PPC

10 Important PPC Trends to Watch in 2021

Published

3 years ago

November 10, 2020

10 Important PPC Trends to Watch in 2021

In a normal year, PPC marketing is fairly unpredictable.

But 2020 was anything but a normal year.

Last year, nobody could have or would have predicted we’d be dealing with the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic throughout 2020.

Instead, our PPC experts were busy talking about trends like automation, audience targeting, and privacy.

Hopefully, 2021 won’t throw quite as many curveballs at those of you doing PPC advertising and paid social.

So what will be the most important PPC trends in 2021?

As part of my fourth annual look at PPC Trends here on Search Engine Journal, I asked some of the top PPC experts for their insights.

Here are the top 10 PPC trends you need to know for 2021 – from paid search, to paid social, to remarketing, and beyond – according to 32 experts.

Want all the trends now? Download our new ebook: PPC Trends 2021.

1. Goodbye, Data

Obfuscation of data, unfortunately, will be a continuing trend in 2021, according to Julie F. Bacchini, President & Founder, Neptune Moon.

“Between Google Ads limiting access to search query data to the coming obliteration of tracking cookies as we know it, digital marketers are going to have to adapt in a pretty major way again in 2021,” Bacchini said. “The bottom line for 2021: be ready to be flexible.”

Amy Hebdon, Founder, Paid Search Magic, said similar.

“It’s been a slow burn for years, but this is Google Ads’ worst year on record for shifting away from transparency and limiting the data we have to make the best decisions for our accounts,” Hebdon said. “Barring any regulatory interference, we can expect Google to continue on this path indefinitely as it maximizes its own revenue and earnings.”

Brad Geddes, Co-Founder, AdAlysis, also expects Google to continue hiding data as it relies more on machine learning.

“I expect that trend to continue where Google forces advertisers to rely more on Google’s machine learning and data than on their own expertise,” Geddes said. “While this trend may help the small advertiser, Google will continue to hurt the larger and more sophisticated advertisers with these changes.”

So what can PPC marketers do to succeed in this environment?

“Imperfect data is no one’s favorite, but wise marketers will need to use incomplete data to see the signal from the noise,” said Mark Irvine, Director of Paid Media, SearchLab. “Rather than focus on the loss, wise marketers will still need to see what’s working best with the 80% of information they have and learn how to guide their campaigns to target more of that audience.”

According to Irvine, that means:

Writing more “good” ads than “bad” ads with responsive ad assets.
Reviewing patterns of search queries, rather than individual search terms.
Guiding automated bidding, rather than controlling bidding directly.

And, according to Michelle Morgan, Director of Client Services, Clix Marketing, it also means doing more with less.

“Companies are going to rely on PPC to drive larger portions of their revenue, while at the same time the channels are taking away functionality and data transparency,” Morgan said. “So we literally need to have a bigger impact for our clients with less control and insights into performance.”

Ben Wood, Strategy Director, Hallam, added that the erosion of hyper-specific user-level targeting will push more advertisers back to contextual targeting methods and raise the importance of compelling creative.

“The importance of effective persuasion techniques to sit alongside the precision targeting most of us PPC marketers have become more familiar with will be emphasized,” Wood said.

2. Understand Your Audience & the Buyer Journey

As Aaron Levy, Group Director, SEM, Tinuiti, puts it: the days of PPC marketers controlling every ad and every bid based on words alone.

What’s this mean?

“We’ll be forced to look at the whole picture of the audience we’re aiming for,” Levy said. “While I mourn the loss of data we were so used to from our friends at Google and Microsoft, I for one welcome the opportunity to be a better marketer, moving beyond just language-driven ads.”

In 2021, the most successful PPC marketers will be strategists focused on their target audience, said Kristopher Jones, Founder & CEO, LSEO.com.

“In an era where there is less control due to automation and AI, what matters is who sees your ads to ensure you’re driving qualified clicks,” Jones said.

Therefore, advertisers who align PPC marketing efforts with the buyer journey will come out ahead of the pack in 2021, according to Melissa Mackey, Search Supervisor, gyro.

“As an advertiser, expect to spend time thinking about your customer and how they decide to buy from you.

How long does the process take?
Where do they interact?
What information do they need?
What might they be searching for?
How do you measure success at each step?”

