Common mistakes that can derail an online ad campaign

Many companies big or small have allocated a significant portion of their advertising budget online advertising because of advantages such as affordability and reach. From social media ads to pay-per-click ad campaigns, there are different ways to conduct an online ad campaign.

However, not all online advertising campaigns are successful in achieving business objectives like driving traffic to websites, increasing public awareness, or boosting sales. Below are some of the reasons why online advertising campaigns fail:

Online ad campaign mistake #1: Picking the wrong platform

One of the more common reasons why a digital ad campaign fails is that the business picks the wrong platform for its product or service. Usually, firms pick the platform that is perceived to be where the target audience go to like Facebook and Google. But the problem is that these channels may not be appropriate for the type of good or service being offered.

For example, an insecticide should not be advertised on Facebook as Facebook users aren’t going to the social media site to find a solution to their pest problems. Bing or Google are more appropriate channels for this type of product.

Online ad campaign mistake #2: Using two opposing calls to action

It’s also common for firms to run two versions of the same online ad on the same platform that targets the same market. However, the two ads have opposing calls to action which leads to the business practically bidding against itself.  For instance, one ad encourages viewers to go to a website while the other asks prospective customers to sign up for an email.

Online ad campaign mistake #3: Not tweaking ads regularly

Many businesses, particularly the small ones, create an ad and allow it to run for a while. Business owners who are happy with the results won’t log in again to tweak their ads because they are satisfied with the campaign.  But this can backfire as the ad would begin to lose its efficacy as time passes by.