It may happen that your advertising doesn’t work. This is even more annoying since you spent a lot of money on it. Therefore, it is important that you check a few points and find out what is causing the underperformance. There can be various reasons why the advertising comes to nothing. I’ll show you what it could be.

Are you addressing the right target group?

The most common reason why your advertising doesn’t work is the fact that it doesn’t reach your target audience. It often happens that entrepreneurs have a precise idea of ​​their target group, but in the end, it does not correspond to reality.

With the help of a target group analysis, you can check whether you are addressing the right potential customers. You might be surprised and then be able to optimize your advertising and choose better channels.

Select the appropriate channels

Once you have narrowed down your target group, you should select the appropriate advertising channels. This increases the chance that the right people will see your advertising and respond to it. To find the right channels, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you want to advertise regionally or nationally?
• Does your target group read the newspaper or are they on social media? If the latter, in which ones?
• Is a television or cinema advertisement suitable?
• Are posters and flyers promising?
• At what times is your target group predominantly online?

Once you have developed a social media strategy, you should pay careful attention to your attitude towards advertising on the respective social network: limit your target group, but not with too many terms. Otherwise, your advertising will only be sent to those to whom all terms apply – this can significantly reduce the number of recipients. However, if you remain too vague, the spread will be too large and many people will see the advertising who are not interested in it.

A lot doesn’t always help a lot

There are marketing guides that recommend running ads as often as possible. However, this can backfire, especially on social networks. Anyone who is shown an advertisement too often quickly becomes bored with it and either ignores it or (worse) is annoyed by the company’s intrusiveness. This means your brand quickly becomes negatively connoted, even though you intended the opposite.

Is the message clear?

Some advertisements confuse rather than arouse curiosity. I notice this again and again in everyday life. If you notice that your advertising is rarely clicked on and that there is hardly any other response, you should take another look at it with an open mind:

• Is it clear what it’s about?
• Can the advantages be seen at first glance?
• Is it clear which company it is?
• Are you serving the emotional buying motives of your target group?

If you have to answer no to any of these questions, you should think about how you can word the advertising message differently.

Attention: There may also be technical problems because your ads are not adapted to all devices! This shouldn’t happen anymore, but every now and then ads are still created without responsive design. It’s no wonder that potential customers drop out because they can’t really see the display on handheld devices, for example.

Working links are important

You’ve posted an ad that someone likes. The person clicks on the link in it and – nothing happens. That’s about the worst thing that can happen. It is completely unnecessary and is solely your responsibility. So make sure that all links in your ads work properly – and, above all, that they lead to the right page!

Online customers are spoiled: If they find an exciting ad, they want to go straight to the product by clicking on the link. If they have to click through half of the company’s website before they finally find the shop, most people lose interest along the way. What remains is that the company is not particularly user-friendly.

Conclusion: Align your advertising with the needs of the target group

Once you know which target group you are serving, where you can find them, and when and what is important to them, you can tailor your advertising to them and ensure that they actually see the ads. Don’t overdo it with the frequency and pave the way to the purchase as much as possible, then you are certain of success.

Frequently asked questions: Why isn’t my advertising working?

Why isn’t my advertising working?

There can be various reasons why a company’s advertising may not perform as the company intended. These reasons can be:

•   Missing the target group
•   Inappropriate advertising channels
•   Too high in advertising frequency
•   An unclear advertising message
•   Technical problems
•   Incorrect or non-working links

Why is the target group important in advertising?

In order to design and place advertising, companies must know their target group. Advertising that doesn’t work can most often be traced back to missing the target group. If a company’s advertising does not reach its target group, the advertising will not be successful. It is therefore necessary to carry out a target group analysis. Once a company knows its potential buyers, it can tailor advertising to them. Advertising should be tailored to the needs of the target group.

What advertising channels are there?

You can place advertisements in newspapers, social media, on television or in the cinema. Other possible advertising channels include posters and flyers. The better advertising channels are tailored to the target group, the more likely potential customers will see the advertising.

What does a good advertising message look like?

A good advertising message is clearly formulated and arouses interest among viewers. The advertising message should convey what exactly it is about and what benefits the advertised product or service brings.

What is advertising frequency?

An advertising frequency determines how often an advertisement is shown. Too high an advertising frequency can be a reason for advertising not working. If a company places an advertisement too often, it can lead to negative reactions. 

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