Effective advertising is a tough nut to crack, even if you’ve been a business owner or marketer for a while. Do you agree?
But why is this?
Thanks to ever-changing digital platforms and trends that never stop shifting, you have to be on top of your game if you want to master effective advertising.
Now, you are either seeking help to turn your current advertising campaigns around, or you need advice about how to launch the first one. Either way, this article can serve a valuable purpose. Because with every passing day, it gets a little tougher to crack that nut! Why? Just keep reading and you can consider yourself much more informed once you reach the end.
Why People Hate Ads In The First Place?
It’s a well-known fact that online users – and consumers in general – have developed a high degree of “banner blindness”. This means they either try to ignore the ad completely, or they go as far as to install software to block as many ads as possible.
I’m one of them! What about you?
In fact, platforms like YouTube offer a premium service where one of the biggest selling points is based on skipping ads.
And instead of using statistics to back up this point, let’s use a more powerful example. More specifically, let’s put the focus on you – the marketer or business owner. Out of the 4000 and 5000 ads you get exposed to on a daily basis, how many of them actually get you to react or respond? Yes, it’s not a typo. Between 2017 and 2019, the average ad exposure per person, per day, has risen from 4000 to 5000. And you don’t consciously see even the half of them.
With such extreme exposure, it is only natural that consumers become more attuned to the ads that actually mean something to them. And if we have to be completely honest, there are several good reasons why people hate ads.
1. Intrusive:
Few things can be as frustrating as reading an article or watching a video on YouTube, only to get interrupted with an ad. With conventional television, it’s even worse. Consumers don’t really have much of a choice but to stick through the ad if they want to enjoy whatever they were watching. And it has reached a point where people are willing to pay to get ads removed, as mentioned earlier with YouTube’s premium package. On social media, you have a little more control by simply scrolling past the ad. But for most other platforms, ads can be incredibly intrusive.
2. Irrelevant:
So many of the ads you see are not relevant to your needs, just like they are not relevant to the needs of other consumers. And when you get bombarded with ads you really don’t care for, it automatically builds a negative opinion about the product or service being advertised.
3. Breaks Down Consumer Trust:
Everyone can agree there are too many scam artists out there, and they will use some of the latest advertising methods to lure unsuspecting consumers.
However…
Scammers usually opt for low budget ads that make a bunch of empty promises. And just when you think you’ve managed to side-step them for so long, they catch you off guard.
But essentially, they create fear in consumers to only trust ads from certain publishers, like Google or Facebook.
4. The Possibility Of Spam:
When consumers open themselves up to advertising, like giving up an email, they run the risk of getting spam messages all the time. Even worse, they can make themselves vulnerable to dangerous emails.
These are just some of the reasons why effective advertising will remain challenging, but it’s definitely not impossible. Seeing as you are only limited by your imagination when it comes to advertising, it’s just a matter of getting the fundamentals in place.
Does Everyone Hate Ads Equally?
It is generally accepted that most people hate ads. And if not for the reasons mentioned above, there will be something else. But as much as people have come to hate ads, they still entertain them. And this brings us to another interesting question.
What Is The Purpose Of An Ad When People Don’t Like Them?
When you trace advertising back to its roots, you will note the significant change it went through. Essentially, advertising was a basic method of informing people that something was for sale. The aim was to connect the seller with a buyer. And keep in mind how basic advertising was, seeing as it was purely meant to help fulfill existing demands.
Modern advertising, on the other hand, goes from fulfilling basic demands to creating them. For example, if you don’t know that you need a new smartphone yet, an ad is being created specifically for you. And this ad is going to do more than showcase the phone. It will provide information about the features, as well as essential reasons why you simply can’t wait any longer to get one.
We, as consumers, feed the advertising campaigns without knowing it. And right now, you are probably eager to learn how more successful companies are pulling it off?
What Makes Advertisement Effective?
In light of leaving you in a much better position to come up with effective advertisement ideas, these are the common traits of a good ad.
1. Quality
If you don’t take the ad seriously, then nobody else will. This translates into using quality ads in order to gain consumer trust and establish the next common trait, namely authority.
2. Authority
When you look at popular and big brands like Nike, it is pretty obvious they try to be unique. They also want to come off as the best sportswear designers on the market, which typically show through the ad. Remember, advertising is not just about letting people know you are selling something. If you want to be competitive, you have to show consumers why your product or service is what they need.
3. Appeal
Whatever the shape of or form of the ad, and regardless of whether it is digital or conventional, it needs to appeal to your audience. Does the first image or sound draw attention and demand attention? When it comes to the appeal of an ad, only limit yourself to what your audience would like to see.
4. Relevancy
If people are going to see ads all day, at least they should be relevant. This is why platforms like Google and Facebook dominate the digital advertising markets. Also, consider that 72% of social media users would like to see discounts and promotions from brands being shared via social media. At the same time, Google delivers ads that are relevant to the search time, and thus, the online user.
The point? Learn as much as you can about your target audience. Then use this information to come up with ads your market will not just be more open to listening to, but they have a much better chance of reacting if the ad proves to be useful.
5. Subtlety
In the hurry to make money, marketers tend to play around with hard sales pitches. For instance, when visitors land on a home page, they immediately get welcomed with a pop-up opening a new tab, while the landing page wants all types of details before allowing further access to the site.
But it will serve you much better to send your audience off with a positive memory of your product, service or brand. And this is done by being informative, relatable, honest, and subtle with your call to action.
How To Make My Ads Stand Out?
1. Use the right platform for the right purpose
Before you run an ad, consider where you are running it. For instance, what are the benefits between radio advertising and social media advertising?
Is the platform really where you are going to find your audience?
To use a quick example, business professionals are likely to spend more time on LinkedIn instead of Twitter. So, finding the most relevant platform to run the ad can almost be considered half the work.
Are you with me? Great, let’s keep going.
2. Test ad performance
When you monitor ad performance, you get valuable information that goes back into a better ad. Because right now, you might not know what is wrong with your ad. But if you start to split test it with other ads, the more effective your advertising strategy.
3. Utilize Modern Approaches
There is a world of options for grabbing positive attention. For instance, video ads have proven to be popular and effective, while animation can also be alluring. But you can also use social media platforms, given that users are more than willing to follow brands they respect.
Where Can I Get Inspiration For Effective Ads?
Pay attention to brands/companies in the same niche. It can’t be stressed enough that you should always keep an eye on what your competition is doing, especially if they seem to be effective with advertising. Of course, you don’t want to replicate their approach. But there is nothing wrong with using their ads as inspiration for yours.
Additionally, read the headlines and try to stay informed with social developments. Are things changing in your specific market? And if so, what are these changes? You want to be prepared for anything, and it helps if your advertising can be effective enough to have influence.
The Reality Of Future Advertising?
It’s hard to swallow that advertising will only get more tricky in the future. But if you start with the right fundamentals now, it shouldn’t be too hard to stay competitive. Plus, it helps to keep your advertising effective.
