Is Your Ad Really Underperforming?

The internet has created the seeming need for instant gratification. This is even true in advertising, where companies will consider a particular ad strategy dead in the water if it does not deliver right away. As fast as the internet moves, there are factors that can come into play in determining the success or failure of your ad. Here are five things to consider before you decide that the ad you have out there is not working as it should.

1. What was the purpose of your ad?

The general feeling among many businesses is that an ad can only be considered successful if it brings about a boost in sales. That is true if increasing sales was your goal going in. What if the goal of the ad was simply to drive more people to the front page of your site? Thinks about what it is that you are trying to achieve and make sure that it is measured and judged upon.

2. Is the ad server performing properly?

Ad servers generally provide you with all the data you need to measure the performance of an ad. That said, there are times when ad implementation and technical issues can cause your numbers to become skewed. A discrepancy between 3% to 5% is often acceptable when dealing with different ad systems. If you ad seems to be performing particularly poorly, it’s always best to check that all is right with the ad server before you pull the plug on an ad that is actually doing well.

3. Are you targeting the right audience?

There is always the possibility that your ad is perfect, but the people that it is reaching are not. If the only people who are seeing your ad are those with zero interest in what you have to offer, it stands to reason that the click-through rate will be well below what you had hoped for. Therefore, it is important to set the right targeting values in the ad server.

4. Does your target audience know what to do?

If you ad is being seen by the people that you are targeting, then you have to ask what it is that is not working. One of the most common errors made is to not include a call-to-action within the ad. A phrase as simple as "Click here for more information," may be all that is needed. You need to let your target audience know exactly what it is that you expect them to do with the ad they are viewing.

5. Have you given the ad enough time to work?

This question brings us back to the need for instant gratification. There are advertisers who will pull their ad after just an hour or so. It is unlikely that an ad can work that quickly, especially when you consider that many people need to see it a couple of times before feeling the need to act. You need to give your ad at least 24 hours to take hold, at which point you can start to look at the other items mentioned in this list.

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