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Ad Doesn't Convert? Here's How to Fix That: The Science of Standing Out




In today's hyper-competitive world of digitals, ads are everywhere. Still, even though spending on online advertising has more than doubled over recent years, many businesses fail at one very important thing: their ads just aren't converting. The problem isn't necessarily the platform or even the audience; it's ad fatigue, a condition caused by overusing messaging in such a way that potential customers just lose interest. If that's you, don't worry-you're far from alone. Let's look at why that is, and more importantly, how to correct it.


The Rise of Self-Service Advertising: The Promise and the Peril



Over the past ten years, how easy it is to create an ad on Facebook or Google has made it easy for almost anyone to launch an ad in just a few clicks. But access breeds a multitude of problems. Advertisers have become repetitive in many of their messages. You probably know what I mean when talking about ads screaming repeat expressions, like "Get 100 leads or you don't pay!


That would have been tolerable maybe even a couple of years back, but nowadays, it is just noise in the digital world.


One major challenge here is the rise of pseudo expertise—people watch a quick tutorial on You Tube and believe they are experts in advertising. But creating ads that convert isn't necessarily just pushing up an attractive graphic with a catchy line. Successful campaigns have far more to do with what you can't see, the invisible elements of marketing. Let's break these down.

Why Your Ads Are Failing: The Messaging Dilemma


For example, imagine lead generation ads. Think back to your Facebook feed. How many ads can you recall saying basically the same thing over and over again? "Want leads? Call us!" All this word repetition has created something called ad fatigue. Essentially, the users become desensitized to the ads when they are shown one hundred billion times. So rather than being the ad that is a little bit different, it disappears among all the word clutter.


When everyone who does what you do speaks your language, your service becomes commoditized, and commodities don't get high prices. And the answer here is positioning.

Positioning: The Power of a Unique Angle


Positioning is an art that speaks of framing your product or service in ways that feel new and different from your competitors. So take Birdie Brain Fuel, a nootropic that was first marketed to professionals in Silicon Valley. The company could reposition it for golfers by talking about how it would improve their focus as they play their game and help them get better. Golfers who otherwise would have never purchased it now do because it's reframed by a new lens.


Positioning in advertising allows you to take a tired old message and turn it upside down so that it now begins talking to the right person. Instead of yelling, "Create more leads," you are now saying, "Shorten your sales cycle." You will hit that pain point, but you are doing that in a way that screams at your audience because you stand out amidst all these lead-generating advertisements.


The 4-Step Process to Reboot Your Ads.

Step 1: Focus on Benefits—Beyond the Obvious



Most firms use shallow benefits such as "Increase your sales" or "Get more leads." Such messages no longer thrill the prospect but rather try to dig deeper. What other benefits does your product or service provide? For example, you could talk about benefits such as:

Longer sales cycle

Lower cost of acquiring customers

Getting higher-value leads


This taps into what are hopefully not-so-obvious benefits, it creates intrigue and freshens up your ad. Unique messaging hooks up the interest of weary potential clients who have been seeing the same offers week in and week out.


Step 2: Finding The Right Market


Even if your messaging is perfect, if it is being presented to the wrong audience, then it will not work. Let's say you are running an ad with this benefit: "Shorten your sales cycle." If your audience consists of freelancers struggling to find work, the message isn't going to resonate. They are not concerned with sales cycles; they are concerned with survival.


Focus on businesses that would be interested in the offer. Take, for instance, B2B companies that depend on cold calls as a sales process; this message will be very relevant to them since they know their inefficiencies in their sales processes. Align your message with the right audience, and your ad's conversion potential will shoot through the roof.


Step 3: Understand Your Customer's Awareness Level




Customers vary with respect to their level of awareness. Some are not even aware that they have a problem. Still, other customers are looking actively for solutions to problems. When your target market is "problem aware" (like B2B companies who feel their sales cycle is too long), you can really address their pain points in the advertisement. However, when they are "unaware," you have to raise the problem before bringing out the solution.


For example, if your prospect thinks that only cold calling is good to get business, they might not know the fact that advertisements can be a much more efficient way. In that case, your advertisement needs to be teaching them about their inefficiency before coming up with a solution.


Step 4: Crafting the Ultimate Message


Now that you have nailed down your target audience and their degree of awareness, the next step is to write the message. Begin with a Plain English Statement—a 1-2 sentence pitch that clearly lays out your benefit. Example:


"Outreach by cold call is bad enough, but it also lengthens the sales cycle. If you tell them everything on the front end of the pitch, it gets them going quicker. Here's the how-to."


Extend this concept into longer-form copy or even an advertorial, explaining the problem and your unique solution.

Why Unique Messaging Wins: The Power of Pre-suasion in Conversion


Pre-suasion assets are the most powerful way to increase conversions-a body of content that educates your audience before they ever buy from you. It's how prospects prepare for a purchase by lowering their guard and making them more receptive to your offer. For example, a well-researched blog post or case study that shows how your service solves a problem can be much more persuasive than just a traditional ad.


The more education a prospect possesses, the faster he or she will move through your sales funnel.

Final Thoughts: Time to Stand Out Advertisers face the problem of ad fatigue from many companies, but it is anything but insurmountable. Focus on positioning, align your message to the right market, and create unique, compelling offers-and you will break through the noise. Success in advertising is all about standing out-and with the right approach, your business can stand out above the rest.

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