One of the most frequently asked questions I get from entrepreneurs is, “do you run advertisements?”
Using targeted advertisements can be highly impactful for your business. The effectiveness of your advertisement is depending largely on how well you target (and of course, great visuals). By targeting, I mean targeting the right audience on the right platforms and targeting their pressure points. I rarely run ads, but when I do, it’s on social media. More specifically, Facebook and Instagram. Why? Because that’s where my audience is. If your audience is using Google more than Facebook, you may want to do Google ads. If your audience is quicker to search LinkedIn than Instagram… you get my drift here, right? Run ads where your targeted audience will most likely see it. Keyword there: Targeted audience. When I ask who your target market is and who your product or service is intended to help, you cannot tell me “anybody and everybody.” Listen, your ad won’t get anywhere like that. Your ad service will tell you the same thing I’m going to tell you. That’s too broad. You must choose who you want to target. The more specific you are, the more successful your chosen platform can be at putting your ad in front of the right people who will buy. If you won’t commit to narrowing down your audience, you won’t be successful in running ads. That’s just the facts. When you are given the option to choose who your targeted audience is, think about what kind of topics your audience members are interested in. What do they do for a living? What are they writing about? What discussions are they taking part in? What other pages are they following? What kind of information are they searching for and absorbing? What transformations are they in need of? In the picture below, you can see some of the interests I listed for my target audience. This is important because that’s how your platform will decide who to show your ad.
Once you determine who your targeted audience is, you have to target their pressure and pain points. What is your audience in need of, that your product or service is the solution for? Why do they have that need? What has kept them from meeting that need already? What is their struggle that you have the fix for? Do they need time? Are they short on money? Do they need technical help but are not tech savvy? Are they in search of ways to clear their mind? Do they need more space? Are they looking for a relationship? Are they struggling to find balance? Are they looking for ways to stay productive? Are they likely short on supplies? What is their issue and what are some reasons they may not have already solved it? That is their pain point. Speak to that pain point in your advertisement. Make it clear that you know what their need is and here’s how your product will solve it. Pair this targeting with great visuals on the right platforms, and you will have an effective advertisement. Here are the results of a recent ad I ran on my Journal Creating Webinar. I used the targeted audience that I showed you above. I showed video clips from the webinar, in which I am walking the viewer through exactly how to create and publish the journal. Showing these clips ensured my audience that they will get an actual demonstration as opposed to a slideshow of information. The verbiage I chose for my caption included the fact that it was an exact demonstration, and that they do not need any graphic design skills. Why? Because I’ve studied my audience. I know they have been sold promises of help and guidance, but what they need most is visual guidance, not just written or verbal. My audience is also comprised of women who want a certain look and design but don’t have the tech savvy background to create it. But they are also self-sufficient; if I teach them, they will make an honest attempt to execute.
I made my ad investment money back in just two purchases, but I actually had 13 purchases as a result of this one advertisement. The stats here that were most important to ME are the Post Saves (the little ribbon that says 190) and the follows (87). Everyone has different goals with their ads. I knew I wanted to increase my following with women who are interested in this kind of content, since it’s what I intend to focus on and post about more often. The Post Saves tell me that 190 people saved my post so that they can return to it later. Not everybody buys a product right away. Business to Business transactions are rarely impulsive. But these 190 people are considering it as an investment they’ll make, now or in the future. That’s a win for me. This ad was well worth the investment. Researching your audience, discovering their pain points, determining the best visuals and determining the proper platforms are all very specific metrics. I can’t possibly give you specific answers or insight on yours, without knowing the ins and outs of your business. If this is an area you need help with, you can book a strategy session with me (60 minutes or 90 minutes), and we can dive into that. Hopefully this information helps you drive in more traffic and sales with your next advertisement!