Ad Traffic Mistake #3

Happy Tuesday! 

I saved the best for last. 

In my experience, this is probably one of the most costly mistakes made when running ad traffic… 

It’s also one of the easiest to rectify.

Results and performance management is often overlooked when it comes to ALL marketing (not just running ads). 

There are either NO tracking mechanisms or processes in place, or the ones that are set up, aren’t reliable and report inaccurate data. 

Those that have NO tracking systems in place live in continual flux… Think of it like going to a casino every day, and feeding a slot machine dollar after dollar, just hoping it’ll pay out. 

I don’t know about you, but I could find so many other ways to invest marketing dollars other than gambling it away. 

I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase, “Everything measured improves,” right? 

If you can’t measure something to determine the results, you can’t possibly get better at it. 

I like to give the example of someone trying to lose weight.  Have you ever tried to lose weight without stepping on a scale to measure your results? 

How about trying to improve your golf game. How hard would this be to accomplish if you didn’t keep score?

Marketing is NO different. 

If you can’t measure your results, you never know how effective your efforts really are. 

You’ll also never improve. 

  

Running ads is like any other marketing strategy…

Without accurate tracking, you don’t know what is producing results and what isn’t. When you don’t know what’s working, and what’s NOT working, how are you supposed to know what to stop, what to continue, what to refine, etc?

Here’s the kicker. Not only could you be losing money running ads that aren’t working; the ads that ARE working are not getting optimized. 

I ask clients all the time…

“Would you allow this to happen with any other marketing strategy or campaign? Not knowing your ROI?” 

Let’s say you did a postcard mailing. You know exactly how much you spent on creative, print material, postage, list, etc. Let’s say that was $4500 in total, out the door. 

Let’s say your CTA was to call the office, give this code [YPT340] and clients get 25% off their order. Eight clients call in with this code and their purchases total $28,000. What do you know? 

Your return on that campaign was $23,500 or a 622% ROI. Was it successful? Absolutely. Would you run it again? Absolutely–and maybe the next time on a much grander scale. 

Getting these exact figures and stats on your ads is just as attainable. 

Here’s what you see when you’ve set up tracking codes on your website (in this case Google Analytics) and have also set up a tool to report all of the metrics and conversion goals that need to be tracked. 

In this example, you can see the breakdown of your sales page visitors based on their age groups. This is just ONE of the many in-depth reports your tracking tool can provide if it is set up correctly. 

Another compounded issue that occurs from ineffective or incorrect tracking is when your ads are directly tied to sales in the form of commission.  

Many business owners I talk to hire an ad agency to place their ads for them and in addition to a monthly fee, they collect a certain percentage of sales made. 

I hope you see where I’m going here…

If your tracking is not set up properly, what if the incorrect tracking for your ads is reporting more sales than there really were… and you’re paying a commission on sales that were never made to this third party? 

Bottom line…

Data drives decisions. Remember this. 

In fact, write it down on a post-it and stick it to your computer if you need to…

If you don’t have a dedicated team member or a third party that can help you set up your tracking (or you don’t know if it’s set up correctly), I highly recommend investing in a traffic audit (having a team of ad experts put your stats, ads, and strategies under a microscope and audit every moving part of your ad account). 

My senior ad team performs Premier Traffic Audits here at Business Nitrogen. It’s a 30+ point comprehensive audit process that identifies any and all areas that can decrease your CPL, increase your conversion rate, and optimize your ad spend overall. We’ll also do a deep dive on your stats and reporting mechanisms. 

Sometimes just one discovery and alteration can pay dividends in the end. 

You can get more information here: Premier Traffic Audit. 

To your success, 

David

P.S. Recruitment and Hiring is the #1 Entrepreneurial Blind Spot which is why most avoid it like the plague… 

Let’s face it, the entire process can be utterly frustrating & time consuming, AND often results in attracting and hiring the WRONG talent for your team and/or business. 

But what if ALL the heavy-lifting was done for you, and you were only handed the highest qualified candidates that checked every box you were looking for? 

Head to this link to see if Nitrogen Hiring Network™ could be your talent recruitment solution. 

P.P.S. Not sure how to find and attract more of your ideal clients? If you have a proven high ticket offer, we know EXACTLY how to fill your pipeline with a constant stream of qualified and highly-motivated leads through our exclusive Leads on Demand™ program.

Simply click this link for more details.