And many other PPC experts agreed, including Jonathan A. Kagan, VP of Search, 9RoofTops.

“The number one thing for everyone to do is get control of your audiences,” Kagan said. “Know who your target audience is. Know who is worth prospecting versus who is most likely to convert. Separate them, and manage them independently.”

With less information being available related to the intent of a potential customer, marketers will need to evolve their approach and think more about engaging the right audiences, said Justin Freid, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer, CMI/Compas.

“A tactical example of this is how we have seen high adoption of Bing’s ability to integrate LinkedIn data into their targeting,” Freid said. “Yes, intent is important, but knowing you are targeting a qualified lead/customer is of equal value. This will also help us begin to look at the LTV (Lifetime Value) of customer vs. a single sale driven through paid search.”

Purna Virji, Senior Manager, Global Engagement, Microsoft Advertising, believes that in 2021, PPC will go back to basics, which means putting customers and communities first and marketing with purpose.

She highlighted two areas that are important for reaching your customers:

Keywords: The goal here is to target potential customers based on their unique needs that map to the keywords they use to satisfy their unique dimension of diversity.
Images: Choosing imagery is an important part of the process of constructing a meaningful and inclusive customer experience.

What does it all mean?

Here’s how Kirk Williams, Owner, ZATO, put it:

“The business that invests well into learning:

Who their audience is.

What they care about.

Where they spend their time.

What they want to hear.

…can then build a PPC campaign strategy targeting those audiences (social) and how they are searching (search).

This will inform:

Landing page creation and content.
Ad creative.
Various Google Ads targeting metrics such as audiences, keywords, location, devices, and more.”

3. Even More Automation

Like it or not, ad platforms are taking away more control from PPC marketers.

Steve Hammer, President, RankHammer, believes this trend is going to accelerate in 2021.

“This will force us to rely on feeding better data back into the platforms,,” Hammer said. “That better data will need to factor much more than just binary metrics, even where we used to use them. Leads will need to consider quality and feed values back based upon this, or the platform will automate for those easy low quality leads.”

Robert Brady, Founder, Righteous Marketing, also believes we will continue to see the proliferation of more automation in PPC.

“So if you want greater success in your PPC efforts, get familiar with how the automation works,” Brady said. “Humans are still needed, but the platforms want their algorithms to have more leash.”

As pointed out by Pauline Jakober, Founder & CEO, Group Twenty Seven, results are the ultimate goal – regardless of whether they’re achieved by automated, manual, or a mix of both managed strategies.

“For areas of automation where we have lost control, PPC pros will likely have to accept, adapt, and move on,” Jakober said. “However, the positive side of this forced adaptation is that it will give PPC pros more cycles to focus on strategies that build brand awareness and brand affinity.”

Meanwhile, Frederick Vallaeys, Co-Founder, Optmyzr, said one of the big lessons learned in 2020 was that automation, when used wisely, can actually save the day when all else falls apart.

He believes advertisers will use automation to save time while finding ways to use human intelligence to manipulate these systems to gain an edge over competitors.

“For example, advertisers will spend more time building checks-and-balances for the machines rather than doing account maintenance with automations like Smart Bidding and Responsive Search Ads handling tasks previously done by hand,” Vallaeys said. “Advertisers will look for ways to get notified when these systems deviate from expectations, either due to shortcomings of the tools themselves, or because unplanned events in the world are messing up the best-laid plans.”

4. Diversification Will Become More Important

One unintended consequence of the loss of control in Google will likely lead to more companies shifting PPC dollars to other search engines such as Microsoft Ads, according to Brooke Osmundson, Director of Paid Media, NordicClick Interactive.

“This platform still gives marketers the robust data it needs to make sound strategic decisions,” Osmundson said.

Christine Zirnheld, Digital Marketer, Cypress North, said one of the most important things PPC marketers can do in 2021 to set themselves up for success is diversifying their skillset beyond Google Ads.

“As Google continues to move away from actionable data and more toward machine learning, it will be vital for advertisers to be well-versed in other advertising platforms that allow them more control over their spending, reach, and messaging,” Zirnheld said. “In order to do the best work we can for our clients, we simply can’t rely on Google Ads as heavily as we once did.”

