The purpose of ads is to make sales. By this definition, you should measure the performance of an ad by its sales.

Most ads underperform when it comes to sales.

This is due to the language in the ad bottlenecking its sales and performance. 

With unclear language, the ad only makes customers not want to buy and goes against the entire purpose of the ad: to make sales. 

What do you mean by unclear language?

Well, there are two types.

Complex language

When language is complex, it becomes a puzzle for the reader to decipher the meaning of any sentence.

In ads, complex language makes it difficult for anyone interested in the product to pursue their interest and either buy the product or learn more about it.

In some ads, trying to figure out what the service was or how to buy was as difficult as deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics (and I can’t even read hieroglyphics).

Customers just look at overly complex language and become confused.

Confused customers do the worst thing of all: nothing.

Most ads underperform because customers do nothing after reading them.

Simple Language

If 50% of most ads make their copy overly complex, the other 50% make their copy overly simple. 

Their ads simply lack information.

Let me show you what I mean.

A few days ago, I read an ad that was cut down to the bone. As simplified as it could be. 

As I read the ad, I realised that if I were a customer looking to buy this product, I would not know what I was buying. 

It first seemed to me like they were selling service X but at the end it seemed like they were selling service Y. Which service did they sell?

If they explicitly said: “We sell service X…”, that would have been cleared up.

Without this explanation, even an interested customer would not buy. If they do not know what they are buying, why would they buy?

An over-simplified ad is only conducive to confusion and in some cases,
over-simplification is even worse than over-complication.

It does not add clarity, it takes it away.

Which ads do perform?

Ads that are simple.

Not ads that are simple enough to be called bare-bones or ads that are complex enough to be called convoluted. Ads that have clarity and brevity.

A quick correction of an ad’s language could massively improve your ads performance.

Even then, many business owners struggle to achieve the middle ground between excess simplicity and excess complexity.

The process can be made much simpler by just putting yourself in the shoes of your customers. Ask yourself:

• If a customer saw this, would they know what I sell?
• Would they know why they should buy from me?
• Would they know how to buy?

By asking yourself these questions, you can get an idea on how clear an ad seems to your customer.

If you can effectively simplify your ads to the point where they are clear and concise, the sales from your ads will multiply.

I have seen many ads commit these fatal flaws that almost strangle the performance of the ad. By simplifying the ad, you are letting the ad breathe and with every breath, it makes sales.

Sometimes though it can be difficult to simplify an ad without some experience in marketing and ad writing in general. Contact me and I can go through your own ads and see where it can be improved and made to perform better.