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



Predictions for 2010

2005 puts us at the mid-point of the first decade... Read More

Seven Ways to Waste Your Money on Yellow Pages Advertising

Each year there is a Yellow Pages arms race where... Read More

How To Tell If An Advertisement Costs Too Much

People say it all the time: "This advertising costs too... Read More

Dont Be a Secret Agent

This tactic of the game was hard for me to... Read More

Marketing Tips For Small Business ? Advertising That Works, Part I

Have you ever seen an ad on television that was... Read More

Why Hire an Advertising/Marketing Consultant?

As a business owner, you have the option of taking... Read More

Online Classifieds

Choosing a Classified Website and creating your advertisements.The internet has... Read More

100 Excellent Words and 70 Action Getting Phrases for Ad Writing

100 Excellent Words Absolutely. Amazing. Approved. Attractive. Authentic. Bargain.... Read More

10 Ways to Advertise Your Business For Free!

At some point many small business owners are left with... Read More

How to Get People to Read Your Ads Like CRAZY!

Rule One :- The HeadlineThe headline should summarize the whole... Read More

How Do People Know Youre in Business?

One of the most important things to do now that... Read More

Whats The Frequency?

The more things change, some say, the more things stay... Read More

The Art Of Fear Free Advertising

Is fear of failure an issue when you commit valuable... Read More

The Seven Second Race: How to Draw Attention Your Ad

You've decided to launch your advertising campaign but you have... Read More

Promote yourself on radio for free

Unless you have become extremely popular in your personal or... Read More

How To Use Pictures To Immediately Start Increasing The Response Rates Of Your Marketing

There should only be one, over-riding reason why you're doing... Read More

Avoid Being Vague

We are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages daily?on television... Read More

How To Make Your Resource Box Sell

Ezine Articles - they're everywhere!And little wonder. They're one of... Read More

Wheres Me Pot of Gold and Lucky Charms?

We already know this from our history books. If you... Read More

How To Create Instantly Compelling Ads Every Time

Use This Quick 3-Question Evaluation Process, So You Can Be... Read More

Double Your Sales Potential With Double-sided Business Cards

Swapping business cards is one of the most basic and... Read More

Creating a Winning Logo

Creating a logo to get you noticed.When you're branding a... Read More

Create Your Own Business Cards, Part 1

In this lesson, we will create a business card, using... Read More

Creativity and Getting Outside of the Box

Sitting in front of a blank piece of paper? Wondering... Read More

Get Free Radio Advertisement

Here's a neat trick to get lots of radio advertisement... Read More

If you'd like to keep up-to-date,
please complete the form below and we'll put you on the mailing list
to receive our twice-yearly newsletter for supporters

* Your email address:
* choes your language: