15 Reasons Your Paid Digital Ads May Not Be Converting

As more organizations and brands compete for audience attention online and search algorithms continue to evolve, many nonprofits are investing more in digital advertising. In theory, paid digital ads are simple, but in reality, a lot goes into creating successful campaigns.

Successful digital ad campaigns require all elements to work together to ensure success. One of the benefits of digital advertising is that data is immediately available to help identify campaign elements that can improve performance.

Here’s my list of 15 digital campaign elements that can cause your campaign to be successful — or not.

Strategy and Planning

At the start of every campaign, there is a strategy and planning phase where decisions about these six elements are made.

1. Audience Targeting (Geographic and Demographic)

This may sound simple, but identifying the right audience is key to a successful campaign.

This element is easy to measure. Click-through rate (CTR) shows that the right audience is targeted because they are interested in your mission. Conversions show that the campaign’s audience is ready to take action. Together, these two metrics provide insight into audience targeting.

2.  Ad Frequency

This is often overlooked but is important to think about because it takes audiences multiple times of seeing an ad to take an action. Ad frequency is visualized as a bell curve, so finding that ideal frequency is important.

This is also easy to track; frequency metrics are available on most ad platforms.

3. Campaign Flight

Another early decision is the length of time the campaign will run. This is known as the “campaign flight.” This is usually based on budget. It’s important to ensure that your campaign flight is long enough to accommodate the frequency needed for someone to take action.

In most ad platforms, you can see a frequency metric that tells you how many times your ad is being shown, so ensuring that you’re hitting the frequency you need for action is key.

4. Budget

This is one of the most important decisions because the budget will influence the campaign flight, the ad mix and goals.

There are a lot of metrics to tell you if you are trending right with the budget, but usually, this gets broken down to cost-per-click, cost-per-acquisition (CPA) and return on ad spend. It’s important to identify a target CPA before the campaign starts so that you can set realistic goals.

5. Destination

This important decision often gets made at the last minute but should not be rushed. Ads are short; they are meant to capture someone’s attention and promise that person what to expect when they click.

The goal of the destination is to get a conversion. Keep an eye on the conversion rate to measure the success of this element.

6. Ad Mix

It’s important to identify the right type(s) of ads to run because there are a lot of digital ad options: sponsored content, native ads, video ads, display ads, audio ads, search ads, etc. Successful campaigns usually include more than one type of ad; this is also heavily influenced by the campaign budget.

It’s tough to identify a single metric to gauge if the ad type is working. Clicks and conversions are great places to start, but this often requires deeper analysis and expertise.

Testing Ad Variations

Think of ads as a trailer for the destination. Ads themselves break down into three elements that must work together, but each works independently.

A/B or multivariate testing is required to know what is and is not working. Running multiple ad variations is not a recommendation; it's a requirement.

7. Ad Visuals

Ad visuals don’t need to tell the whole story. They do need to set the mood and grab a person’s attention. The goal is to get a person to look at the ad, which is why dynamic ads (HTML5, GIF, etc.) are popular.

8. Ad Copy

Short, to the point and memorable makes good ad copy. Ads only allow for a few words and a few seconds to convince someone to stop what they are doing and pay attention. If the visual stops a person’s scroll, then the copy needs to convince them to give you their attention.

9. Ad CTA

Short, direct and authentic — calls-to-actions (CTAs) need to be functional more than they need to be clever. They are the promise the ad makes. If the CTA is “Donate,” the person should be taken to a donate page. If it is “Read” or “Learn,” they should be taken to a page with content to consume.

What Makes or Breaks a Landing Page

The landing page is the main feature. It is the reason for the ad. Landing pages have many elements, but six key elements can make or break them.  Remember, the goal of the landing page is conversion, so it’s important to keep it simple and prioritize that action.

All of these elements are measured by onsite behavior. Again, it can be hard to identify the exact issue, so nonprofit campaign testing of these pages is strongly recommended.

10. Page Speed

As a society, we expect immediacy, especially when we engage with ads. Therefore, the landing page must be fast because speed directly correlates to conversions.

11. Landing Page Device Compatibility

Device compatibility means the landing page meets people’s expectations across devices. When I visit a website on my phone and Apple Pay is not offered, I think twice about converting because it is inconvenient; I have to find my wallet and enter all of my card information (this makes me sound super lazy).

In other words, friction has been introduced into the conversion flow, and the likelihood of converting decreases every second it takes to convert.

12. Landing Page Layout

There are formulas for landing pages. It’s also easy to see what competitors and peers are doing on their conversion pages. The goal is to make it easy, so a page layout that reduces friction and addresses visitor’s concerns is important.

13. Landing Page Visuals

The landing page and ad need to be visually connected. Today, trust can be improved, so when people click ads and are taken to a landing page that looks different, they feel deceived. This feeling decreases the likelihood of a conversion.

14. Landing Page Copy

The ad should pique a person’s interest. The landing page should deliver the emotion a person needs to feel to take action. Make sure the ad and landing page use the same verbiage and positioning. If a person is reading, you have their attention. That is pretty valuable in today’s world.

15. Landing Page CTA

This is often overlooked but can have a huge impact on conversions. The CTA on the landing page has to be connected to the CTA on the ad and the copy of the landing page.

Digital Ads Can Be Powerful

Paid digital campaigns are complex. Digital ads are a powerful tool to understand audience preferences. And they can be an incredibly effective and efficient way to expand your mission’s reach.

Digital advertising is not a set-it-and-forget-it aspect of marketing strategies, but something that should be evolved. The data collected from them is as valuable as the donations they drive when there is a process in place to evaluate their performance because it can make all aspects of marketing, communication and fundraising more engaging and effective.

The preceding blog was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.