Jay Sachetti joined Jeff O’Brien, partner at Husch Blackwell and Dyanne Ross-Hanson, president of Exit Planning Strategies talked about the market for mergers and acquisitions, exit planning opportunities for companies that don’t end up for sale and how companies can maximize their eventual sale price during an early October panel at the first Upsize on Tap event at Summit Brewing Co. in St. Paul.
When the state Legislature passed a law requiring employers to provide paid leave and safe time for employees, Justin Bieganek started hearing differing details from friends, colleagues and peers.
So, you launched an advertising campaign. And guess what … it’s not working.
Two of the most common questions new clients ask us are why their past advertising efforts haven’t worked and how can those results be turned around.
Crafting an effective marketing strategy is a layered process. Many variables can influence the success of your campaign, from your audience selection to the product you’re offering. But for a quick checklist of the top things you can do right now, here are eight reasons why your advertising might not be working:
You can have the most compelling product in the world, but if the right people aren’t seeing it, it doesn’t matter. If your advertising efforts aren’t performing, take another look at your overall media approach.
How to fix it: Ask yourself: are you targeting the right audience — really? Are you on the right media channels? Is your spend competitive enough? Do you have analytics to see which pieces are performing? Asking these questions and tweaking your media strategy can make a big difference in a short time. We’ve seen transactions increase 400% and revenue increase almost 200% after just one month of optimizing a client’s digital placement.
As logical as people may be, we’re emotional beings first. According to a NeuroImage study, scans show that storytelling engages our brains more than facts. Is your ad funny, surprising, sad, intriguing, silly, bold — anything? If you’re not saying something, people won’t do anything.
How to fix it: Tell a story that gives your brand a personality and point of view. Think about the mindset of your consumer and the problem they’re trying to solve, then speak to that in your marketing. Make it about what the customer is feeling — not about your product.
The average person has an attention span of eight seconds. So, when you cram every proof point and differentiator into one ad, it creates clutter that viewers can’t process.
How to fix it: The best-performing ads are simple. Try holding your ad up for three seconds. If you can’t glean one central takeaway in that time, neither can the consumer. And guess what. They’re moving on. Say it clearly, say it simply and break up larger messages into smaller bite-sized pieces across several tactics or executions. Lead with emotion, follow up with differentiators, and close the sale with a call to action.
Humans are innately drawn to imagery. In fact, Massachusetts Institute of Technology neuroscientists found that 90% of information absorbed by the human brain is visual. So, it makes sense your ad should have one.
How to fix it: Your advertising should tell a visual story in addition to a written one. Few things can improve memorability, evoke instant emotion and improve engagement better than a stunning image.
There — I said it. Especially on social media, consumers are bombarded with ads and have to discern the credible ones from the shady ones. If an ad is too jam-packed with exclamation points, ALL CAPS or unrealistic claims, consumers will view it with skepticism.
How to fix it: It’s good to include a strong call to action, urgency and compelling language in your ads. But it should be balanced with maintaining your brand’s credibility. Make your copy conversational but maintain professional grammar. And always justify your claims with facts.
One of the first rules of advertising is to talk like your audience does. That means no jargon, advertising-speak or ten-dollar words where a simple one will do.
How to fix it: Talk to your audience like you would in a face-to-face conversation. After all, you’re just one person talking to another about solving a problem — not shoving a list of bullet points at them.
You can talk the talk, but your product or service needs to walk the walk. A study from Dimensional Research found 95% of people will share a bad customer experience, resulting in lost sales and a damaged reputation. Similarly, you may have a good product, but if your brand doesn’t align with what consumers think of you, that’s another disconnect where sales could suffer.
How to fix it: Go talk to your customers. A little research can go a long way to make sure your brand experience is in check. Even a short survey or a few casual intercepts can pinpoint big opportunity areas.
You know what you want the consumer to do, so help them do it. Just make sure they’re at the right stage in their decision-making process. If a person is seeing your ad for the first time, “buy now” might be too large of an ask.
How to fix it:
As John Wanamaker said in the early 1900s, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”
For many advertisers, it can still feel that way. But with advancements in audience data, creative technology, media placement and reporting, you can be smarter about optimizing those once-wasted efforts.
Kristy Laue is vice president of creative for Lawrence & Schiller, where she splits her time between offices in Edina and Sioux Falls, SD: 605.338.8000; kr*********@*-s.com; www.l-s.com.