Put simply: Diversification is key for a winning PPC strategy, according to Amy Bishop, Owner & Digital Marketing Consultant, Cultivative.

“The more diverse your media mix, the more nimble you can be,” Bishop said. “A diverse strategy puts you in a good place to capitalize on opportunities to scale and/or redistribute budget as needed in the wake of an unforeseen shake-up.”

Nikki Kuhlman, Senior Account Director, JumpFly, agreed.

“Test other platforms that help drive overall business,” Kuhlman said. “I’m starting to see this with clients more and more.

“I’m very much a ‘traditional’ PPC account manager, but have been talking with clients about diversifying their advertising beyond Google Ads Search and Display, and Microsoft Advertising. I’m also talking about testing YouTube, Verizon Media’s native ads, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, even TikTok if the audience fits,” Kuhlman added.

5. Harness the Power of First-Party Data

How data is sourced is about to be disrupted, as noted by Christi Olson, Global Media SEM Lead, Microsoft. This is due to changes in global privacy policies and restrictions to third-party cookies across browsers.

“Search marketers will need to focus on data in 2021 and work with their companies and agencies to develop a data strategy to maintain privacy compliance and usability of data in this new landscape,” Olson said.

“With how dependent marketers have been on cookie-driven targeting technologies, I believe that developing new solutions not reliant on cookies is the key 2021 priority for marketers,” said Ilya Cherepakhin, Head of Performance Marketing, Milestone Inc.

“Businesses are able to get greater accuracy because they can segment first-party data with great customization – as closely as needed to manage business goals and align with wider organizational needs, and brand objectives,” Cherepakhin added. “While daunting, creating first-party, data-driven solutions are well worth the investment since they benefit multiple digital channels.”

Ed Leake, Managing Director, AdEvolver & Midas Media, said search engines don’t want you to track anything meaningful anymore. So being in a position to recover a good chunk of your traffic data is a big deal.

“With server-side analytics, you greatly increase tracking accuracy and for the most part, the web browsers can do nothing to stop it,” Leake said. “Improving your first-party data, much like last year, should be a priority”.

6. New Instagram Opportunities

Akvile DeFazio, President, AKvertise, advises keeping an eye on Instagram.

“It is only a matter of time before they open up more ad placements for additional inventory through IGTV and Reels as they continue to quickly gain organic popularity,” DeFazio said.

Susan Wenograd, Director of Paid Acquisition, Nextiva (and Search Engine Journal’s Paid Media Writer) echoed this, noting that ad formats like Stories have done exceedingly well, and they’ve gone after TikTok formats by launching Reels.

“They are going to continue to find ways to monetize the real estate on the platform,” Wenograd said. “They also need to entice creators – something they haven’t historically done a great job of. …We will likely see continued experimentation here.”

7. Big Picture Strategy Will Become More Valuable

The industry changes fast. Knowing where to push, where to pull, and when is an important skill set, according to Bishop.

“As digital media geeks, most of us love to get lost in the data. But having a creative mindset and the ability to go big picture is important,” Bishop said. “As the cost of inventory rises, you have to determine how to make your investment work smarter.”

Amy Hebdon, Founder, Paid Search Magic, added that in 2021, the best defense will be a good offense.

“The better your campaigns are structured, the less important negative ‘whack-a-mole’ is to the success of the campaign,” Hebdon said. “Group your campaigns thematically, and have ads and offers that specifically appeal to your audience.”

“Target your market based on their preferences and behaviors, not just observed variance in the data,” Hebdon added. “And, of course, make choices that align with your objectives, not Google’s scores and recommendations.”

8. Perfect the Ad Message

How well you articulate your message will be super important in 2021.

As Irvine noted earlier, it will be more important than ever to write more good ads than bad ads.

Many other PPC experts echoed this, including Arianne Donoghue, Founder, Tempest Marketing.

Donoghue noted that in 2021 it will be important to have a renewed focus on understanding who your customers are as people, rather than as data points.

“The right person – at the right time, in the right place – but with the wrong message, is a missed opportunity,” Donoghue said. “The creative is what drives that emotional connection and ultimately gets someone to engage. We often forget that.”

That’s why John Lee, Learning Strategist, Microsoft Advertising said skills around ad writing and execution have never been more important – or necessary.

