An average American spends 24 hours in a week online. That is one entire day of seven spent consuming web media. One. Entire. Day.

Some people may think that’s a scary stat, but marketers see something else; opportunity. Brands are trying to establish their digital presence to tap into their target audiences more effectively. These two things make digital advertising a prime tool in many marketing playbooks.

Here are few tips to consider before starting your ad campaign:

Goals

Do you want your user to buy your product, download your brochure or read articles on your website? Your goal will determine which types of advertising and reporting are needed to meet your objective. Banner ads on Google can help generate brand awareness, while a Facebook ad linking to ticket sales could help sales, and a culture video on LinkedIn might drive applicants to your job posting. Determining your goal is the first step in developing your ad strategy.

Audience

Knowing your audience is paramount to getting the most efficient spend out of your campaign dollars. If you’re targeting 18-year-olds to attend a local techno concert, advertising on LinkedIn will largely be a waste of money. However, targeting them on Snapchat is likely to be advertising gold for increasing attendance.

Call to Action

Ad copy must solve a problem, answer a question, or make a promise that a specific audience is looking to answer. Know your audience’s driving motivation and speak to that in the copy – make it your call to action and you’ll get them on the hook.

Mobile

Almost 80 percent of users look for products, events and information on their mobile devices. What does this mean to you? Optimize landing pages and websites so they display easily on mobile. Ease of use, clear CTAs, large text, dynamic images, and fast loading pages will help your ad relevance – and ensure it is served over competing ads.

Analyze

Gauge the audience’s reaction and behavior. It is necessary to understand what they are responding to and give them more of it. Some ways you can do that is A/B testing; create multiple ads for each group to see which one performs better.

Optimize

Always run more than one ad so you can test creative variables against each other and see what’s working and what isn’t. Take what is working and apply it to other campaigns. Tweak and adjust according to what the data is telling you to make your ads better.

Change bids, update copy and images, and see who is engaging with your ads. Is it who you thought? Optimize, optimize, optimize.

Advertising is a never-ending world of possibilities, creativity and innovation. From carousel ads to collections, display ads to video banners, they have evolved with time and technology. Experiment with new formats, try different audiences, innovate with your content and you’ll break down ad blindness in your audience and create ads that convert.

Something we didn’t include? Let us know in the comment section.

Neekita Singla is a Digital Account Executive at Franco. Send her an email at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @neekitasingla.