How to make use of annoying ads to your own advantage?
Social media nowadays is so overwhelming and repetitive that it is very hard to make your voice be heard. If you follow the trends and practices that everyone else on the platforms is after, the chances of being seen and remembered by your desired audience are very low. This is where the creativity should come to help. But how can we define creativity in social media?
Creativity in advertising is referred to as a way to make your ad get stuck in people’s mind, impress them and eventually lead them to make a purchase. One way of being creative is annoying people with your advertising message. As odd as it may seem, this method actually proved to be very effective. For example, an advertisement for Head ON, a product believed to relieve the headache, consists of only the following sentence, which is being repeated 3 times in 11 seconds: “Head On. Apply directly to your head”. Following the debut of the ad, the sales grew by 234% in just one night.
However, a question arises. When to know that the annoying ads have reached to the level of irritating people and started to have the downside effect? It is believed that annoying ads can be harmful for the company in the long-run. It is better to use these type of ads in the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey, where your target market just started to realize that they have a problem and need a solution for that. Annoying ads can influence the mindset of the target market and make them take a certain action in order to find a solution for the identified need. However, following the same annoying ad strategy for the consideration stage as well can prove to be harmful for the sales.
Here are 4 steps to make a transition from annoying ads to ads for the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey.
1. Don’t repeat the same message over and over again!
This may insult the “intelligence” of your audience. You need to understand how your customers want to be communicated with. Repetition for the consideration stage can lead the target market to opt for the competitor because you do not concentrate on your advantages, but rather want to have an impact on their mindset by repeating the same thing.
2. Don’t pressure people to take an action!
In this stage, people should have the opportunity to make a free choice among the available alternatives. You do not need to rush people to take an action in this stage. They are still considering their options. That is why you’d rather show them the benefits that they will gain if they choose you, but again not in a “to the face” manner.
3. Don’t disturb the consumer’s browsing experience!
An example of annoying browsing experience are pop-ups. Very often people get annoyed because the pop-ups are hard to close. Sometimes, they are forced to watch an ad before they can continue browsing. To avoid the issue, your pop-up ads must be relevant, on the right time and in the right place.
4. Give people the opportunity of free choice!
Do not force people to opt for your brand but rather give them the opportunity of free choice, which will make them consider your content more seriously. Not pressuring people involves playing the ad only if they are interested, closing the pop-up easily whenever they want to, etc.
The key behind advertising is communication. You just need to know how to talk with each group of your customers. Annoy, then treat them right and you’re ready to rock the sales!
