One question we get quite often around here, whether from current clients or potential clients is: when is the right time to update creative and how often? An important question to be sure. The creative you provide your affiliate partners is very often the first thing consumers see and the first exposure they may have with your company, so you want to be sure they represent your company well.
How to Determine the Right Time for Updates
Not only that, they need to be current and convert as best as possible. We’ll talk about that more in another post later. How do you know how often is just right and how often is too often. Well, often, the answer is as much as necessary and needed. But let’s run down a list of ways you can know when you need to update your creative:
Top Ten Signs You Need to Update Creative
- When you read the headline of this post you said “um, we need creative?”
- The file name ends in _2004.jpg
- The youthful models in your skyscraper banner are no longer models or youthful
- Your creative features a logo that hasn’t been seen longer than Elvis
- All your creatives are 8 panel animated gifs
- Ooops, we don’t have any creative
- The brands featured in your banners no longer exist
- No one is using them
- You simply can’t remember ever changing your creative
- Your creative features a wonderful and warm winter shawl but your feet are sporting flip flops with a little beach sand between your toes
Factors Influencing Creative Updates
When you need to update your creative is pretty simple. As stated in the second paragraph: as often as you need to. It depends on a few things:
Seasonality of Product and/or Demand
If you have a product or products that are in demand in one season more than others, you want to be sure you have seasonal creative.
Type of Creative
If you offer very simple, generic, brand centric creative, you will most likely get a bit more miles out of them.
Product Additions
If you have new products regularly, keeping your creative up with inventory and merchandise focus is vital.
Affiliate Relationships
If you don’t have very good relationships with your affiliates or no time to spend with them, updating monthly is probably not going to do you any good. Spend your time building relationships.
Recommendations
We recommend at least seasonal updates. But it does really depend. We don’t let more than a few months go by for any of our clients without updated creative, you may want to do the same. If you haven’t updated lately, you may be missing out on increasing sales through better click through rates too.
Hope this helps!
