Four Reason Your Ads Aren't Working (And How to Fix Them)

Overview

I'll kick this article off by saying that most companies (big and small) don't get each of these things right. By nailing these strategies, you'll be giving your business a huge advantage over most, if not all of your competitors. You'll also dramatically increase your likelihood of succeeding with any marketing your business does.

These aren't "growth hacks" or "secret formulas," just four proven, actionable strategies you can start working on today to give your business a solid foundation for marketing success.

I strongly encourage you to look at each of these strategies as living, breathing things that your business is constantly looking to improve, not just one-time tasks on your to-do list.

Let's dive into it.

You need to understand how your customers think

I can't stress this enough. The more you understand the mindset of your customers and prospects, the easier everything else becomes. Everything about marketing starts here.

There's a reason that companies like Apple spend millions and millions of dollars each year on market and consumer research. There's a reason that people like Jeff Bezos still personally read customer complaint emails.

It's because understanding your customer is everything.

"We’re not competitor-obsessed, we’re customer-obsessed. We start with what the customer needs and we work backwards.” - Jeff Bezos

And while this includes the basics like location, age, and general interests, you need to dig a lot deeper in order to market successfully. You need to really understand your customers and potential customers inside and out.

One of my favorite strategies is to read positive and negative reviews online. If you're a lawyer, hop onto Google and Yelp and search for lawyers in your area. Go find the firms with the best reviews and the worst reviews. Copy and paste the best and the worst feedback. When someone had a terrible experience, what made it terrible? When someone had an amazing experience, what made it amazing?

Pay attention to the specific language that people use.

Don't be afraid to ask your existing customers why they chose to work with you, or even a prospect who turned you down why they took their business elsewhere.

“Always enter the conversation already occurring in the prospect's mind.”

You need to create a compelling offer (something people actually want!)

How many times have you seen boring, say-nothing ads like "Seattle Dentist - Dentist in Seattle" or "Seattle's Top Dentist."

Have you ever done business with any of these companies after seeing ads like that?

Didn't think so.

You need to offer something that people want in order to run successful ads. It sounds obvious saying it out loud, but I can honestly say that most businesses still don't get this right. Most businesses don't actually advertise something that's exciting or inspiring to the people they're trying to attract.

Is it any surprise that most advertising campaigns for small and medium-sized businesses fail?

As a quick thought exercise, let's say you'd been in a fender bender and needed a personal injury attorney to. Which of these two ads would you be more likely to click on?

1. "Personal Injury Attorney in Seattle"
2. "If we don't win your case, you don't pay us a penny"

Which business are you more likely to pick up the phone and call?

Don't get me wrong: neither of these options is particularly compelling - it only goes to demonstrate the difference between say-nothing ads and ads that have some bite to them.

After spending seven figures testing ads over the past 10 years, I can tell you with confidence that ads with bite will always outperform the toothless ones. Give your prospects a good reason to click.

Your call to action needs to be clear

This is another obvious/not-so-obvious one: tell your potential clients what you want them to do.

Do you need them to fill out a form? Do they need to schedule a call with you or your team? Do they need to sign up with their email? Give them instructions. Be explicit. Don't beat around the bush, and don't leave any room for them to be confused.

I can tell you that confusion is one of the biggest marketing campaign killers of all time.

If you need them to fill out a form, tell them that you need them to fill out a form. Ask them for their information. Ask them to schedule a time to meet with you. Be transparent and clear about what you want from them and what they'll get out of it. People appreciate honesty.

You'd be shocked at how much a campaign can improve just by adding simple instructions.

Test, test test

When most people consider testing in the context of advertising, they're usually talking about A/B testing - which is a way of testing which words, graphics, audiences, headlines, etc. lead to the most successful results for the business (this could be clicks, leads, appointments booked, etc.). And let me be clear: this, too, is absolutely essential to a successful marketing campaign.

But it ignores the other side of testing that 99% of small and medium-sized businesses also overlook: user testing.

User testing is essentially the process of testing and improving how people interact with you online, most commonly, on a website or app.

Keep an eye out for opportunities to test how easy your website is to use. It should be constantly improving.

Have a friend or relative who just isn't good with technology? Sit down with them and ask them book an appointment or consultation with you from your site. Do a screen record if you can, so you can review later. Where did they get tripped up? Where did they get confused? I can guarantee you that your potential customers out there have had the same issue.

Have an 8-year-old nephew who's great with an iPad? Run the same test. What makes sense to them? Did they ever get lost along the way?

Testers can be anyone and everyone, and I promise you it's one of the most impactful things you can do for your online presence.

What you should do next

Just to recap, these four things will help you create ad campaigns and online experiences that generate more business:

1. Research and understand how your customers think
2. Create a compelling offer (something people actually want!)
3. Tell your online prospects exactly what you want them to do
4. Run user tests on your website/booking experience

Implementing these four strategies are guaranteed to help you improve your online presence and lead to more customers. Remember, look at each of these things as living, breathing things that you can improve each and every day. Good marketing and web presence is a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck!‍

Click here to schedule a 30-min intro call with me.

If you don't feel more confident about your marketing after our call, I'll send you a $50 gift card for wasting your time.

- Connor Goulding-Miles, Founder | Goldsmith Marketing