Sam Kuehnle’s Post

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Vice President of Marketing at Loxo | Helping companies recruit more intelligently and effectively

Do you use product screenshots in your ads? If you do, they may be holding back your performance. I went down the rabbit hole on this and here's what I learned: Looking across multiple B2B SaaS companies, ads that included product screenshots had significantly lower clickthrough rates than those without product screenshots I'd been thinking a good bit about this recently after seeing a "trend" across customer ads. We often run a mix of ads that contain elements such as product screenshots, real people, quotes, drawings, and other focal points. So I got curious to see if this was a trend across multiple clients or just something that I "felt" as an end user while scrolling through social feeds. Turns out the hypothesis holds weight. I looked into 10 accounts and when the same audience, budget, etc. was being used, and the only differentiator being the ads that were served And the ads that contained product screenshots were often in the bottom half of performers 🤯 So, why does this seem to be? We would think prospects would want to see what the product looks like, right? Yes, BUT This may not be the right time + place to be showing product screenshots. Let's break down the two big reasons why: ☝️ No one likes being sold to. We've been trained that an ad with a product screenshot in it is trying to sell you something ✌️ People don't scroll to buy products. People scroll to be entertained or to learn something. You need to convey a message that delivers value to them, not something that's about you - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Test it out for yourself. This is something I'm going to have a close eye on for the next few months as I look to validate the hypothesis. Would love to hear if others find similar trends in their data 🤓 #marketing #digitalmarketing #demandgen

Andy Binkley

Founder. Marketer. Coder. Tinkerer. Tourial.

1y

soo I agree, but here are 2 other reasons: 1) a screenshot in an ad is SO SMALL. what value do you get from that? you can't even tell what the product looks like from it it's literally a placeholder to "fill the ad space" but people don't realize it's actually a distraction every piece of your ad should have meaning. if you start to add screenshots just to add screenshots, you're doing the status quo which means all your ads are going to look like everyone else's ads ... which we know is no bueno since it creates desensitization (i think that's a word?) 2) they aren't screenshots, they're graphics. graphics also tell me nothing. you wouldn't show a graphic version of a mercedes slr instead of the real version right? tl;dr focus on the copy. the message. add imagery if you need to emphasize that message or it helps better communicate it

Jonathan Bland

Co-Founder @ Omni Lab | Paid Ads for B2B SaaS brands

1y

Sam Kuehnle Many times the screenshot is too small to even make sense of....so not even worth putting it in an ad, especially when you consider the mobile experience. What I do see working better is product demo videos that are focused on outcomes/problems that buyer wants to solve. Creating context and inserting your perspective around the product vs. look at this feature look at that feature. If you are going to use a screenshot you need to remove elements and crop certain sections to highlight the outcomes your buyer is looking for; or abstract them. In addition, critical to have a headline that focuses not on you, but on what the buyer wants or what they are struggling with. I'm going to go through some data on our side as well, good conversation here!

Interesting findings here. Where did you run these? On something like Facebook, this would totally make sense with all the garbage you see in the newsfeed for people that want to truly waste time... ...in something like LinkedIn, I bet you'd get a much better impression to MQL or whatever "quality opportunity" looked like. Who cares about CTRs, of course those are going to be lower for less "scroll stopping" type ads...the end result is what matters.

Justin Rowe

Founder/CMO @ Impactable - B2B LinkedIn Ads Agency -Starting at $849/mo if ad spend < 3k

1y

I think there is a time and place for them. Running screenshots of the tool as a first touch or even retargeting layer can of course seem very salsey. BUT I do think screenshots work well as one layer of the retargeting layer for those considering it. And someone wise once said that ads should be built for in-platform consumption, so I wouldn't assume that low CTR means they are not effective or a meaningful touch in the buyer journey.

Jeremy Bird 🇺🇸🇧🇷

UX Design Director | 7 years UX Management | 22 years Design

1y

I think you nailed it in the last sentence: “You need to convey a message that delivers value to them, not something that's about you” It a word, User Experience. Showing a product screenshot COULD be done in a way that focuses on the customer not the company, but often it’s not. Likewise conveying a message without a screenshot could be done in a “all about us” way as well. What’s game changing is the focus and the research and learning necessary to truly understand you prospects & customers, NOT the type of content you use. Content is just a tool. The mentality and approach is what matters.

Finn Thormeier

I help B2B SaaS build profitable Founder-Led Content Engines | Founder & CEO at Project 33 | Happy husband and father 😊

1y

might also just be that, generally speaking, a product screenshot will have more things going on than a quote or a simple graphic, so there's more to look at, so it's harder to consume. harder to consume means less engagement, but not necessarily that you shouldn't run them as ads, no? because someone who is far enough down the funnel/buying decision will want to see it, even if it's hard to consume.

Jess Goss

Helping Aussie & NZ orgs create better training @ Tribal Habits

1y

Click through only or have you looked further to revenue? 🤔 What you’re saying makes sense but might also depend on the stage that they are? Or maybe screenshots on ads should just be avoided 🤷♀️ I personally dislike when I can’t see the product on a website and they just have those SaaS cartoon people. I just assume that the UI is crap. But I guess the ad is different

John McTigue

B2B Marketing Strategy Advisor With Company, Agency, and Freelance Chops

1y

Logically, this is about “where’s the problem?” If I see a product screenshot, I don’t know what problem is being solved, let alone whether or not I have that problem. I could see product screenshots being more successful later in the journey, perhaps as part of a multi-ad retargeting campaign.

Clay Ostrom

Win with a brand built on research, not guesses | Founder Map & Fire 🔥, SmokeLadder | Contributor at Foundr Magazine

1y

I find a vast majority of screenshots to be totally wasted real estate. At best it's a mental checkmark of "yup, that's a product" but you can't expect someone to extract meaning and value from a blanket interface shot. I feel like this is most often used by designers/marketers who either know the product well and assume others will infer some meaning or just as a way to check it off on the standard list and fill space. Focusing on hyper-specific UI elements and creating a story around the customer benefits it provides on the other hand can be valuable. But I would still use this sparingly.

This is interesting Sam Kuehnle. Your research shows that people who don't know you don't want to talk about product yet. Do you have some good examples for what "entertained" or "learn something" is? I find there are varying opinions on what that means and curious about your experience around that.

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