Ad fatigue is what happens when an audience sees your ad so many times that they begin to lose interest and stop engaging. You’ve probably experienced ad fatigue yourself- when you’ve watched a TV commercial too many times or seen the same remarketing ad on every site. Even the best-written ad will suffer from ad fatigue after a while- it’s just what happens when a message has oversaturated the market. But how can you stay ahead of your audience and combat this epidemic? We’ll walk you through the ways you can diagnose and get in front of ad fatigue before it affects your campaign performance.
The Telltale Signs of Ad Fatigue
1. Decreased Click-Through Rate (CTR)
When your ad is fresh and enticing to customers, the CTR will be strong. In home services, we like to see a click-through rate of about 2%. When the CTR suddenly drops off, this can be a sign of ad fatigue. The messaging has gone stale or there’s better offers in the market which need to be addressed. If your customers no longer click on the content, it's time for a refresh.
2. Lower Impressions & Engagement
Google wants to show ads that get engagement, such as clicks, so that advertisers will continue to spend money with them. If any ad isn’t serving due to stale ad copy, they will actually recommend creating new ads within the platform. If you notice your display campaigns or paid search dropping off over a few months, it could be a sign that the ads are becoming stagnant.
5 Ways to Fix Ad Fatigue & Reinvigorate Your Audience
1. Update Colors & Graphics on Display Ads
Remember the example of the same remarketing ad following you from site to site? If that ad looks the same each time you see it, you’re eventually going to become numb to it. Even something as simple as changing out the background color or updating the graphic can re-engage an audience. Even if the offer hasn’t changed, a quick change of color can make the ad feel new.
2. Change Up Your Ad Copy
If a campaign that once performed well suddenly experiences a drop off in performance, a simple way to bring it back to life is to rework the content of the ad. When customers see the same offer each time they search for your products or services, it can become like white noise. Another issue could be that your competition has put out a more appealing ad since the last time you updated your own ad copy. Keeping an eye on the competition can let you know when it’s time to revamp your own ads and make sure your offers stay relevant.
3. Rotate Your Ads
Rotating ads is especially helpful for display campaigns. At the start of a campaign, have your team design a variety of images that have the same offer, but alternate their CTAs or color schemes. This will give you the opportunity to refresh the campaign when they CTR begins to slip without having to put in more effort. This tactic can also be great for seasonal offers to give them a personality that makes them stand out from the day-to-day visual.
With search ads, you can use ad customizers that swap out to provide tailored CTAs for specific times of day. In the morning an ad can say “Same Day Appointments Until 2PM”, and then after 2:00 the ad will switch to “Booking For Next Morning”. This will stop customers from seeing the same ad and also make your ads appear timely to their needs.
4. Optimize Your Audiences
Sometimes ad fatigue can be an issue when you’re serving ads to an audience who no longer want to interact with your brand. If you’re showing to a broad audience, it can generate a lot of impressions but not a lot of meaningful engagement. By narrowing down your ideal customer, you can increase the likelihood that your message is reaching the best candidates. These people are more likely to be responsive to your message and not fall victim to fatigue.
5. Monitor Your Performance with AB Testing
If you make more than one ad and launch them together, you should monitor both ad sets to compare their effectiveness. This will allow you to run the content that produces the best results and optimize your campaigns.
AdMachines Can Revamp Your Lead Generation Program
Keeping up with ad fatigue is not an easy task- but here at AdMachines we have proven systems that keep our clients' campaigns ahead of the competition. We follow daily, weekly, and monthly processes that will ensure your ads are performing at their best. AdMachines takes the guesswork out of success and will turn your stagnant lead generation program into your best performing marketing channel. Reach out to our team today and schedule a meeting to learn more.
