When you spend your valuable time and money developing an advertising campaign for your business, you want to see results, and fast! So if you’re not seeing an increase in clients, sales or online traffic… why? Asking yourself that question is the first step in making your ad campaign more effective; the second step is identifying any issues. 

Potential problems holding your business back from its fullest potential may include:

A website that isn’t user friendly.

In today’s digital age, having a functional, user friendly website is just as important as having a great ad campaign—in fact, without a website, your ads may not do what you want them to at all. Potential customers like knowing that they can visit you online and learn more about what your business offers—if they can’t do that, or if they have a hard time accessing and using your website, they may take their business elsewhere. Examples of a website that isn’t user friendly include pages without updates, sites that aren’t optimized for mobile devices, and more.

A lack of social media use or community presence.

For many of your potential customers, your bench ads are just their first impression of your business. After that initial impression, they want to test your legitimacy by searching your business on social media and asking friends and other community members about you. Now if you’re not present on social media sites like Twitter or Facebook, and don’t partake in community events or outreach, these potential customers may not find much about you—but you want them to! Ensure that your social media accounts and public presence are thriving by getting involved and hosting events when you can.

Being outdated.

If your products or services aren’t competitive, potential customers may be flocking elsewhere… even despite your ad campaign efforts. Don’t underestimate the public’s power in researching and deliberating on exactly what kind of business they want to work with! Savvy shoppers and potential clients are constantly comparing what Business X has to offer versus Business Y, so be sure that your products/services/offerings match up with modern customer needs.

Subpar first impressions.

Many business owners are often left wondering…where exactly do I make changes first? This can be a challenging question—but if you’ve invested your time and money in an ad campaign, the first thing you’ll want to change (or perfect) is your company’s first impressions. That is, if your bench ad is advertising a link to your website or a phone number to your main office, be sure that the site or number are equipped with exactly the information and assistance potential customers will be looking for. If a customer is interested and follows your bench ad’s instructions, be sure that they don’t leave that first connection (whether it be online or over the phone) disappointed. As it’s always said, first impressions truly are everything, so invest in the training and design changes that ensure you make the very best one.