Clickbait ads are extremely prevalent today, most often used as desperate attempts to get one more person to spend money. Rather than sharing interesting or relevant content, these ads use kitschy copy or bold images to get attention - and unintentionally lose the heart of their brand’s message in the process. Even though attention may seem like the goal in advertising, this is a bad idea. That’s because going the clickbait ad route means you’re not sharing knowledge or product information, and that your tactics aren’t aligned with your branding strategy. It’s like if you were trying to advertise your low budget shoes by writing an article deceptively titled: “5 Simple Steps to Having the Best Life Ever.” Maybe it’s just us (although we know it’s not), but that seems a bit bold, coming from a shoe company that will probably decrease the lifespan of its buyer’s back instead. The point is - don’t be deceptive, misleading or offbrand in your ads. It just doesn’t pay.
Companies instead need to adopt strategies - and digital marketing ideas - that will engage an interested audience without having to rely on absurd connections that only waste money.
Realities of Clickbaiting
Clickbait ads, while they may get people to your site, do not typically mean that you have a new customer. If I am drawn in by an ad showing, “New Ways to Save Money Fast!” I am not then likely to fork out a couple hundred dollars on that brand’s new pots and pans set. Companies are drawing readers in without a solid plan for how they are going to turn those readers into paying customers. Many companies forget that every click is costing you money, so you need to make sure you’re attracting the right type of customer who will yield you a return on that. Enter marketing for a very targeted audience. If you haven’t yet created buyer personas to use in your marketing and advertising, now is the time. Here’s an overview of why these matter, and how to get started.
Brand Consistency
In addition to buyer personas and getting the right people in the door, your branding strategy should always be to reinforce the same desired image of your company. You want your meal prep delivery service to be seen as an easy way to eat healthy while still succeeding at work; market that message consistently across all ads and platforms. If your brand personality is fun, real and encouraging, don’t use offputting cartoon images and shaming messages in your ads. When you stay true to your brand mission and tone, potential buyers will be able to trust you and relate to your company’s messages over time. This is far more likely to turn them into a customer - than becoming known as the company with tacky clickbaits.Just remember in advertising that quality always trumps quantity. More eyeballs aren’t better; but rather the right eyeballs are the key to revenue.
To learn more about how to best market your company’s message, contact us at any time!
Work Habits & Productivity
As StringCan's Chief Operating Officer, Sarah is a solutionist who loves to implement and enhance efficiencies for herself and the team. She strives to support and help people be their best self in and outside of work. Sarah also gets her best ideas by lounging in a body of water. Cocktail is optional. But not really.
Jay, the CEO of StringCan, oversees strategy and vision, building culture that makes going into work something he looks forward to, recruiting additional awesome team members to help exceed clients goals, leading the team and allocating where StringCan invests time and money.
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