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Advertising Resource Center |
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What Happened? Troubleshooting Poor Response from Ad Campaigns
Too many small business owners today run ad campaigns that get little to no results, and they have no idea why. When you have the knowledge to troubleshoot the poor responses, you also have the knowledge to make the needed changes so that - next time - your sales improve! Let's take a look at the breakdown of an ad campaign, and how to determine what went wrong. Response vs. Results It's important to understand the difference between response rate and results. When a customer takes the action you want him/her to take (i.e., clicking to your site, calling your 800 number, etc.), then you've achieved "response." This does NOT mean you've made a sale. The response rate of your ad campaign can be high without ever selling one product or service. "Results," on the other hand, are the sales you make in conjunction with the response rate. When a customer takes the action you want him/her to take AND buys your product/service, then you've achieved results. No Response When you get little to no response, chances are that one of two things happened. One - your ad was poorly written and didn't generate enough interest to excite the customer to take action; or two - the ad didn't reach your preferred target customer. How do you determine which one is the culprit? Test! Use the same ad, but place it in a different ezine or on a different Web site. If response rate improves, you know the ad is most likely fine, but the audience exposure was off. If the response rate does not improve, it's probably best to rewrite the headline, the ad, or both. Response But No Results If you run an ezine ad, banner ad, etc., and get responses without making any sales, the most probable theory is that your supporting ad copy or offer is not doing its job. Ezine ads, banner ads, and the like will never make a sale on their own. The customer is almost always going to be directed to click back to your Web site. If the copy/design of your ad is working, but no sales are being made, take a good look at the copy or design of your site. Chances are that *it* could be costing you sales. Again, testing is the key. Change a headline, add links that direct to "more information" pages, and so on. Run the ad again, and see if your results improve. You'll notice that in either case, testing is the recommended course of action. So many small business owners get in a hurry and neglect to test their ads. While it may seem costly to run an ad, change an ad, and run it again - the truth is that running unproven ads all across the 'Net without gaining any return on investment (ROI) is a huge waste of money. Yes, it does take a good deal of time. Yes, it can cost additional money. However, once you've taken the time to test an ad, and the copy on the supporting Web site that customers will be directed to, you'll be in a much better position to ensure consistent sales from your campaigns. Copyright 2004 Diane Hughes About The Author Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane
MORE RESOURCES: Without the right focus in Washington, job creation will continue to be slow and unsteady, says columnist Frank Aquila The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits fell last week to a level that indicates the labor market has not improved this year even as the economy expanded. The U.S. economy is so bad that the chance of avoiding a double dip back into recession may actually be pretty good U.S. stocks extended Wednesday's gain as initial jobless claims fell and pending home sales unexpectedly increased Treasury 10-year notes fell for a second day as pending home resales unexpectedly rose in July and initial jobless claims dropped last week, reducing demand for the safety of government debt. Orders placed with U.S. factories rose less than forecast in July, restrained by a slump in demand for capital equipment that points to a slowdown in business investment in coming months. The biggest rally in almost two months in the U.S. stock market yesterday was missing the hallmarks of a move that’s likely to last, said Jeffrey deGraaf, the top-ranked technical analyst. AIA Group Ltd., the main Asia unit of American International Group Inc., submitted preliminary documents to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for an initial public offering, according to two people familiar with the filing. Naked short sales of shares and government bonds may be limited by European Union proposals that say the practices cause a “disorderly market and possible systemic risks.” Pending sales of existing houses unexpectedly climbed in July from a record low, indicating the real-estate market is steadying following the end of a government tax credit. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is examining whether high-speed traders helped trigger a 700-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average on May 6 by repeatedly placing and immediately canceling orders in an attempt to manipulate share prices, a person with direct knowledge of the inquiry said. Wall Street analysts offer buy, sell, or hold opinions on stocks in the news on Sept. 2 Wall Street analysts offer buy, sell, or hold opinions on stocks in the news on Sept. 1 Aug. 31 -- Karl Case, an economics professor at Wellesley College and co-creator of the S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index, discusses the U.S. housing market Aug. 31 -- Bloomberg's Ryan Chilcote reports on a dispute between Iceland and the U.K. over mackerel fishing quotas and the risk the row may affect the North Atlantic nation's bid to join the European Union Despite warnings by some experts, funds that try to profit from a falling stock market are an increasingly popular choice for investors With yields above other asset classes, real estate investment trusts are popular again. Pros tell Businessweek.com how to spot the best REITs |
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