The Evolution of Your Perfect Ad Placement Series

The progression toward the optimum online ad series is now pursuable. With the advent of the “A” Team of lead generation specialists at Direct Success Digital, the pathway to fully optimized ad placement has been charted. We are abandoning the “set it and forget it” attitude that many digital agencies apply, and going the opposite direction. We will develop a roster of the best performing ads, pertinent to your specific company and market.

It will take some time and experimentation, but the conversion numbers will guide us continually toward the most productive set of ads to place.

We have a map to find your best performing ad series and here’s what it looks like:

Step #1 Better Static Ad Placement: We have created new, better-branded online ads for your company. They will display your piano type, company name and logo; there will be no generic approach applied. We will run them and compare them to the old stationary ads, and get a feel for the quality and volume based upon your old conversion rate. When we establish better quality and at least comparable volume we will go to step #2. We will do this by monitoring the conversion of each image into workable leads and end up with the very best lineup. Beware of this change in QC: we will weigh quality over quantity but be sure to provide a decent CPL. A bit higher CPL that yields a higher avg. ticket and a higher percentage of grand piano sales and an improved closing ratio is the goal unless we are instructed otherwise. We are against vanity analytics and more interested in what you take to the bank than a good showing. Summary: “Grand pianos make the world go round and top down selling boosts your average ticket price, even when you have the luxury of figuring more grand piano sales in.”

Step #2 Inject Video Into the Rotation: All the Meta and Google reps and specialists are saying that videos as ads have pulled even with the performance of static image ads. What is amazing about this statement is that it takes into account all the poorly produced video products circulated, along with the homegrown, better and more professionally produced ads. Our take is that well done video ads will outperform most still shot ads. The best way to beta-test anything new is to establish a baseline performance first, and then add the videos one at a time and monitor them for conversion against your all-star lineup of still picture ads. Being biased and basing the roster of 5-7 ads in the rotation on feelings is “out the window.” Those ads that perform the best win a spot on the roster; the others sit on the bench in case a well performing ad falls flat in a particular market and needs to be replaced. Summary: “Conversion is King! The best batting averages start the game, period - play your best players and get the most decent leads by managing what you place.”

Step #3 Incorporate Google Ads: This article is NOT about SEO and driving people to your site. We will be glad to discuss how that can be done “with or without” ad $’s, but this is about having a well rounded ad approach and not, as I mentioned earlier, focusing on volume and vanity analytics. There are people online searching for piano information everyday in your market. After you have a feel for the ads which perform best, it's time to incorporate Google into the mix. Only after setting the roster with the best converting static and video ads should you choose the geo and build a Google series. This is an extra ad budget commitment which needn’t be anywhere near as large as the Meta spend, but a necessary addition in that you can get something you have tested in front of the larger Meta audience and display it in front of a smaller pool of people, where the timing will be more favorable than normal. Although SEO was king in years past, what sales professionals need now is “someone to talk to”, so leads have become the largest demand. There are ways to ensure your SEO is sufficient without ad huge dollars and being #1 is not critical to pay for. AI will be the deciding factor by big tech as time progresses and we can make sure you are on top of that algorithm as it intensifies in its usage.

 When people are shopping they are often leery of the biggest advertisers for obvious reasons, one being “they have to pay for all those ads so they’ll be more expensive to do business with.” Summary: “There is a large portion of folks currently 'in the market' and actively searching for information about what you sell therefore it compels us to put something compelling in front of them AFTER we know what works best.” 

Step #4 Experiment Wisely and Tweak

Refinement of your ad placement means to challenge yourself to do creative things and find things that “strike a chord” with the buying public. Sending a camera out on delivery and using one in the gallery or showroom to capture authentic “magic moments”, when a person falls in love or takes delivery on the purchase of their dreams, can often give you the best look and feel for an ad. YES, it's OK to replace a professionally staged ad with a “feel good, real life” example of a happy customer. Get in the habit of looking for those magic moments. What would be better than a person looking for a piano, boat or piece of jewelry, seeing another member of the community satisfied with their purchase? It takes some commitment and a new positive habit, but you do want to outperform your competition, don’t you? Take a picture or video of those magic moments and incorporate them into your marketing identity. Never settling for what you have is a great way to always be changing and reaching upward. It pays off to keep challenging what you do. Summary: “Experiment wisely with one thing at a time so you can always correctly identify the agent of positive change vs. a baseline when it sticks its hand up.”

There you have it, the pragmatic path to your ultimate ad placement series. All you need now is someone to organize you and keep you on task while life and the daily unadulterated stuff spins around you. Not to worry though, after reading this you’ll realize you have someone in your corner who thinks about this stuff all the time. We’re here to journey with you on your way to your best ad series ever. It will take some time and effort, but just like when the artisans build a fine handmade yacht or violin, when they’re done, it's definitely worth it!

“Never stop testing and your advertising will never stop improving.” - David Ogilvy