Here’s how it usually goes:
A prospect gets on a call with me, tells me his ads reach the wrong people—people who don’t need his solution, can’t afford it, or don’t hold the role he’s targeting—and I immediately know what the problem is.
After ten years in advertising, I’m rarely surprised when it comes to lead generation.
The dream before 2021
Up until Apple’s iOS 14 came along, Meta Ads were simpler. Even if your ads were average and your product was weak, you still got qualified leads and sales. The platform had tons of data, so the algorithm had great targeting capabilities.
Not anymore.
In 2021 Apple allowed its users to block ad tracking by Meta. That meant Meta could not collect a lot of data anymore. Advertisers panicked. It’s one of the reasons drop shipping started “dying”: stores with crap product and weak ads couldn’t attract buyers anymore.
All of a sudden, businesses actually had to get good at advertising.
It’s not your campaign settings
Sometimes companies do well with Meta ads from the get go. They have a good product, know their customer, and are able to generate fairly good ads. The technical part of campaign management is easy—a simple Youtube search shows you how to do it.
But then after a year or so, leads stop coming in.
And when they do, 90% of them are unqualified.
Naturally, the company starts trying different campaigns, targeting, AI features, and other technical things that don’t move the needle. You can’t blame them. The Meta Ads Manager has a terrible user interface, and Meta doesn’t believe in customer support 😂
Some companies even hire an agency, but typically that doesn’t help either.
It’s your messaging
Business owners have become more “sophisticated” in the past two years.
They can usually tell when they see a great ad. However, when it comes to their own marketing, they miss what matters. They can’t pinpoint the exact problem with the ad. They change from a graphic to a video, from video to a carousel, from a lead form to a webinar funnel, but nothing helps much. The leads are still unqualified.
The issue is the messaging their ads carry.
This is also called “the angle”. To be more precise, most advertisers don’t articulate the problem they solve. The ad is either too general, or just doesn’t make sense from a problem-solving perspective. As a result, their target client can’t relate to the message, so they just scroll past the ad.
How to find the right angle
You don’t need dozens of tests.
I’m usually able to create an ad that works pretty quickly, even in new niches.
Three things make this possible.
First, I always research my target client. I want to understand their “psychology:” what their problem is, what outcome they want to achieve, and what’s holding them back. And I want to know the language my target client use to describe these issues. Reddit and Facebook groups are great for this. I also use Google to find out what they search for.
I use AI too—but I don’t rely on it.
Second, I keep my ads direct. I don’t get creative. I just put my offer in the ad, with the price. Also, I don’t start with video ads. I use simple Canva graphics. If I can’t attract my target client with simple ads, it means the message doesn’t resonate. There isn’t much point in investing in other ad formats.
Third, I use one interest per ad set. I don’t put four or five interests in the same set.
All of the above keep the variables to a minimum—and simplify the advertising process.
Avoid these common mistakes
Some advertisers launch an ad, spend $80 without results, then call it quits.
“Meta ads are a scam”
“This will never work”
“It’s too complicated”
Advertising requires testing. It’s an integral part of the process. And unless you know your target client extremely well, you’ll have to test your messaging for a while, until you find a winner. Also, some businesses think they can skip research. This usually leads to failure. If you don’t know who you’re speaking to—you’re going to burn your budget.
Advertisers tend to test the wrong things as well.
The color of your shirt won’t generate better leads. Same goes for the background of your video ads.
Focus on dialing-in your messaging.
Conclusion
Ads work, you just need to know how to speak to your target client. The words you use attract a specific buyer. By investing time in research and having the patience to test your messaging, you can tap into different platforms and generate leads almost on command.
Take care of yourself,
Jonathan Peykar.