Questions to ask before running digital ads for your business

Running digital ads has become an integral part of many marketing strategies. It can provide a cost-effective way to reach potential customers and increase brand awareness. But, before you jump into running digital ads for your business, there are a few key questions you need to answer first. These questions will help you create an effective digital ad strategy and ensure that you hit your goals.

1. Who is your target audience?

Knowing your target audience is crucial to the success of your digital ad campaign. You need to identify who your ideal customer is, their demographics, interests, and behavior. This information will help you create relevant and engaging ads that resonate with your target audience. And will allow you to target them effectively online. More people seeing your ad does not equal more sales. The RIGHT people seeing your ad at the right time does.

2. What is your marketing objective?

Your marketing objective could be increasing website traffic, generating leads, or increasing brand awareness. Defining your marketing objective will help you create a more focused and effective ad campaign that aligns with your business goals. If you want more sales, you still need to create brand awareness. Few users will purchase from a brand that they've never heard of or interacted with before. Think about how you will accomplish your marketing objective, are there multiple steps you need to bring people through to achieve your desired result?

3. What is your budget?

Digital ads can be expensive, so it's essential to define your budget before running a campaign. Determine how much you can afford to spend on digital ads and allocate the budget accordingly. This will help you prioritize your ad spend and ensure that you get the most out of your investment. Certain platforms are more expensive than others (looking at you LinkedIn) but they can be extremely effective. Ads need two main things to be successful - 1. Time and 2. Money. You need to have enough budget allocated to be able to run ads for long enough for them to be tested and optimized. And your ads need enough money to be able to be shown to enough people so that your data is statistically significant, which you need in order to successfully optimize and improve your campaign performance.

4. What is your unique selling proposition (USP)?

Your unique selling proposition (USP) is what sets you apart from your competitors. It's what makes your business unique and valuable to your customers. Identifying your USP will help you create ads that highlight your strengths and showcase why potential customers should choose you over your competitors. This also has to do with how you build trust with new potential customers and bring them down the funnel to a purchase point. You should be thinking about how you are communicating and positioning your USP every step of the way.

5. What is your messaging?

Your messaging is what you communicate to your target audience through your digital ads. It should be clear, concise, and relevant to your target audience. Your messaging should also align with your marketing objective and USP, making it easier for potential customers to understand what you offer and why they should choose you. An ad being served to a cold audience who has never interacted with your brand before offering them a freebie in exchange for joining your email list should have different messaging then retargeted ads to users who are familiar with your brand who are ready to make a purchase.

6. What is your call-to-action (CTA)?

A call-to-action (CTA) is what you want potential customers to do after seeing your ad. It could be anything from clicking a button to visit your website, filling out a form, or making a purchase. Your CTA should be clear, concise, and relevant to your marketing objective, making it easier for potential customers to take action. You should have one CTA, no more. Having more than one CTA confuses users and inevitably makes your ads less effective. If you're not sure which CTA is the best fit, that's a great opportunity to test to see which performs most strongly.

In conclusion, creating a successful digital ad strategy requires careful planning and should be informed by your overall marketing goals and plan. By answering these essential questions about your business, you can create more effective digital ads that resonate with your target audience and help you achieve your marketing goals.

Wondering if ads are right for your business right now? Learn more about digital ad management here.