STOP HOPING FOR A RETURN ON INVESTMENT THAT IS DIRECTLY AND ONLY RELATED TO ONE THING: IT RARELY EXISTS!!!
I saw a post on FB this morning from someone who was asking business owners what would help them to want to buy ads online ... every single answer was:
I WANT TO SEE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT: ROI
But why though??? And more importantly: how do you expect to actually see a clear track from an ad that directly led a client to hire you?
A few things on ads and ROI:
If you buy ads that lead traffic to your website and your website is a rotting pile of death then it doesn't matter how many people come from that ad: they will probably RARELY hire you. Here is a post that explains this further >> ads creating traffic but zero leads
Typically these days it takes a person seeing what you're about 3-6 times before they will actually even think to call you! We're talking: Instagram, ads, features, word of mouth, etc, etc! Maybe the 3rd 5th or 6th time they are exposed to your brand or company they finally pick up the phone ... but ALL THE TIMES they saw your 'ads' and whatnot led them to actually PICKING UP THE PHONE ;)
If the place you advertise with plugs you on their social media then you may NEVER KNOW if the ads are working! If people are coming directly off Instagram because they saw an advertising outlet post about you then you'll probably just think: oh goodie! another inquiry from my Instagram posts! Uhm ... no
Look, I know I sound like a smart-ass above ... I'm not known for beating around the bush on this blog ... but I see the world of ads dying a slow death and it terrifies me.
WHAT DOES THE WEDDING INDUSTRY LOOK LIKE WITHOUT BLOGS AND MAGAZINES?
Oh, please Heather ... that will NEVER happen ... get real. No?? Never?? Ok, maybe you're right ... maybe blogs will stick around forever and do the work for free without anyone paying for ads. Absolutely possible. But I think it's OUR JOB as business owners to start looking at ads for what they really are:
SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT WORK TOGETHER WITH EVERYTHING ELSE TO ACHIEVE GOALS
Yes, GOALS << with an 's' ... if your only concern with buying ads is for people to directly hire you, then you need to adjust your vision a bit ... ads can do SO MUCH MORE than just get you hires ... a short list below:
Help grow your social media following when they plug you in
Make your company get noticed by other professionals in your area for direct referrals and relationships
Help boost your SEO and UEO by sending traffic to your website
Motivate you to create more awareness and increase your confidence as a business owner - my clients freak the f*ck out when they are approved for SMP LBB and it makes them want to work harder
I know that list is small ... I know there are more things I could name ... but the point is this:
ROI IS NOT AN ACCURATE READING OF WHETHER OR NOT ADS WORK
That's old school thinking right there ... I'll give you another example:
I purchase ads when I am running a special discount on my services ... I typically will purchase ads across 3 platforms and I have a strategy of running them for one week and I alternate the days each one goes live. It works VERY well ... I get hired and people take advantage of the discount because they see those ads ...
AHA!!! SEE, ROI DOES EXIST, HEATHER!!!
Mmmmm no ... the people who come to me to take advantage are ALWAYS business owners who knew about me already and either couldn't afford my services and were waiting for a sale or had seen my work, had friends who had hired me, or already read my blog ... I have never had someone come in COLD off an ad ... do I still count those ads??? HELL YES!! They are the LAST DIRECT REASON that I got hired ... but all the work BEFORE the ads went live is what made the actual sale happen ... I was just super smart about making sure I advertised on the right platforms to help extend my reach and get the word out.
I understand why people get stuck in ROI world ... but I say f*ck that!! Get a return on your investment through all the time you spend on growing your business and use ads to stretch out all your hard work. If a stagnant ad on a website isn't where you feel your money is best spent then take advantage of Instagram while you still can! Get crafty with how your advertising dollars are spent! Purchasing sponsored posts on Instagram is a great way to grow your own following and start reaching more target market clients ... advertise with a platform who gets their members together for shoots and creates direct referrals and relationships FOR YOU ... I 100% agree that an ad that just sits on a page is not super exciting and can feel pointless .... but here's another thing to think about:
MEMBER DIRECTORIES ARE COMING UP ON PAGE 1 OF GOOGLE FOR SEARCHES
If a bride is searching 'blanket terms' for their wedding ... like 'Orange County Wedding Planner' ... they will find directories online ... if you're listed there it can help you!
Ok, ok ... we get it ... you love ads ... you want us to buy them! I just want to educate business owners ... I wrote a blog post almost 3 years ago about tracking ads and it's still very relevant today ... I don't want anyone to stop doing something for the WRONG reasons ... because you may not realize that your ads truly ARE helping you ... it's just disguised as something else ;)
XO~ Heather
