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One of the keys of good app campaign optimization is having great creatives. The better the creative the higher the chances of people getting to the app.

We see hundreds of different banners every month and work in partnership with our advertisers to help them create the best banners possible.

So here go 10 tips to design the best mobile app creatives.

1. A very clear call to action

Banners are not always designed with a particular action in mind, in fact branding used to be one of the main purposes of banners. When doing an app promotion campaign though, the banners should only have one objective in mind... getting users to install the app.

Remember that it’s not always clear that a banner is “clickable”, specially when you don’t know the environment it will be in (and the colors it will have around it) which is why it’s extremely important to include an “Install now” or “Install Free” or “Download now!” button that is as loud and clear as possible. People feel dumb when they don’t know where to click, giving them a button ensure they don’t!

Banners with nice buttons:

   2. If your app name is self descriptive, make it big!

In general, people like to know what they’re clicking on, so it’s always important to include your app’s name (or company or brand name) somewhere on the banners, as big a possible. In particular if the name is self descriptive or if the brand is a well recognized one.

In this Clash of Clans banner, the logo is loud and clear!:

In this other banner however, it’s difficult to understand what the banner is about (we blurred the company’s name but it was in the same font as the rest and lost in the middle of the sentence):

3. Convince me in one line.

It has to be very clear in one line (not like there’s a lot of space!) what the app does or why it’s important that I install it or why is it different or why I will love it. You have to appeal to the user of your app, think of your target demographic, what makes them tick? Do variations with loads of messages until you find the one that performs the best.

Here’s a pretty convincing line!

4. Your app is FREE? Say it!

Most people are still quite averse to spending money to install an app, so the slightest hint that the app you are trying to promote is not free will deter potential users. Hence... if it’s free, make sure you mention it.

5. Make sure it’s in the right language!

Mobile banners can only carry a limited amount of words, make sure you are using the right language! We run into poorly translated banners very often and the impact this has on conversion is huge, it’s well worth hiring a translator to make sure the banners are not lost in translation.

6. Think of your audience for colours and images

It’s important to convey a message with the imagery and colour palette you use. Teenage girls are attracted by different imagery/colours when compared to adult men or young kids. Here’s an example of how eBay targets different demographics on their banners:

7. More is... more.

The more banner variations you do, the more likely you are to find a great combination of message and colours and graphics that appeals to your audience. We can’t stress enough the importance of designing a large variety of creatives. A great part of optimizing campaign is finding the right creative/demographic/traffic source combination.

8. Animate without overdoing it.

Animation actually helps. Anything that makes your creative stand out in the tiny cramped space of a mobile screen will help but there is a fine line between a smooth animation that calls your attention to click on a button and a psychedelic nightmare of a banner!

9. Make sure the banner message and the app store messages match.

Since you are advertising an app and not a website, users will be directed to the app store (iTunes or Google Play), and although clicking wins half the battle, you still want people to go through with the app download. It’s very important that whatever you said on the banner, carries through to the description of the app on the store and that the imagery and general branding feel is also maintained. Did the banner promise a “free coupon”? Mention it on the description or even the name of the app!

10. A few foolproof templates.

Because you were patient enough to read all the way to the end, we’ve prepared some banner templates for you. Yes! A couple of easy templates for your iTunes or Android apps. Feel free to use them with your campaigns:

Mobile Banner templates from Jampp