The Real Reasons Your Ads Are Not Performing Well and How to Improve Them
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Are you spending thousands of dollars on advertising and seeing no real results? Chances are that your ads may be underperforming, which is common in the digital marketing world. There are tons of advertisers that are producing ads that are not conversion-driven, and it is hurting your brand. Not only are you marketing content that isn’t useful, but you’re also spending so much money on advertising and are not seeing results from it. It is honestly just a waste of your money that can be used elsewhere.
As an expert advertiser at my Digital Marketing and Creative Agency, Bold x Collective, I’ve seen this far too many times, which is why I wanted to speak on it. It’s time to stop ineffective advertising campaigns; say no to poor creative content, inadequate ad spending, and more. It’s time to understand the psychology behind your consumer, thoroughly observe your competitors, understand the modern trends, and so much more. In this blog, I break down common mistakes that I see within advertising efforts and how I, as an experienced marketer, recommend approaching them. Let’s work towards creating high-performing ads that will drive real results!
Let’s get into why your ads are not performing well.
Reason 1: Poor Ad Creative
Let’s start with the one I see most often, as a consumer and a marketer: poorly created content. Ads that don’t capture the attention of your audience or even resonate with them are not going to drive sales. Common mistakes I see are visuals that have no real purpose, irrelevant messaging that is not convincing or relatable, and “salesy” content.
As a brand, you need to produce content that is going to connect with your target audience. Focus on high-quality, engaging visuals and messaging that align with your audience's interests and preferences. Modern research emphasizes the importance of storytelling in ads, using emotionally compelling narratives that connect with viewers on a personal level. As a marketer, one of the things that I love to do for research is block off time weekly to simply scroll. I take the time to go through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and many more platforms to see what types of ads brands are producing. When possible, I like to see how the audience is responding and engaging; what are the comments looking like? Do people like the ad? Are users showing any indication of purchasing from the brand? Really take the time to pursue “social media listening,” a top research tactic in my books, as a marketer.
Reason 2: Low Ad Spend
I’ve worked with many brands that are not willing to invest. They want to run ads at the lowest cost possible, even though their competitors are spending much more. The result of this is limited reach and effectiveness.
A marketing expert will take the time to understand your competitors and industry and from there, recommend ad spend. Ad spend should be strategically distributed across various platforms and ad formats, ensuring optimal visibility. Utilizing data analytics can help in making informed decisions about budget allocation, focusing on channels that offer the best ROI.
Reason 3: Non-Specific Targeting
Non-specific targeting leads to wasted resources and poor ad performance. As a marketer, I’ve had prospects approach me and ask me to audit their ad performance and understand why they are not getting results. One very common trend I’ve seen is that the ads are not targeted specifically; they are targeting a very broad audience. The ad is getting tons of impressions but very few conversions. Why? Because the wrong audience is being targeted. If you are selling a product or service that resonates with a specific type of audience with unique wants and needs, these are the groups you should be targeting. Views don’t matter. Conversions do.
In 2024, I highly recommend utilizing demographic, psychographic, and behavioural data to refine your targeting. AI and machine learning tools can enhance targeting precision, ensuring your ads reach the most relevant audience. And, of course, using an experienced marketer is definitely important, in my experienced opinion.
Reason 4: Ineffective Landing Pages
If you’ve ever run ads before, you will know that landing pages are so important. Your landing page is where your ad's promise is fulfilled, and a poorly designed landing page can significantly hurt your conversions. I’ve seen this far too many times – a brand will be running an amazing ad – it is intriguing, exciting and catches my attention, but once I click the landing page, it is not optimized, it is hard to make a purchasing decision, and it is just confusing. I’m off.
If you are spending the money on your ad, spend the money on an agency that can help produce strategic landing pages that are user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and optimized for mobile devices. They should provide a seamless user experience, with fast load times and clear, persuasive content. A/B testing can be highly beneficial in determining the most effective elements for your landing pages. I personally love A/B testing different landing pages to better understand how users respond.
Reason 5: Unclear Call-to-Actions
Calls-to-action (CTAs) are crucial for driving user engagement and conversions, yet they are often vague or missing entirely. Your CTAs should be clear and compelling and encourage immediate action. Remember… call-to-actions are what is going to make a user click and make that next move. That said, you want your CTAs to be clear and convincing.
Use action-oriented language and make the CTA stand out visually. Personalized CTAs, tailored to different audience segments, can significantly enhance their effectiveness.
Look at Advertising from a 2024 Perspective
From a 2024 perspective, as an experienced marketer, integrating emerging technologies like augmented reality in ads can enhance engagement and experience. Also, ethical advertising and alignment with social values resonate more with many audiences, who prefer brands that demonstrate social responsibility.
Ready to Improve Your Ad Campaigns?
It’s time to make a change! Understand and rectify these common advertising mistakes. Let’s improve your brand's performance online. By focusing on these 5 tactics, your advertising may just turn around and start driving real conversions.
Ready to take your brand to the next level? Get in touch with our team at Bold x Collective. We’re a multi-award-winning Digital Marketing and Creative Agency. We take the time to really understand the psychology behind your target audience – their wants, needs, values, pain points and more. And from there, we produce data-driven strategies that drive real results. We can’t wait to meet you.