Are Your Paid Ads Actually Putting Your Customers Off?

According to various sources, paid ads can earn companies as much as $2 in revenue for every $1 spent. That’s a doubled return, and it remains possible even in an age where organic focuses like social media and search rankings are continually taking the fore. 

Paid ads are still lucrative, and they’re a focus that businesses should continue to prioritize even amidst their online efforts elsewhere. Unfortunately, paid ads also bring one of the highest digital marketing outlays upfront, meaning that you’ll want to secure returns pretty quickly after getting started.

But, what if that doesn’t happen? Unfortunately for some brands, poorly presented PPC ads can harm, rather than help, sales potential. This leads to loss on all sides and is a mistake that could be made worse by common mistakes like the ones we’ll be discussing here. 

#1 – Giving up too Early

It isn’t only consumer attention spans that are shrinking these days. The immediacy of marketing channels like social media also means that marketers expect to see results right away. And, if they don’t, they may walk away without a second glance. 

This is bad news for PPC campaigns, which typically take a little longer to get off the ground. Without waiting things out, brands may be tempted to reimagine or entirely pull whole PPC campaigns, and the impact can be far-reaching. 

For one thing, constantly changing your PPC focus is bad for continuity. Often, consumers will need to see a paid ad a few times for it to properly make an impact. How can that ever happen if you’re changing your PPC with every tide? That’s a sure way to paint yourself as a wishy-washy, forgettable brand. Constant PPC switch-ups will also obviously cost you more money, without ever having true potential for returns. 

That’s why analysis is always preferable to simply throwing in the towel. By conducting regular campaign audits like the ones offered by IM Evolution.com, you can gain a far clearer idea of how consumers are interacting, and also when sales generally start rolling in your campaigns. 

#2 – Lacking Goals

When brands are approaching platforms like social media, they tend to do so with clear goals and strategies in mind. Yet, paid ads that can feel more like placeholders are often less considered nowadays, and are thus far less lucrative than they could be. 

Even when paid ads are showing to customers blindly, they need to do so in the most effective ways possible. Poor planning, or paid ads that lack any clear goals, are less likely to attract clicks and could end up doing some reputational damage. 

Overcoming this problem means being clear about what your PPC campaigns are aiming to do. For instance, are you launching a new campaign or attempting to appeal to a new audience? This goal-setting will impact everything from the color schemes you use to the platforms on which you choose to advertise. Setting campaign key performance indicators (KPIs) using software from companies like simplekpi.com can also be useful, as it allows you to ensure you’re always meeting those goals, or to make changes if not.

#3 – Overlooking Mobile Optimization

There are few things more disruptive than an unoptimized paid advertisement that sends a whole website off-kilter for mobile viewers. It’s annoying, unprofessional, and will likely ensure that affected customers take out against your brand. They certainly won’t click on an ad that’s ruining their viewing experience! 

Responsive PPC designs are the best way around this, as they ensure that your paid advertisements are always adaptable for the 62% of web page views that come from mobile. Far from disrupting the viewing experience, these more responsive ads will help to make browsing better, sitting right alongside on-page content to offer value that’s easier to see at a glance. 

Mobile optimization should also go deeper than simple appearances. After all, mobile consumers don’t just browse differently, they also often want different things. This is true in even a basic sense when you consider that mobile browsers tend to be younger, and so are more liable to respond to immediate, modern ad formats and designs. Equally, mobile browsers are typically on the go, meaning paid ads are sure to land better if they clearly outline what they’re advertising, and why it’s worth buying. Then, simply tie it all together with a quick online store, and you’re sure to see better results here. 

Make sure your PPC campaigns never put customers off again by avoiding these mistakes at all costs in your campaigns moving forward!