared that list on the blog!
    • Pro tip: Utilize live launches as a way to regularly freshen up your evergreen campaigns for your course. When you’re filming your live launch ads, film an extra version or 3 taking care to not speak dates or words to identify it as a live launch. Then, once your live launch is over, you already have video ads ready for your evergreen campaigns. 

 

And, there you have it — a dive into one of our client launches. While you obviously want to be highly strategic, there’s a LOT to be said for a warm audience and engaging content. 

Stay tuned — we love to share client success stories!

0 Comments

My Top 8 Tips as an Agency Owner: Launch Edition

My Top 8 Tips as an Agency Owner: Launch Edition

by | Apr 12, 2023 | Launching, Strategy

Over here, launches are the name of the game. From memberships to courses to digital products, our clients are always launching the latest and greatest to their audiences — and there’s nothing we love more than to see it (and to support them through it, too).

And, over a long period of time doing this kind of work, our team has compiled a ton of best practices, tips, and tricks for helping our clients and our audience have kick-butt-level launches every single time.

As a thank you to you for being here and showing up with me, I wanted to share my top 8 tips as an agency owner: course launch edition!

 

1. Set goals based on real data.

Course launches involve real numbers — and running ads costs real money, so why not set goals based on real data? Dive deep into your audience, set measurable goals, and make sure that you’re considering data from past launches, past offerings, and past goings-on in your business so that you’re able to help those goals come true.

And, at the same time, make sure that any goals you have — whether they’re for your own launch or that of your client — are realistic, too. While dreaming big is always, always recommended (duh!), you want to make sure that you don’t end up disappointed because you didn’t create the right goals. Data plays into this!

 

2. Plan FARRRR in advance.

Building an effective course strategy takes time, and sometimes it takes quite a lot of it. Make sure you give yourself a runway (we typically recommend up to 6 weeks), and utilize tools like Asana to build out a timeline that makes sense for your launch.

When planning, remember the different stages of a launch — from warming up the audience allllll the way to cart close — and take the time to intentionally plan out the copy, creative, and strategy for each of these steps. It truly makes all the difference.

 

3. Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose.

You do not have to reinvent the wheel every time you launch a course or an ads strategy — and, in fact, you shouldn’t. Work to always repurpose templates and resources you’ve built in the past (we consistently reuse launch trackers, budget layouts, ad grids, URL worksheets, and more), and remember to repurpose content, too.

You can usually create killer copy from an existing sales page, you can utilize existing brand imagery for ad creative, and you can take everything from Story posts to Reels for engagement content. Make it easier on yourself, friend!

 

4. Communication is key.

When you’re bringing a launch to life, there’s almost nothing more important than communicating often, early, and well. Get ahead of any questions in advance by planning and organizing well, and then continually have conversations to get up to date on details, approvals, and everything in between.

 

5. Triple-check (and set up in advance).

Running effective ad campaigns usually means that you’re dealing with a lot of moving parts, so focus heavily on quality assurance. Over at System Envy, we’re big on checklists to QA every ad that’s prepping to launch — and we also, yet again, give ourselves a big runway to try and manage kinks in advance.

 

6. Wait for the learning period.

When you push ads live, it’s super important to resist making any edits unless there’s something majorly business-critical that needs to be changed. When you do this, you risk resetting the learning phase of the ad, which can seriously impact the performance — and it’s hard to tell what’s working, what’s not, and why.

 

7. Test during the pre-launch period for the best results.

While testing can be done during a launch (with limitations), focus more on doing so before, during the pre-launch period. By testing graphics, copy, creative, strategy, targeting, and more, you can start to know what phrases, lingo, headlines, and graphics spark action in your prospects.

 

8: Deep dive.

After your launch has concluded, deep dive into your data (it pays off)! Compare your current launch performance with past launches and the current ad landscape, and then compile all of your learnings (from audience to engagement to the creative that worked the best), and track it for next time. By doing this deep dive, you can make your next course launch run even better — and, ideally, you can save yourself some time.
(Psst… if you’re running launches for your clients, make sure you communicate results and communicate your deep dive. We usually use a post-launch report for this, and also love using Looms to make it even easier.)
—
While these 8 tips certainly don’t encompass every single learning we have, I can promise you that these tips are a LOT of it — and if you can implement these steps into your next launch, you’re in a great spot. I’m so proud of you already!

0 Comments

Why Mid-Cart Bonuses Can Help Boost Sales

Why Mid-Cart Bonuses Can Help Boost Sales

by | Mar 30, 2022 | Launching

When it comes to an ad strategy during the sales portion of a launch, there’s usually two sections that people really, really focus on: cart open and cart close.

But, what if I told you that you’re missing out on a huuuuuuge opportunity if you don’t also focus on mid-cart?!

Because you are. 🙂

See, cart open and close are super important. Obviously. But, at the same time, what you do during that mid-cart phase arguably matters just as much (if not more). It’s why I liiiiiiive for a good mid-cart bonus during a launch.

Let’s chat.

Why is mid-cart so important?

When mapping out a launch, it really looks like this: there’s a ton of excitement (and sales!) at cart open (people are usually riding the momentum of a webinar or challenge), then there’s a lull in sales, and then the momentum increases again right before the cart close.

And, I’d bet you know exactly where that lull is taking place, huh? The mid-cart.

When you can optimize that mid-cart phase with tons of value (and bonuses!), you can boost the heck out of your sales. In fact, we’ve seen an increase as big as 30% in sales during the 48-hour mid-cart bonus period. (!!!)

That’s a big boost, huh?! 

Now, you’re probably thinking “why on earth haven’t I been paying attention to that mid-cart period?!” but, as always, I’ve got you.

Enter: my fave tool, AKA mid-cart bonuses

We recommend mid-cart bonuses to all of our clients, especially to anyone with a longer cart open period. See, when you can add a lil’ bonus round situation to your mid-cart period, you’ll encourage those people who, A) were going to wait until the last minute, or B) were going to forget, to go ahead and lock in their purchase.

And that’s the best thing you can ask for, huh?!

There are tons of mid-cart bonuses you can implement into your launch, but here are some of the ones we’ve seen be super, super successful:

  • Checklists: People LOVE a good checklist, ok?! Like, really love a good checklist.
  • Video trainings or exclusive podcast episodes: Giving people a chance to digest new content or info via a video or podcast can be a really good way to encourage a purchase.
  • Extra course material: If you’re launching a course, it’s neeeeever a bad idea to offer additional material for your early purchasers.
  • Live components via calls or strategy sessions: If you’re launching a high-ticket program or course, tacking on an add’l call or strategy sesh can be a humongous value add.
  • An additional course you offer (a la buy one, get one).

Now, those aren’t your only bonus options, either! With a mid-cart you can really implement anything (even a flash sale discount), and you can keep it as limited-time as you’d like.

Just don’t forget about that mid-cart piece, k?!

—

We’re obviously #obsessed (and then some) with helping our clients rock their launches over here at System Envy. If you’re a 7 or 8-figure creative entrepreneur looking to rock your next launch, let’s chat.

0 Comments