Over 76% of ads do not directly sell but instead just look pretty. They get views and a few interactions but no sales. The whole point of an ad is to sell something, right?
I made the same mistake when I was producing ads for my e-commerce store. I thought I was doing well because I was getting a bunch of views and clicks but no sales. It took me years to realise a simple concept that I have now perfected and can teach you in the next 4 minutes. I wish I had known this sooner and so will you.
Naturally, we want things in our ads to have a nice design and look the part, but in reality, you’re missing the true purpose of an ad. It’s to get your product or service in front of a human and persuade them to buy it.
Look, nowadays we are bombarded with unlimited short-form content which does nothing but make you laugh and entertain you for 10 seconds. This makes it difficult to grab someone’s attention. Everything is pretty and funny, so you being pretty and funny is not going to stand out.
The Power of Specificity
Let me give you an example to help you understand…
Imagine you walk into a bar looking for your future spouse. You have a few drinks, crank up the confidence, and decide to go over to the DJ booth, grab the mic, and announce you are single and looking for a partner. Most people might laugh for a second, but no one will step forward. When you call out to everyone, you call out to no one.
It’s the same when it comes to selling. If you try to sell to everyone, you sell to absolutely no one.
Focus on the Individual
Now, let’s change the script. You walk into the bar, and you see the person of your dreams. Instead of announcing to the whole bar that you’re looking for someone, you walk directly up to that person and shoot your shot.
Your ads work exactly the same way. You need to grab the attention of a specific target audience and tailor your ad as though you’re speaking directly to that individual.
Start with a headline that is direct and specific. Instead of saying “Hey I’m looking for a partner,” you say “Hey, YOU in the blue dress and blonde hair.” Now that’s going to grab attention.
Identifying and Agitating the Problem
Once you have their attention, you need to identify a problem. Continuing with the bar example, you’ve found out this person is single and enjoying the single life, not feeling the need for a partner. Now you have identified a potential problem that they might not be aware of.
Agitate this by reminding them how having a partner who can protect and provide for them wouldn’t be such a bad idea. You’ve just outlined a problem they didn’t know they had and have amplified it.
Again, please don’t do this the next time you’re out with the boys; I mean, you could, but it might get you in trouble with the Mrs…
Presenting the Solution
Do you get the drift? You identify a problem, amplify a desire, and present your product or service as the solution—the tool to get them from where they are now to where they desire to go.
This simple concept is how you need to present your product or service when creating your ads. Remember, it’s another human you’re putting a message across to.
Keep It Simple
Stop overcomplicating things. It’s simpler than you think. In fact, we’ll show you exactly how simple it is with the ads you’re running right now.
Get in touch and we’ll run a FREE audit to show you how you can drastically improve your ads using this simple concept.
Final Thoughts
Your ad doesn’t need to be the prettiest or the funniest; it needs to be the most relevant and direct to your target audience. Apply this concept, and watch your ad performance improve significantly.