As more and more people use mobile phones as their primary device for internet use and social media, digital advertising can be an extremely effective way to reach new audiences or promote a specific product or service. However, digital advertising encompasses more than just creating ads for Facebook, Instagram, or Google. A successful digital advertising campaign is achieved when messaging, ad design, targeting strategy, landing page experience and the internal response all work together. We’ve outlined some common digital advertising mistakes and how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: Weak Messaging
Messaging is the foundation of everything. It’s challenging, but crucial to distill your sales pitch or differentiators into a strong, succinct message. Strong messaging makes it easier for viewers to understand what your ad is about and contributes to the likelihood of them taking action and proceeding to the landing page to make a purchase or reach out for more information. In addition, the various ad networks regulate text ratios and word counts on digital ads, which means concise messaging will help determine if your ad is approved to run.
Mistake #2: Poor Ad Design
The ad needs to look good. You have a very limited amount of time to capture the viewer’s attention and they will see design before they process the words. Whether you use video or static images, the ad design needs to appeal to your target audience. It also can’t be so abstract the viewer doesn’t understand the purpose of the ad or what you want them to do.
Mistake #3: Unfocused Targeting
No matter what you make, sell, offer or do, ‘everyone’ is not your audience. You’re better off qualifying the target audience by age, gender, income, interests, geographic location and other criteria. Thinking critically about who would be most likely to make a purchase or contact you for more information will greatly benefit the success of your digital advertising. Additionally, getting specific with your targeting will prove to be a more efficient use of your ad budget.
Mistake #4: Poor Landing Page Experience
It’s important that your ads lead to a landing page that matches your call to action. Sending viewers to the home page of your website is a quick way to lose leads. Make it easy for them to complete your call to action, whether that’s making a reservation, submitting a form for more information or making a purchase. Second, make sure that call to action stands out. Don’t make the viewer scroll or hunt for what you want them to do. And be sure to test your landing pages on a mobile device. The experience should be seamless, regardless of what device users view the landing page on.
Mistake #5: Failure to Follow Up
Finally, if your call to action is ‘contact us for more information’ make sure your team knows you are expecting new leads and provide instructions on how and when to respond to the inquiries. Create a return on your investment in digital advertising by following up with new leads.
If you want a fresh set of eyes to review your digital strategy or if you’d just like to chat about marketing in general, give us a call. We’d love to ‘meet’ you via video chat!
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