When you should refresh your creatives

No matter how wonderful your ad campaign is, someday, you’ll need to retire it. Keeping a campaign running for too long can cause ad fatigue, which we’ve discussed here. But how do you know when it’s time? It’s not a question with a black and white answer, but there are tips that can help! Here are some tips that can guide you on when you should refresh your creatives.

Creative refresh tip #1: Follow social media guidelines.

When it comes to refreshing ads, social media platforms are a different beast from display. It’s a different environment with different expectations. If you’re running a social media campaign, you can follow the platform guidelines on how often to refresh your ads. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok often recommend that you refresh your creatives every 1-2 weeks. That quick cadence may not be possible for everyone, but it’s a good reminder that these platforms want to keep things fresh. If you let your social campaigns linger too long, you’ll likely see diminishing returns.

Creative refresh tip #2: Keep an eye on your metrics.

The biggest clue to when ad fatigue is starting to hit is in your campaign metrics. Specifically, you’ll want to monitor frequency and click-through rate (CTR). Generally speaking, if your frequency is up and your CTR is down, you may want to consider making a change. It’s important to note that you don’t need to rush into dramatic changes the instant you see a slight problem. Rather, make a note of the numbers and see how things play out. Normal fluctuations are nothing to be concerned about. But if you see a sustained downward trend, it might be time for a refresh.

Creative refresh tip #3: Don’t let seasonal ads linger too long.

Nobody wants to drive past a Halloween billboard in January or a Christmas billboard in March. In addition to not being helpful to the audience, it shows that the business is quite literally behind the times. At best, an out-of-season ad will be perceived as irrelevant. At worst, your audience might get actively annoyed or think poorly of you. (Being based in Michigan, I can say confidently: no one here wants to see snow in an ad past March.) Simply put, it looks like a mistake, because it is. So, if you’re working on a longer-term plan for your campaigns, make sure to factor in holidays and seasonality. A great rule of thumb is:

Creative refresh tip #4: When in doubt, aim for a refresh every quarter.

As we’ve established, there’s no hard and fast rule for when you should sunset an ad campaign. If you’re just getting started, it can be confusing and overwhelming – not to mention expensive. If you want a timeline that can help you get on your feet, aim to refresh your ads about once a quarter. A quarterly schedule like this can help you avoid running campaigns that aren’t seasonally appropriate. And even if your product or service isn’t seasonally based, your audience will be happy to see something new.

Creative refresh tip #5: Consult with your agency.

Of course, one of the smartest things you can do for your advertising is rely on experts. Any media agency worth doing business with can give you advice on this subject. Especially if looking at metrics feels like reading a foreign language, you should feel comfortable leaning on your agency for guidance. The right agency will not only know your campaign inside and out – they’ll also have years of experience with other campaigns that can provide helpful insight.

It’s rarely easy to know the exact time to make a switch, but we hope these tips have provided some help! If you read this post and think the time has come for a refresh, consider a creative co-lab.

However, it’s important to note that you don’t need to constantly churn out new ads. Refreshing your creatives before they’ve even had a chance to show results will ultimately waste your budget. In the next post in our series, we’ll dive into reasons why you might not want to refresh your creatives.