Advertising Information

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:

Reuters

How much are those front-page Times ads?
Reuters - 12 hours ago
(Slate) (Photo: “Spiderman” Alain Robert got free front-page advertising on the New York Times. Not in the paper but on the building. ...
Video: Money Minute: Times Ads, Hyundai, Construction AssociatedPress
New York Times now offers front-page advertising MarketWatch
NY Times debuts front-page ad; new revenue source The Associated Press
Adweek - AFP
all 356 news articles


Recession raises stakes for Super Bowl advertising
guardian.co.uk, UK - 8 hours ago
"The Super Bowl remains this incredibly unique advertising opportunity because you get all this focus and all this attention and all the PR buzz around it," ...
Kellogg School of Management Faculty Available to Discuss Super ... PR Newswire (press release)
Super Bowl Marketers Must Gauge Sensitivity Mediapost.com
all 15 news articles


BeliefNetworks, Inc. Launches AffinityAgent Advertising ...
MSNBC - 11 hours ago
Utilizing this technology, BeliefNetworks is able to help a variety of customers in the advertising and publishing world develop relevant ad concepts and ...


Los Angeles Business Journal

U.S. court upholds L.A. ban on billboards
Los Angeles Times, CA - 4 hours ago
The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the city's 2002 outdoor advertising ban does not violate a sign company's 1st Amendment right to free speech, ...
Rare Victory: Sign Company Slapped Down By Court Curbed
Appeals court upholds LA's billboard ban San Jose Mercury News
Appeals court upholds L.A.'s 2002 billboard ban Los Angeles Times
all 13 news articles


guardian.co.uk

Atheist advertising bid launched
The Press Association - 12 hours ago
An atheist advertising campaign on buses in Scotland has been launched with the slogan: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life. ...
Atheists Decide to Send Their Own Message, on 800 Buses New York Times
Atheist bus campaign spreads the word of no God nationwide guardian.co.uk
Britain's Buses Declare 'There's Probably No God' MyFox Nepa
Monsters and Critics.com - Utalkmarketing
all 95 news articles


Dallas Pushes for More Video Board Advertising
MSNBC - 11 hours ago
The city council is looking to add more video advertising boards and told city staff that the five currently planned for Main Street are not enough. ...


Report: Rough Year For Branded Advertising Online
MediaPost Publications, New York - 9 hours ago
This year is going to be a rough one for brand advertising, according to a new report from JP Morgan Chase. The economic downturn has created a climate in ...
JP Morgan: Performance Marketing Steady as Brands Recoil in '09 ClickZ News
'Net Will See Nothing But Flat CPMs, Analyst Also Says Ad Model ... Mediapost.com
JP Morgan: '09 to Be Rocky for Web and Brand Ads Adweek
Washington Post
all 14 news articles


Reuters

IAC's Diller Sees Cost-Per-Click Ad Revenue Down 5%-7%
CNNMoney.com - 5 hours ago
(IACI), said Tuesday he thinks cost-per-click advertising revenue for his Internet media conglomerate are declining at 5% to 7% year-over-year in the midst ...
IAC still waiting on price falls for acquisitions Reuters
Is Liberty Exiting IAC/INTERACTIVE Entirely? (IACI) 24/7 Wall St.
all 11 news articles


Diller Bearish On ‘09 Advertising
Broadcasting & Cable, NY - 5 hours ago
CEO Barry Diller was less than optimistic when it comes to the advertising market this year, speaking at a Citigroup Media conference in Arizona Tuesday. ...


The NAD: A Primary Forum For Resolving Advertising Disputes
The Metropolitan Coporate Counsel, NJ - 14 hours ago
Hugh Latimer, Chair of Wiley Rein's Advertising Practice, has experience in a broad range of complex litigation involving advertising, sweepstakes, ...
Wiley Rein Assists Client To Secure Significant Win In ... The Metropolitan Coporate Counsel
all 2 news articles

Advertising - Google News

home | site map
© 2006