How Can You Stop Losing Money On Your Paid Ads

16 Apr 2019

Mike Patel

One of the most challenging tasks for paid advertising is creating and executing an effective ad campaign that gets noticed. You do your research on what platforms to advertise on. You pinpoint exactly who you want to buy your product or service and how to best reach them. Finally, you create the (seemingly) perfect ad with an irresistible offer. Yet, your ad is losing traffic. What gives? Do you keep endlessly trying to tweak your ad until you somehow gain traffic? That can take weeks or months while your precious marketing budget is steadily draining. The best thing you can do is keep reading to find out how to stop losing your ad traffic.

What stops people from seeing your ads?

Granted, you may have issues within your ad itself that is causing it to perform poorly. It is well worth your time to get a trusted marketing guru to give you feedback on your ad design, copy, landing page, platform and call-to-action to know if you have made a glaring mistake. If everything looks good with the ad itself, you may be falling victim to banner blindness.

Banner blindness is the recently discovered phenomenon where consumers automatically block out any content that looks like an ad. This means that any ads that aren’t in the content area, the middle of the page, are not seen by the consumer. Sidebars, headers and ads at the bottom of the screen are all the main targets of banner blindness.

Studies have shown that the overload of marketing information on the average consumer has caused them to completely block out anything they perceive to be advertising. If your paid advertising is not doing well, it may well be because your audience is unconsciously blocking it out. They key is to make your ad not look like an ad.

Content marketing and native ads vs. traditional marketing

While traditional marketing like banner ads still exist and may be effective in some circumstances, content marketing and native ads are a growing trend. Native ads are the opposite of banner ads in their placement. You will see native ads within the main content of the page, which “tricks” viewers into reading and hopefully interacting with the ad. Some issues with native ads are being ethical about what is an advertisement and what is true content.

Consumers don’t like to feel tricked into reading an ad or, even worse, thinking an ad is an unbiased content. Many sites require advertisements to be labeled as such so that they can retain their credibility with their readers. The key to good native marketing is to offer real value to readers, even if they don’t buy your product.

Content marketing is a much bigger approach to marketing which involves producing “real” content and not just sales advertisements. The theory is that providing quality content, which can also mention your product or service, will bring higher esteem to your brand and lead to more sales in the long run. In fact, 70% of consumers would rather learn about a product through information rather than traditional marketing like banner ads. Implementing a content marketing strategy is a good alternative when your traditional marketing strategy isn’t working anymore. Though it may have worked in the past, your audience changes over time. It is never too soon to revisit your audience and their needs in light of your marketing efforts.

New places for banner ads

Banner ads aren’t necessarily a bad thing. They can work well if you switch up their placement. Consider putting your ad in different places and in different sized panes than traditionally used. Standard size for display banner ads is 728 × 90 leaderboards and 300 × 250 rectangles. Try different sizes and put them in the top left corner or along the left side of the page. Move your ad around to see what placement gives you the best engagement. You can also put it in between your content within the main part of your page. As long as you show that it is an advertisement, you can weave it in with your content.

Welcome and popup ads

Though they have been the bane of many internet users, making your ad popup has actually been successful for many businesses. Email opt-ins and offers can easily be made into an attractive pop up that all viewers have to deal with, whether by clicking out of or opting in. Many visitors may get annoyed by them, but some companies (like Forbes) have had great success. It is just a delicate balance between what works to draw your viewers in and not drive them away.

We hope these tips and tricks will help you effectively spend money on your paid ads. Let us know in the comments below your ways of making your ad campaigns more effective. Contact ioVista for your Pay Per Click management and other digital marketing services.

Mike Patel

Mike Patel is the Founder and CEO of ioVista, a leading digital commerce agency specializing in eCommerce solutions. With a strong background in business and technology, Mike Patel has been at the forefront of driving digital transformations for businesses. He has successfully navigated the ever-changing landscape of eCommerce, helping companies leverage the power of online platforms to grow their brand, increase revenues, and optimize their digital presence. Under his leadership, ioVista has become a trusted partner with major technology companies: Adobe/Magento, Google, BigCommerce, Shopify, and Yahoo. He is dedicated to staying ahead of industry trends, adopting cutting-edge technologies, and continuously improving strategies to provide clients with a competitive edge. Mike’s commitment to excellence and client satisfaction is evident in every project ioVista undertakes.