Why?

“Complex, dynamic, and responsive ad units. Think RSAs, DSAs, and native/responsive display ads. These ad types are amazing and are driving growth in our industry,” Lee said. “And success requires developing new skills around planning, creative writing, and testing.”

9. Always Be Testing

Speaking of testing – Navah Hopkins, Director of Paid Media, Hennessey Digital, provided probably my favorite quote in PPC Trends this year, and it is this: “get comfortable not being comfortable.”

If 2020 prepared us for nothing else, hopefully it prepared us for that!

Hopkins said the biggest trend for 2021 is to always be testing, and never get comfortable with what you think you know.

“We need to treat our campaigns as a kid with a new allergy – put each variable up to scrutiny and only allow newly ‘proven’ tactics to be part of your marketing mix,” Hopkins said. “If there’s one mantra we digital marketers need to have engraved in our hearts – it’s to test!”

10. A Great Mobile Experience

Surprised to see this in a list of PPC trends for 2021? Don’t be.

If brands want to win in 2021, they need to have an accessible site. This is, and will be, a huge area for 2021, according to Duane Brown, Founder & Head of Strategy, Take Some Risk.

“Despite the years of mobile being a thing, many brands still don’t have a website that has a great experience on mobile,” Brown said. “Many people have never visited their own site on a mobile device, let alone multiple devices.”

Discover More PPC Trends & Insights for 2021

We’ve only just gotten started.

There are a lot more trends to discover in the rest of Search Engine Journal’s PPC Trends 2021 ebook.

Ready for more?

Click here to download Search Engine Journal’s PPC Trends 2021.

You’ll get more insights and tips straight from these 32 PPC experts on how to succeed at PPC and paid social in 2021:

Julie F. Bacchini, President & Founder, Neptune Moon
Amy Bishop, Owner & Digital Marketing Consultant, Cultivative
Robert Brady, Founder, Righteous Marketing
Duane Brown, Founder & Head of Strategy, Take Some Risk
Ilya Cherepakhin, Head of Performance Marketing, Milestone Inc.
Akvile DeFazio, President, AKvertise
Arianne Donoghue, Founder, Tempest Marketing
Justin Freid, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer, CMI/Compas
Brad Geddes, Co-Founder, AdAlysis
Steve Hammer, President, RankHammer
Amy Hebdon, Founder, Paid Search Magic
Navah Hopkins, Director of Paid Media, Hennessey Digital
Mark Irvine, Director of Paid Media, SearchLab
Pauline Jakober, Founder & CEO, Group Twenty Seven
Kristopher Jones, Founder & CEO, LSEO.com
Jonathan A. Kagan, VP of Search, 9RoofTops
Nikki Kuhlman, Senior Account Director, JumpFly
Ed Leake, Managing Director, AdEvolver & Midas Media
John Lee, Learning Strategist, Microsoft Advertising
Aaron Levy, Group Director, SEM, Tinuiti
Melissa Mackey, Search Supervisor, gyro
Michelle Morgan, Director of Client Services, Clix Marketing
Christi Olson, Global Media SEM Lead, Microsoft
Brooke Osmundson, Director of Paid Media, NordicClick Interactive
Lisa Raehsler, Founder & SEM Strategy Consultant, Big Click Co.
Frederick Vallaeys, Co-Founder, Optmyzr
Purna Virji, Senior Manager, Global Engagement, Microsoft Advertising
Susan Wenograd, Director of Paid Acquisition, Nextiva
AJ Wilcox, Founder, B2Linked
Kirk Williams, Owner, ZATO
Ben Wood, Strategy Director, Hallam
Christine Zirnheld, Digital Marketer, Cypress North

Plus, our sponsors:

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Past Editions of PPC Trends

Featured Image Credit: Paulo Bobita

Author: Danny Goodwin
Danny Goodwin is Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal. In addition to overseeing SEJ’s editorial strategy and managing contributions from … [Read full bio]

PPC

The Easy Guide to Facebook Video Ads for Any Business

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2023

Max

The Easy Guide to Facebook Video Ads for Any Business

Social media platforms are focusing more and more on video content. Facebook used to be a place for folks to upload their photos into albums to keep them organized and share what they’d been up to, but with the increase in popularity of TikTok and Instagram Reels, users are now so much more accustomed to scrolling through endless videos designed to make them laugh, cry, or stay informed. With this change in user behavior, it’s now more important than ever to be sure you’re creating engaging content that cuts through the noise and stands out.

