Performance marketing is, undeniably, all about the metrics. You focus on creatives as if they’re a scientific equation, ensuring that all the necessary ingredients come together to create the perfect end product.

Performance marketing is hands-down the way to go. It focuses on getting real results, prioritizing data, and using the information you have at hand to make your campaigns more successful each time you create something new.

In order to get that data, however, you have to start somewhere. And that somewhere is with solid, high quality creatives that you know are likely to test well.

If this feels a little overwhelming, don’t worry– with the right tools at hand, it’s a lot easier (and faster!) than you’d think to create quality, high-performing images, videos, and even copy to get you started on those A/B tests. In this post, we’re going to take a look at four of over go-to creative performance marketing tools to speed up your design efforts so you can spend more time on the tests that will get you where you need to be.

Hemingway

I’m a content marketer and PPC copywriter, so naturally we had to put a copywriting tool first on the list.

I have a great reason though, and it’s not because I’m biased: it’s because one of the most common factors that sinks a campaign is weak copy.

Great copy, unfortunately, needs more than just correct grammar and syntax. It needs to be emotional, logical, and specific to your audience. No tool can give you that, but there are several tools that can help you make the copy more concise (which is always important) and clear to your audience. The better you can communicate your ideas, the stronger your campaign is.

My go-to choice is the Hemingway app. It’s free and easy to you. Simply type in the copy, and it will automatically flag sentences that are too long, any spelling or grammatical errors, and they’ll also offer specific suggestions for how you can improve specific phrasing. Copy typically thrives when it’s simple, and they’ll even point out when certain phrases could be made a little more simple and a little more effective.

And let’s be real… nobody wants to be the brand with the spelling mistake on their homepage or in their Facebook Ad connecting them with a new audience. This, at the very least, can help you prevent that.

Snappa

Snappa is my favorite graphic design tool out there, and I’ve used it to create everything from infographics to ad images to featured graphics for blog posts.

The reason why is because it’s so simple to use and there’s almost no learning curve, which is a must-have feature for someone with zero design capabilities (aka, me).

Snappa comes with a ton of different pre-made but customizable templates that you can quickly personalize, or you can start from scratch. They’ve got a drag-and-drop design system, so you can pick text, graphics, and design elements and place them wherever you want with just a few clicks. Upload logos, graphics, and more of your own to create a truly one-of-a-kind image that your audience will respond to.

Even better: they have an enormous store of free-for-commercial-use stock photos that are at your disposal as soon as you subscribe.

Snappa offers a free trial, and monthly plans are affordable, with plans that are only $10 or $20 per month.

Animaker

Animaker is explainer video software like you’ve never seen before.

If you want a full, conventional, animated explainer video that’s made from scratch by a designer, you could easily end up shelling out anywhere  from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars for a sixty minute clip.

Animaker is the natural, budget-friendly-but-still-amazing solution to this. They’ve got incredible animated characters, backgrounds, themes, and charts that you can combine to create an outstanding explainer video that tells the world what you have to offer with cute characters in tow.

Have characters that can act out basic commands or establish different scenes, and add your voice over narration to fill in the blanks. This is all as easy as it sounds, and it can give you a big-budget product without breaking the bank.

You can register for free with Animaker to see if it’s a good fit for you.

Shakr

Shakr was designed to make video marketing and creation to brands of all shapes and sizes, regardless of their budget or the size of their creative department.

This is why we’ve got hundreds of different ready-to-go video templates that come in a wide range of sizes, lengths, and even different styles.

Want a 15 second retro-styled upbeat video for your Instagram Story? We’ve got you covered.

Looking for a 60-second, full-screen motivational sequence to promote your new workout regimen? We’ve got that, too.

All you need to do is add in images or videos where indicated, customize the text on the screen, and let us do the rest. We’ve got the copyright-free music all set and ready to go, so you’ll have a gorgeous, high-quality video campaign going in no time.

And if you don’t see a video template that’s exactly what you need, take a look at Shakr ONBRAND. This is a new, exclusive service that allows you to get made-for-your-business custom video templates. They’ll scale well and exactly as you need them to, making them instantly worth every penny.

Conclusion

Performance marketing is all about the data, but you can’t actually get any of that data without strong, strategic, well-developed creatives to get you off on the right foot. If you’re using weak copy, weak images, and blurry, unfocused videos, after all, you won’t be able to effectively test strategies, because the the campaign’s weak spots will be sending people running in the other direction.

These performance marketing tools for the creative side of things will help you create the quality campaigns that you need to be able to run accurate tests and get those results. Most offer free trials or demos, so check them out to see what will work best for your campaigns.

Wondering where you should start? We’re a little biased, but we recommend Shakr ONBRAND, of course!
Learn more about how our custom-for-you video templates will help you create distinct, branded, scalable video campaigns here.