Biggest Ad Mistake #2

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, the next two editions will be dedicated to two more costly mistakes businesses are making right now when it comes to running ads and driving traffic. 

In the last article I revealed Mistake #1: Using stock images in your ads and social posts.

Remember, if you have a dedicated team member who takes care of your ad management, or you outsource it to a third party, make sure you also forward them these next two newsletters to ensure you get them corrected. 

This next mistake I’m going to reveal is for Google ads specifically…

Not protecting your own brand keywords 

A lot of business owners don’t see the value in spending money on their own brand name or keywords. 

Oftentimes they are told it’s a waste of money to do so, therefore they never bother setting up those campaigns.

Why this becomes Mistake #2…

If your competitors are advertising online, and are savvy enough to figure it out; they could very well be stealing YOUR own best traffic right under your nose.  

All they need to do is run the campaigns that you aren’t,  (targeting your brand name), and place ads right ON TOP of your organic results.  

Where does the traffic go? 

Not to your landing page or website, but directly to your competitors. 

Here’s a great example of a brand NOT protecting their brand keywords so you can see with your own eyes what I’m describing…

Notice how not one, not two, but three competitors are placing ads ON TOP of Basecamp. 

How do you know they are competitors? Notice how all describe their product or software as a time/task/project management tool.   

One even positions themselves as a “powerful Basecamp alternative”. 

Some viewers will accidentally click on the ad that has the word Basecamp in it because they don’t see the word “alternative” next to it.  Remember, most people assume when they search for a company or brand that company or brand will show up at the top of the results page. 

For all viewers that see this results page one thing is certain. They will all experience a major disruption in either their initial intention, or with the message you are trying to send them as now there is conflict.  

So how do you avoid this like the plague? 

#1: Be sure you are in the 1st position within Google’s search results for YOUR brand keywords!

#2: Also, check out which competitors are bidding on your keywords. And yes, lucky for us, there’s a tool for that called Auction Insights. Be sure to check it out, this is a really cool tool to keep in your toolbelt.  

So what do you do if you find a competitor IS doing this to your brand? 

I first tell clients to send them a cease and desist warning. IMPORTANT: This can only be enforced if your name is trademarked.  

Which brings me to another quick tip… 

TRADEMARK your own name if you haven’t done so already!! It’s easy and super inexpensive if you complete the online forms yourself.  If you don’t want to bother with it, hire an attorney to do it for you. Either way, ensure you take care of it.  Trademarking your name protects your business and brand in so many ways. 

The second thing you can do is simply target THEIR brand keywords. 

What this does is makes their ads more expensive. 

Last but not least, let’s go back and look at this as a strategy vs. a mistake. Again, I’m a marketing and sales guy, so I’m always looking for the competitive advantage…

Simply reverse engineer this into a strategy you could use against your competitors. Have a dedicated team member or outsourced ad partner bid on their keywords so their traffic becomes your traffic.  

If there is ONE take-away from this lesson, its to ensure you start protecting your brand keywords and getting those campaigns set up immediately. And of course, get your name trademarked if you haven’t already done so. 

If you don’t have a dedicated team member or a third party that can help you optimize your ads (and ad spend), I highly recommend investing in a traffic audit (having a team of ad experts put your ad accounts, strategies, ads and stats under a microscope and audit every moving part of your prospect journey). 

My senior ad team performs Premier Traffic Audits here at Business Nitrogen. It’s a 30+ point comprehensive audit process that identifies any and all areas that can decrease your CPL, increase your conversion rate, and optimize your ad spend overall.  Sometimes just one discovery and alteration can pay dividends in the end. 

You can get more information here: Premier Traffic Audit. 

Stay tuned for Mistake #3 next week!

To your success, 

David

P.S. Recruitment and Hiring is the #1 Entrepreneurial Blind Spot which is why most avoid it like the plague… 

Let’s face it, the entire process can be utterly frustrating & time consuming, AND often results in attracting and hiring the WRONG talent for your team and/or business. 

But what if ALL the heavy-lifting was done for you, and you were only handed the highest qualified candidates that checked every box you were looking for? 

Head to this link to find out How To Attract Top Marketing & Sales A-Players And Dominate Your Market

P.P.S. Not sure how to find and attract more of your ideal clients? If you have a proven high ticket offer, we know EXACTLY how to fill your pipeline with a constant stream of qualified and highly-motivated leads through our exclusive Leads on Demand™ program.