An example of a Facebook video ad.

Video ads on the Meta Business platform (which reaches Facebook and Instagram) is a great way to do this. Although the ability to churn out video ads regularly was reserved for brands with big budgets in years past, new tools and AI have helped democratize this and now any brand can advertise using high-quality videos without spending much at all.

In this post, I want to talk through some best practices for Facebook video ads and show you some tools you can use to execute those strategies.

Facebook video ads best practices

Follow these Facebook video ad tips to squeeze the most out of your Facebook ad costs.

1. Create videos in all aspect ratios

If you’ve used Meta Ads recently, you probably know there are tons of different placements your ads can show up on the network. The good news is that to cover this vast list of placements, you only need to come up with three distinct aspect ratios for your video ads:

Having videos in each of these aspect ratios ensures you’re eligible to show in all the placements you’d like to.

We’ll talk later about how you can make these aspect ratios if you don’t have a dedicated creative team, but in the ad creation process, you’re able to select different video files to fit into each aspect ratio. Facebook will then automatically serve the creative with the right sizing for each spot to ensure you have the best-looking ads.

Now, while it might not seem like a huge deal to have all three ratios, I think it’s actually one of the easiest things you can do to help make sure your ads look good and stand out. In the image above, you can easily see how different an ad will look in the vertical and horizontal placements if you only have a square image. They’re not bad, necessarily, but they certainly don’t have the high-quality, professional look that most users have become accustomed to in recent years.

🛑 Want to know how your Facebook ads are really performing? Find out with our free Facebook Ads Performance Grader!

2. Be prepared for all sound options

If you’re a Facebook or Instagram user, you’ve likely visited the platforms in all sorts of scenarios. With full sound while sitting on your couch or in your bed. Maybe you have your headphones in while out in public, or maybe you’re even one of those crazy people with their sound up on the subway. But odds are, there have been at least a few instances where you were on those platforms and didn’t have the sound on at all.

For each of these instances, you were bound to see ads and the level of volume you were using likely had an impact on how sticky those ads were for you. Designing your ads to be digestible regardless of a user’s sound level is highly important.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself while crafting Facebook video ads sounds:

Do you have an engaging/entertaining voiceover?
Is there music you can choose to fit the mood of the ad?
Do you have subtitles for the voiceover in case someone’s sound is off?
Is the voiceover clear and easily understandable even in a loud environment?

3. Get your main message across in the first 3 seconds

No matter what the original purpose was for someone to visit social media, the main point is that they’re not there to view your ads. I feel very confident in saying that for the majority of people visiting Facebook or Instagram, they’re not there to see what product or service you’re selling.

Similar to ads on YouTube, users are pretty easily able to skip and scroll past the ads on Facebook and Instagram. That is, unless you run non-skippable ads, but those are pretty rare. So, you need to make sure you’re making a big impact in the first few seconds of your ads…before the remainder of it is skipped. If you do a good job of creating a compelling hook in that short time, you can certainly draw their attention for longer, maybe up to 15-30 seconds, some even longer. But odds are, your views will be short so you need to be front-heavy.

In this time, it’s important to get your business name and core brand messaging across so that even if a user does scroll past you, you’ve at least made that much of an impact. They’ll have a higher chance at brand recall later if they’ve heard your name in that brief intro. This can include text, voiceover, business logos, and more, so be creative, engaging, and entertaining.

4. Blend into the platform aesthetic

In my experience, the best ads on Facebook or Instagram (I’m typically an Instagram user) are ones that blend into the platform aesthetic. The ads that typically entice me the most are the ones I don’t really know are ads until I look down to see the Sponsored messaging down at the bottom.

The best way to discover this is to become a user of the platform itself. For Instagram, go to the Explore tab and type in some of your key terms, maybe the same ones you use for search or maybe some terms that mirror the interest or behavior targeting you’re using for your campaigns.

See what the grid looks like. What shows up? What brands are there? How are they marketing to people? While you may not want to become just part of the noise, blending in allows you to make a greater impact and feel more natural to the audience.

