Massively improve any ad within minutes following 5 simple steps.

Let me just start by saying this; when I say 5 simple steps I mean exactly that. After reading this you will have an actionable list of things you need to do in order make any ad perform better within a few minutes. With that being said, let's dive in.

I used to think that advertisement was a horrible investment and all it did was annoy people by showing them something they don't care about.

I was convinced that the only way advertising could work, was by spending millions of dollars and flooding the market with your brand, brute-forcing your way to success (which ironically is what most business schools teach).

Until the day everything changed. I still remember it vividly, it's one of those experiences that stay with you forever. At first I thought there was no way this was the problem, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The answer was "hidden" in plain sight and was revealed to me by a man with a medieval helmet.

The man with the helmet (he taught me how to improve my ads):

For those of you wondering why is there an image of a guy wearing a helmet, and how is this relevant to advertisement, that is a valid question and if you stick with me it will all make sense, so let me explain.

I am as serious as it gets when I'm telling you that one of my mentors used to wear a medieval helmet from time to time, and sometimes even a gauntlet. He was a funny guy and an expert in ad creation, among many other things.

One day he was ranting about advertising and mentioned how most ads do not work and sometimes even end up costing you more than the revenue they bring in.

I was happy that someone with more than twenty years experience in marketing and sales confirmed what I believed. I thought to myself "this guy is a millionaire, he have tested thousands of ads and realized they are not worth investing in".

But then he continued saying the ads are not the problem, people just don't know how to create good ads and it all comes down to 5 simple steps. You don't even need to have any prior marketing knowledge to learn how to improve your ads.

I felt like a fool but didn't say anything. I didn't like that he disagreed with me, but I also wanted to know what his secret was. There was no way it was as simple as he said. He then proceeded to explain the first step, and to quote him, he said, "If you're trying to sell to everyone, you end up selling to no one."

Ok... What is that supposed to mean?

Step 1

What he meant was, you need to carefully pick the audience you want to advertise your products or services to. Instead of trying to advertise to everyone you need to focus on the group of people more likely to buy what you are selling.

Let me give you an example, if you are selling high heels, it doesn't make sense to advertise to every single person. Instead it makes much more sense to advertise to women.

But wait, if you advertise to more people doesn't that mean you have better chances for someone to see your product and even buy it as a gift?

Numbers put everything into perspective so let's drop some basic math. Let's say your ad spent is 100$ and you reach 50.000 people. Out of these people only 5.000 are a good match for your product, out of those 5.000, 5 end up buying it. Out of the rest 45.000, 1 person buys it as a gift or for someone else and let's say you sell your product for 20$.

Effectively what you 've done is spend 100$ and got 120$, so you had 20$ profit, that's only 1.2X your investment.

If you instead advertise to the 5.000 that are a good match for your product and 5 of them buy it, your ad spent is now 90% less. That means you spent 10$ and made 100$ back, you basically 10X your ad investment.

That was what my mentor meant with that phrase he used.

Step 2

He then continued, and this was the part that hit me harder. He said "Write like a human being, do not infuse your ad with steroids".

Wait... Am I not suppose to make my product look amazing so people want it? This felt wrong; why is showcasing my product a bad thing to do?

To tell you the truth, this was the one that took me the longest to grasp, and I now understand why it wasn't my fault for not getting it back then, I have been deceived and so have you. Just because the majority of businesses do that, it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

So if I was wrong all along, then what was the correct approach? Well... It was literally what he said, all you have to do is write the same way you would talk to someone.

I will give you the same example my mentor gave back then, a bit paraphrased. Let's assume you are selling water, and your ad is something like:

"Our water comes from the tallest mountains of the country, traveling 10 kilometers thought fields and canyons and is infused with all the minerals and our 20 years of expertise in bottling it makes sure you get the best product"

Would you really say that to someone? Does it give your customers a reason to buy from you? Think about it for a while... Every time you buy something you do it because you need it, or because you convince yourself you do.

You don't do it because of the manufacturer's experience or the product's specs, sure these can influence your decision, but unless you need that product none of it matters.

So instead of all that fluff if you change that water ad to "Stay hydrated while getting all the essentials minerals". Doesn't that convey the message way clearer?

It's the same product but this time it sounds as if someone is talking to you, addressing your needs instead of giving you information you don't really care about.

To summarize, don't try to sound fancy, write they way you would talk to someone.

Step 3

The first 2 steps can be used as guidelines to setup any ad, now we get to the juicy parts, where you actually start creating your ad.

The first thing you need to get right is the first thing someone sees in your ad. Regardless if it's an image or text, it is going to be the deciding factor on whether they are going to skip it or not, so how do you make sure they don't?

You simply call out their problem, make them think this ad is about them. Take the water example, "Stay hydrated..." that line let's people know that if hydration is a concern, then this is something useful for them. That is what will keep them engaged, pretty simple, right?

Ok, you have an outline of what your ad should look like, who to target and how to get their attention, how do you make them click on the ad and eventually buy your product?

Step 4

Now it's time to tell them what your offer is. BUT... You need to be clear. Do not try to do 7 things at the same time, pick one and focus on it.

For example, if your ad said "Limited time offer 20% off for people living in Ney York, 10% off for those under the age of 40 and 15% off for anyone with more than 2 kids" that would just confuse people, "what if I have 3 kids but live in Brooklyn, does this apply to me?" See how this could confuse someone? That's the last thing you want.

Pick an offer and stick with it, the simpler the offer the easier people will say "Hey, that sounds good, I want it" and once you have achieved that it is time to move to the final step.

Step 5

You managed to get their attention, they read about your product and they like your offer, what do they have to do now?

It is time to act, your ad might be perfect but if you don't get the final step right, it is like shooting yourself in the foot. The best part is, this is a very simple thing to do, so pay attention.

Tell them what to do next, make sure it flows naturally, here is what I mean by that. If you told them your product will help them get hydrated, and you are running a limited time offer that applies to them, and the next step is "call this number" there will be a disconnection.

People will think "water is good for hydration, this company has a good offer, call this number. What for? Why would they call that number? Of course they can deduct that's how they can get your product but why risk confusing them?

Have a clear call to action to make a smoother transition, tell them exactly what the next steps should be. Here is a better alternative "If you are interested in our water, call us so we can give you a quote based on your needs".

This tells them exactly what they should do and what will happen after that, it is way easier for them to act now. And that is how you can turn any low performing ad into a killer one.

Summarize

Take these 5 steps and apply them to your ads and see your conversions skyrocket.

• Target the right people

• Don't try to be fancy and write to them like a human

• Connect with their needs

• Your ad must have a single offer

• Have a clear call to action

Bonus

If you want to free up your time and still get the most of your advertisement, get in touch and we will give you a free quote based on your specific needs. (This is an example of a good call to action by the way)