Optimize Your Ad Traffic: Mistake #1

Like many of us running traffic on popular online platforms like Google and Facebook, I’m sure you’ve experienced some significant (and not so great) changes in your CPL, conversion rate, and monthly ad spend.  

And I won’t even get started on how frequently ad accounts are being shut down. 

Here’s what we’re learning…

It’s NOT going to get any easier. 

In fact, expect things to get even more difficult as more and more restrictions unfold. 

Any good news? 

Over the next few Infinite Business Newsletter editions, I’ve going to cover the TOP 3 costliest mistakes businesses are making right now when it comes to running ads and driving traffic. 

These are also the most common mistakes that are pretty easy to rectify (as they are variables you CAN control).  

If you have an inhouse team member who takes care of your ad management, or you outsource it to a third party, make sure you forward them these three newsletters to ensure you get them corrected. 

The first mistake has everything to do with how your target audience “sees” you. 

96% of consumers simply don’t trust ads. Not a HUGE surprise.  But did you know that fewer than 1 in 5 adults say they trusted social media ads? 

As if the odds weren’t already stacked against us!

The challenge: Create an ad that not only grabs our prospect's attention, but ALSO conveys “trustworthy” and our “message” must be compelling enough to get them to take action.

One of the biggest ways to instantly FAIL in this task is using stock images in your ads and your social posts. 

How often do you see companies like Apple, or Pepsi, or Canon using stock images in their ads? 

You won’t. And there’s a very good reason why…

Nothing displays lack of ingenuity and effort quite like having the same stock photos that have been circulated all over the web. Using stock photography translates that you just don’t care about your brand or your culture…or even the message you are trying to deliver. 

It also shows lack of differentiation and authenticity (as clearly you look like everyone else). Those “big league” players know the value in building their brand–they want to be unique, they WANT to stand out. They want to resonate with their audience on a higher level. 

If you really want to resonate with your audience, entrust a dedicated person on your team to be responsible for unique content and ad creation. 

Create your own unique content. 

You don’t need to be in the race to post all day everyday, either. It’s all about quality content. Just look and see how many times big, successful companies post in the red oceans and win big. They only post quality videos a few times and they are almost always part of a campaign that leads you to the next one. 

Strategic placement of creative custom footage and ads is exactly how you play to win.

Now, I hear this quite often… 

I know it might seem EASIER and sometimes even FREE to just get a subscription to some stock photography service or platform. 

But have you ever read the fine print? Many subscriptions under a free subscription are free, but with risk. The site might only let you use it as long as your subscription is valid. Some time goes by, and maybe your forced to pull your ad because you canceled your subscription. 

Sometimes the creator of the stock footage decides they don’t want their photography on the site anymore and requests it to be pulled. Then the content creator might place a block on any photos videos on YouTube or Facebook using that footage regardless of the license you have. 

In rare cases, getting the wrong license can and will lead to lawsuits. Let’s say you paid for a license for up to 100K reach and you exceed that reach. Now you have to adjust and pay for more licenses. If don’t, you could be up against legal action if they can prove that you knew and didn’t pay. Then they go for a big chunk of your earnings. It’s simply not worth it. 

Another reason NOT to use stock photography is the risk of using a photo that someone has used and in turn has created a negative “anchor” around it.  Then you use it (not knowing)and when your audience sees it, they automatically feel negatively towards you. 

Using stock images can cause a major disruption in the message you are trying to send to your target audience.  

One last tip: 

Think long and hard about the message you want your audience to see. Ask yourself if what you are putting out is congruent and aligned with your brand, your culture…Your mission…Does it represent who you are as a company?

As always, get clear on what you are offering, and the value it brings. By doing this, you’ll become the trendsetter. 

One of the best ways to own your market is to position your brand as the trusted company it is… Again, one of the best ways to do that in your ads is to create and promote your own content. 

If you don’t have a team member or a third party that can help you optimize your ads (and ad spend), I highly recommend investing in a traffic audit (having a team of ad experts put your ad accounts, strategies, ads and stats under a microscope and audit every moving part of your prospect journey). 

My senior ad team performs Premier Traffic Audits here at Business Nitrogen. It’s a 30+ point comprehensive audit process that identifies any and all areas that can decrease your CPL, increase your conversion rate, and optimize your ad spend overall.  Sometimes just one discovery and alteration can pay dividends in the end. 

You can get more information here: Premier Traffic Audit. 

Stay tuned for Mistake #2!

To your success, 

David