For example, I have a renewed interest in landscape photography and am in the market for a new camera. If I were a camera brand (or someone selling camera-adjacent things), either of the two grids above could help give an idea of what my ads can/should look like to blend into the platform. Then, make sure you follow the other best practices above to get your message across.

💡 Ready to improve your Facebook ads? Get 16 effective strategies for Facebook ads to try now!

5. Retarget users who engage with your videos

I might be biased, but one of the biggest mistakes I think advertisers make is not retargeting people who watch their Facebook videos. Sure, they might find their way to seeing you again through prospecting or they may remember you enough to come back to your site, but why would you target people (who you seemingly thought were valuable) once, then not work to target them again? Especially after they are already aware of you?

On the Facebook ads platform, you can make audiences of users who have engaged with your videos in many different ways. Just head to the Facebook ads audience manager and choose Video as your source for an audience.

From there, you can choose how they have interacted with those videos. Did they watch the whole thing? A certain percentage of it? Think about where your value propositions and messaging hits in those videos and be sure to include that in your audience filters.

Next, you can choose the videos you want to retarget people from. Yes, you can select only certain videos if you think they’re more impactful, part of a separate campaign, etc.

Lastly, you can choose how long you want to reengage with someone who watched those videos for that amount of time. One error I see is always setting the time frame to the longest possible setting. Now be honest…if you saw a video ad once 180 days ago, do you think you’re still a hot prospect for that brand? Probably not. Make sure you keep that in mind when making these audiences. Higher engagers can likely stick around longer, but lower engagers probably should be let free from your retargeting grasp a bit sooner.

Helpful Facebook video ad tools

Now that we have some best practices out of the way, I want to talk about how to make the Facebook video ad creatives. Not every Facebook video ad has to be done by a hugely expensive creative shop. Some can be done just as well with your own means, and sometimes for free! Here are some of the top Facebook video ad creative resources your business can take advantage of:

Yes, phone cameras are acceptable

A big expensive camera only makes world-changing videos when there’s an amazing photographer or videographer behind the lens. For most people, a camera phone will do just fine. In many cases, they’ll do better than if you tried to use an expensive camera due to all the ways the tech companies are making them easier to use.

Next time you need to put together a video, take a shot with your phone first. Many times, those videos will turn out great, and will help fit you into the platform aesthetic naturally as much of the content on Facebook and Instagram is also shot on a phone.

Facebook’s cropping tool

Once you have a video, there are options in Facebook ads to adjust your creatives for different sizes.

In the image above, you can see we have a square video that needs cropped to vertical. Granted, this would be a terrible user experience, but if your video does lend itself to this easy cropping, there is an option directly within Facebook to do that for you.

Facebook video builder

If you don’t already have any creatives and you need to build something almost from scratch, Facebook also has a video creation tool you can use to put together videos.

You can use existing images combined with Facebook’s video ad templates to make a video for your account. There are tons of templates that allow you to control for colors, text, timing, and more. Just lead on the user-friendly builder and you’ll end up with a platform-ready Facebook video ad in no time!

Canva

While there are some paid in-platform upgrades, Canva is a great tool to get just about any type of creative made (video or otherwise).

There are countless free templates you can customize to help promote your brand. Canva also includes easy options to convert one theme into a new aspect ratio, helping you to cover all the video sizes as I mentioned above. In short, if you’re a novice to video marketing but need to get something done, you should check Canva out.

Create great Facebook video ads today

Facebook and Instagram video ads are a great way to interact with your customer base and are only getting more necessary as other platforms lean into video. It doesn’t take any particular expertise or deep pockets to get your Facebook video ads up and running. Just a bit of patience and some guidelines and you’re on your way!

When you want to improve your results, follow these Facebook video ad best practices:

Create videos in all aspect ratios
Be prepared for all sound options
Get your main message across in the first 3 seconds
Blend into the platform aesthetic
Retarget users who engage with your videos

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PPC

How to Make a Click-Worthy YouTube Thumbnail (+Free Tools!)

Published

2 days ago

December 7, 2023

Max

How to Make a Click-Worthy YouTube Thumbnail (+Free Tools!)

With millions of videos vying for attention, your YouTube thumbnails serve as the first point of engagement for potential viewers. These seemingly small images carry significant weight in attracting clicks and views.

YouTube thumbnails provide a snapshot of your video content, setting expectations for what viewers can expect. A well-crafted thumbnail not only piques interest but also conveys the essence of the video.

In this article, I’ll share everything you need to know about YouTube thumbnails, including tools to create them, tips to keep in mind, and other lessons I’ve learned from running my own YouTube channel.

What is a YouTube thumbnail?

A YouTube thumbnail serves as a visual snapshot of what a video contains. It appears as a small image next to the title of the video on YouTube’s search results page, related videos section, or the recommended videos section.

This image plays a crucial role in attracting potential viewers and encouraging them to click on the video. The design and content of this thumbnail often influence the decision of a viewer to watch the video or not. Therefore, it holds significant importance in the world of YouTube content creation.

YouTube thumbnail size

The best YouTube thumbnail size is 1280×720 pixels. This is an aspect ratio of 16:9. The minimum width you should shoot for is 640 pixels.

You should also shoot for a relatively small file size—under 2MB. YouTube thumbnails can be saved as JPGs, GIFs, or PNGs.

YouTube thumbnail tips

Your YouTube journey begins with a single image—the thumbnail. This seemingly small, but critically important element is the initial gateway for your viewers.

“If people don’t click, they don’t watch. So, you want to give them something to click,” said YouTube star MrBeast.

Here are some tips to create effective YouTube thumbnails.

Make them engaging

Think of your thumbnails as digital hooks to capture your audience’s attention. Make them visually striking, vibrant, and engaging.

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Be consistent

Building a recognizable brand on YouTube starts with consistency in your thumbnail design. A uniform style helps viewers easily identify your content. In addition to consistency in your thumbnail design, keeping a close eye on others in your field who share your audience is a smart strategy.

Checking out what your competitors are up to can give you helpful clues about how many people click on their stuff. This helps you see how your channel’s look, content, titles, and colors stack up, so you can ensure you’re putting your best foot forward.

As you can see below, MrBeast’s thumbnails are visually striking and attention-grabbing, featuring bold colors, expressive facial expressions, and compelling imagery. He maintains a consistent style in his thumbnails, making them instantly recognizable to his viewers and helping build a strong brand presence on YouTube.

Represent your video accurately

Your thumbnail should provide an honest representation of your video. Misleading thumbnails can lead to viewer frustration and backlash.

Create an emotional impact

It’s well known that emotions are contagious. This means that watching someone else have an emotional reaction to something can cause you to have the same reaction.

Humans react to other human faces, and it’s an easy trick to get more people to click on your YouTube videos. Humans will naturally assess the emotional state of the face. When their mouth is open, it’s usually to show that they are surprised. When someone sees this surprised reaction, they are enticed to see what is so surprising.

🚨 Speaking of emotion…get our free guide >> 135 of the Best Words & Phrases for Marketing with Emotion

Learn and adapt

Continuously analyze your analytics to adapt your content and strategy based on audience feedback and changing trends.

The thumbnail below was my first to go well (in relation to my other videos). The simple title in the thumbnail, the upward arrow, society’s current fascination with ChatGPT, the length of the video, me in it—smiling and wearing something that matched the color scheme of the thumbnail. These are things I took note of as potential drivers of success for future videos and thumbnails.

Source

Free YouTube thumbnail makers

Here are a few YouTube thumbnail creation tools to try, including the one I use for all my thumbnails.

1. Fotor

I use an app called Fotor to create my thumbnails. Fotor is a fantastic all-in-one platform that makes thumbnail creation a breeze. It’s an easy-to-use photo editing and graphic design tool, available in web, desktop, and mobile versions. It provides a full suite of tools that cover most image editing needs, including face retouching and image-generative AI.

Fotor also includes advanced AI-powered tools such as background remover, image enlarger, and object remover, which make complex edits simple.

I created a super simple video walkthrough where I use it to create a YouTube thumbnail. Check it out here.

2. Canva

Canva is a design tool (with a free option) that can help you create impactful YouTube thumbnails. Simply navigate to the site, choose YouTube thumbnail as your design option, and find an already-created template to customize or create your own design.

