One Simple Step to Writing High-Performing Ads

Looking to make your ads more effective, grab attention, and get more clients? This article will show you exactly how.

Figuring this out took me years of trial and error. I vividly remember having to write my first ad ever. Not because it was fun - quite the opposite. It was extremely frustrating.

And you know what made it worse? I was supposed to be prepared! I took several marketing classes in college. We dissected huge campaigns from Apple, Heineken, Porsche - brands spending hundreds of millions yearly on marketing.

So writing a simple local business ad should be easy, right?

Well, not at all.

As I stared at that blank page, I realized I had no clue how to create a great small business ad. (Turns out the big companies don't either, but that's another story.)

The longer I sat there, the dumber I felt.

The Real Reason Most Ads Fail

So I tried researching to find a formula that would work for my situation. That just created more confusion!

Some sources said use cute babies or animals. Others said avoid that, be totally professional.

Some said repeat your brand name constantly. Others said repetition just annoys people.

With the deadline looming, I took a shortcut - I basically copied what the competition was doing, with tiny tweaks so it wasn't an exact copy.

I showed it to my boss, half-expecting him to call out the low effort. Nope - he said it was OK and we ran it.

Next couple days, I heard...nothing about the results. I finally couldn't take it and asked my boss.

He seemed confused, saying: "What do you mean 'results'? This ad was for brand awareness, top of mind stuff. You know that, right?"

I pretended I knew exactly what he meant.

I was lying - I had zero clue.

But here's the secret: Years later, I realized my boss was also lying to me. He had no idea either.

Fixing Your Marketing

When I spend money, I measure what it does. I expect you do the same - it's just good business sense.

If I buy equipment, I ensure it works as expected.

If I order lunch, I make sure it arrives correctly.

If I pay a vendor, I ensure they deliver on time and budget.

But with marketing? You get buried in jargon:

"This ad builds brand recognition."

"We're focused on top of mind awareness."

"This solidifies our brand positioning."

Nice words, but you still have no ROI measurement. We can't pay staff or rent with "awareness," can we?

Here's the ugly truth I realized when I started my own business:

Most businesses waste at least half their marketing budget. Probably way more.

And that didn't sit right with me.

How I Stopped Flushing Money (And How You Can Too)

I refused to believe marketing had to be throwing money around hoping it worked. There had to be a formula.

The good news? There was a formula.

The bad news? It took years of study, trial/error, and piecing it together to figure it out.

If I laid out the full formula, we'd be here for weeks. So let me give you one powerful shortcut - Pearson's Law:

"What is measured, improves."

Want to immediately boost your ad results? Make them measurable.

How? Add a call-to-action asking prospects to take a trackable action.

This is rule #1 when I work with clients: Every ad must pay for itself measurably, no exceptions.

No more vague jargon. Tangible, measurable results only.

There are plenty of ways to do this for any business, yours included. Want to know how we'd implement it for you? Get in touch.

Erik Whitelaw

FusionFluence Marketing

ewhitelaw@fusionfluence.org