I've tested a lot of games on FB over the last couple of weeks, and found a couple that convert really well. The problem is that the graphics aren't just bad, they're also incredibly boring - I'm really struggling to make images that get anything above 0.1% consistently.
These are 2D browser/FB games that are aimed at females. I'm targeting ages 18-40, but I'm splitting the campaigns into different age ranges.
If I had a consistent CTR of >0.15% I'd be profitable with a decent ROI. I've tried sharpening images, increasing saturation/vibrance etc. For one of the campaigns I've tested at least 100 images now.
So my questions are:
1. In this situation would you try using images that weren't from the game or from promotional material for the game? I always thought that advertisers don't allow this, but I see affiliates doing it.
2. I can often get a 0.15% CTR on the first day, but this drops to around half that after 2-3 days. Is that normal, and will the CTRs usually stabilise at a lower level? My demo size is around 300k and frequency is low.
Thanks!
I'd recommend using images from promotional material. I've pushed similar games in the past, using promo material from the advertiser, and never had a problem. Ask your AM to be certain, though!
And yes, CTRs tend to drop after the first couple of days. It's a phenomenon Finch has referred to as "Champagne CTR" - your ad is fresh, new and exciting at first, but after a couple of days the compulsive ad clickers have all checked it out...
Small things that have worked well for me when tweaking game images.
- add text bubbles like "new", "(1) Credit", "free".
- turn characters into bobble heads. Easy photoshop job here. Cut the head expand it by 3 times, drop it back on the body.
- create a new angle, saying "best game since X", and use X photos in the image. That way you can piggyback another games high ctrs.