Within Canva, you can adjust colors, add your own images, and brand your YouTube thumbnail with your business logo.

3. Visme

Visme is another online design tool that makes it easy to create YouTube thumbnails. Like Canva, Visme has already created templates that you can choose and customize according to your branding.

Simply choose your template, customize it, download it, and you’re all set!

Start making effective YouTube thumbnails with ease

Creating a great YouTube thumbnail is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to effective video marketing on the site. But the right YouTube thumbnail strategy can help you build consistency, attract people to click on your videos, and increase engagement with your content.

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12 Holiday Emails for Customers (Templates & Examples!)

Published

4 days ago

December 5, 2023

Max

12 Holiday Emails for Customers (Templates & Examples!)

How to put your customers into a holiday slumber 😴 :

To our valued customers,

As the end of the year draws near, we’d like to take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you for your support. Thank you for choosing us and we wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!

sleepy bored face

Want to send an authentic holiday email this year that your customers will actually want to read? This is your cheat sheet!

How to use these holiday email templates

This post contains both the copy and creative you can use for your holiday customer appreciation emails. These emails are longer and more personalized—great for your most loyal customers or for businesses with a small client base. If you want shorter, more general copy, head on over to my holiday greetings and messages.

The copy is also pasted into some templates I made in Canva, which you can access with a free Canva account!

Here’s the link to the templates in Canva.

free holiday email templates in canva

Holiday customer email tips

In such a short piece of content as this, small details have big effects. Here’s how to get it right.

Express gratitude! Customer appreciation is the goal here.

Keep it short and use a conversational tone. This is an e-toast, not a live journal.
Be inclusive of all holidays, and be warm and positive, but not overly hyped—the holidays can be difficult for many people.
Make it visual with creative graphics or a team photo.
Share your growth and achievements to give customers a reason to stay confident in your business. BUT make it about them—the growth you achieved with their support. What you achieved together.
Connect it back to your mission (NOT your value prop).
Focus on the future. Speak to an ongoing relationship, but not through a CTA or sales promotion. Save that for your year-in-review email.

Words & phrases to make your holiday email message authentic

Take a gander through these words and phrases you can use that the other gajillion businesses out there aren’t using:

Instead of ‘valued customer’

Don’t call them valued, make them FEEL valued through your messaging.

Dear customers
To our awesome customers
To our customers near and far, old and new
To all of you
To each and every one of you
To the Baker & Co. family
To the SparkLife community
To you and your families
Dear customers, partners, and your families
Friends
First name (if you have a small list and can MANUALLY do it).

Instead of ‘exciting year’

It’s been a…

Lively
Rewarding
Exhilarating
Electrifying
Wild
Awesome
Zestful
Refreshing
Bustling
Bright
Spirited
Rousing
Rigorous

….year!

Instead of ‘as we approach’

Any “as we.” As we approach, enter, wind down, you know them all. How about:

Every year, I/we
If you’re like us, you are…
As the saying goes…
One of my favorite quotes is
Ask a question
Whether this email finds you ___ing, ____ing, or ___ing, we hope it finds you well!
As I sit here listening to [unique/meaningful/inclusive song name]
Exactly 11 months ago, we were…..
When we started out this year we _____. Little did we know…
Here at ___ we believe in ____, so…
One of our core values here at ____ is ____.
As I write this email, I’m watching the snow falling outside my window for the first time this year.
As it turns out…

Instead of ‘take this opportunity to’

Take THIS opportunity to remove yourselves from the mileu by using phrases like:

Words can’t describe our…
We’re reaching out to say…
We want you to know that…
We extend our deepest…
It is with pride and joy that we…

Instead of ‘thank you for your support’

Nothing wrong with this statement, but make it better with specifics.

Thank you for…

Trusting us with your ____
Using ____ for your ____ needs.
Confidence and loyalty to _____
How much you’ve [taught us, inspired us, encouraged us, etc..]
Choosing us as your ____ provider
Giving us a reason to come into work each day
Showing up to our events
Your reviews, social shares, votes
Positive vibes, enthusiasm

5 holiday email templates any business can use

To make your life easier, I’ve compiled some templates that incorporate the tips and words and phrases above. Check’em out.

If you want to You can also customize them in Canva