Why some advertising fails to entice the intended target market: 5 Most Common Reasons Ads Don’t Work
Advertising Mistake #1- No Call to Action
It’s been proven time and time again that if you don’t ask people to buy what you’re offering, chances are they‘ll go to someone who does. But we must look deeper than that.
Does your call to action truly evoke desire in the mind of your target audience? Is there urgency? How honest is it?
It may not be possible to have all of these elements in every ad but the closer you get the stronger the ad will be.
Advertising Mistake #2- The Use of Superlatives
Honesty is the number one thing people expect from companies they buy from. The use of superlatives distracts them from your main selling points and brings up a debate in the mind of your target consumer.
Words like: best, greatest, perfect, etc. make the human mind go around and around trying to decide whether or not the claim being made is true.
In most cases superlatives make statements un-provable and cause the target audience to distrust the company who made the statement.
Remember, truthfulness is your ally and if you can find a creative and honest way to make your product shine your target consumer will not only applaud your honesty but they’ll buy from you first.
Advertising Mistake #3- Over-complicated Promotions
When you come up with a promotional motivator make sure it is easy to understand and extremely creative. “Buy one, get one free,” has become cliché but the concept is still nice and simple.
When people don’t understand a promotion it can actually scare them out of participating.
Advertising Mistake #4- Failure to Make a Logical Connection with the Target Audience.
This one is obvious but frequently overlooked. If you aren’t making it clear why your product is beneficial no one will want to buy it. No matter how creative your advertising is unless, of course, you are already a brand people are familiar with.
Let your audience know why your product is superior or necessary by connecting it to something in their day to day lives, or to a feeling they would cherish.
If creativity isn’t your strong suit, find people who can help. It can mean the difference between ads that get lost in the shuffle and ads that work.
Advertising Mistake #5- Failure to Make an Emotional Connection with the Target Audience.
People only spend time on things that they can connect with. If you can make an honest emotional connection with your target client they’ll not only take the time watch the ad but they’ll also buy the product.
Simple features and benefits are not enough to connect with the audience you’re selling to. You must evoke a feeling that makes your consumer connect with the advertisement.
Be as shocking or inspiring as you want but don’t forget to maintain honesty. Both your product and your target market must live up to the ideas in the ad.
Finding the right concept, the right words and so on, takes imagination and a willingness to go through a million ideas that don’t work to find the one that does. Its hard work but the results are worth their weight in sales.
If you can’t do it yourself find, people who can. You won’t regret it.
The human mind, especially in the fast paced 21st century, isn’t stimulated by anything short of amazing.
If you fail to stimulate the mind, you may as well be invisible.
Author bio: Sam Zargari is a copywriter, and has over 15 years in sales and advertising experience.
