Do's and Don'ts in Ecom

Marketing Herald #36

Good Morning

Marketing News

Top 8 Ad Templates

Turns out there are 8 templates that performed best.
 
Let’s break them down the exact structure of each.
 
1. US vs. Them
 
This pits your brand against direct competitors.  It's taking the challenge head on.
 
Elements:
 
→ Clear product explanation
→ 2-tone comparison background
→ side-by-side feature comparison
→ clear CTA

 
2. The Vector Image Test
 
Easy to scale into any creative size.  These are an incredible way to create a massive amount of variations.
 
Elements:
 
→ Large centered individual product image
→ On screen text
→ use case specific callout
→ high contrast color schemes

 
3. Ugly Ads
 
These ads contrast against social feeds that are often filled with highly produced paid and organic content.
 
Elements:
 
→ Product in household setting
→ Post-it note callout in image
→ Jump cut style video with cue card callouts

 
4. Testimonial Ads
 
Show product alongside real user testimonials in quoted text or an image from a DM or on platform review.
 
Elements:
 
→ on-screen testimonial text
→ product central to image or video
→ on-screen text for current offer

 
5. Product highlight ads
 
Focuses on the unique features and benefit of a product.
 
Elements:
 
→ simple high quality imagery
→ delineated features or benefits
→ offer callout with bundled products

 
6. Podcast Style Ads
 
Showcase the founder/face of the brand talking about the product.  Lend social proof to the founder or company. Amazing for products that require educating your audience.
 
Elements:
 
→ high quality studio setting
→ founder/face of the brand being interviewed
→ tells founding story or "why" behind the product
→ educates audience on key mechanism of action


7. Info/teaching ads
 
Teaches the audience why and how to use a product.  These are crucial for most wellness products with unique mechanisms of action.
 
Elements:
 
→ why the product was created
→ how it works
→ how its different from similar products
→ what makes the current offer special

 
8. Discount forward ads
 
Highlight the offer savings in terms of % off or $ amount.  While discounts are used in many ads, these creatives make them the focal point.
 
Elements:
 
→ only used for top 1 or 2 offers
→ large on screen text % or $ off highlights
→ shows everything that's included in the offer
→ often use in creative CTA banner

Real Problem In Ecom

Most e-commerce brands don’t have a marketing problem.

They have a trust problem.

Customers don’t buy just because your product looks good. They buy because they trust your brand.

If your store isn’t converting, ask yourself:

👉🏼 Do you have enough social proof? (Reviews, testimonials, UGC)

👉🏼 Are you offering a risk-free purchase? (Guarantees, easy returns)

👉🏼 Are you answering objections before they arise?

People don’t hesitate to buy because they don’t want the product.

They hesitate because they’re unsure if it’s the right decision.

Fix trust, and sales follow.

Whats the best Static/Video Ratio for Meta Ads?

I analyzed 67,000 Facebook ads across 100+ top accounts. Found something fascinating.

Quick snapshot of what I uncovered:

• The median account ran 491 ads in the last 30 days

• 39% videos

• 61% static images

• Only 40% use a single carousel!

It gets interesting when you look at the extremes...

Beauty, skincare, and shapewear brands CRUSH IT with video (80%+ of their ads). Companies like Shapellx (97% video) and Hey Bud Skincare are going all-in with minimal static ads.

Meanwhile, giants like SHEIN (1% video) and Calvin Klein (6% video) barely touch video ads.

The pattern?

DTC brands that need to demonstrate transformation → Heavy video

Established retailers with brand recognition → Mostly static

These top accounts focused on creative volume but didn't neglect optimizing ad copy, headlines, and landing pages. The median account had:

• 28 unique ad copies

• 24 unique headlines

• 21 unique landing pages

Use this data to kick-start your focus and lean into what is producing the best results for you now.

Stop hiring Project Managers!

Why?

The traditional project manager role is killing your agency's capacity and profit margins.

Let me explain:

Most PMs become glorified task managers, caught between client demands and team capacity.

They lack the technical expertise to truly optimize delivery.

But there's a better way...

We restructured our agency around Pod Leads instead of PMs, and it transformed everything.

A Pod Lead is like a mini-CEO who:
• Owns end-to-end client delivery
• Drives team performance metrics
• Leads continuous improvement
• Manages client relationships
• Controls resource capacity

The key difference?

They're technical experts who can manage.

Why it works:

Pod Leads understand the actual work being delivered.

They can jump in to help when needed.

They know exactly what "good" looks like.

They can spot optimization opportunities others miss.

Best part?

You're replacing 3 roles (PM, AM, CSM) with 1 highly-skilled position.

As they scale, they can hire junior support to handle admin work.

The result?

Higher quality work, happier clients, better margins.

And a team structure that actually makes sense for agency work.

What do you think... do PM's help or hurt your agency?Jake Abrams on LinkedIn: How to build an AI Creative Strategist that 100x's your brain power. You… | 12 comments

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Matej

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