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Have you ever started a fire? Just throw a couple of nice logs in pile, strike a match, and ‘voila’ instant roaring fire.
Of course, it really doesn’t work that way. There’s a few things you’ll neeed.
Do you have a good fire starter, and some kindling so it will actually catch. Is the wood dry? Is it raining? (Yeah, silly right…)
I recently responded to a question from someone who was trying to start a fire in the rain. And their frustrated conclusions was… paid ads don’t generate significant revenue.
SO, in my little story are the paid ads the fire?
Nope…
Paid ads are an accelerant. They are like the lighter fluid sprayed on a campfire…
What happens next depends on what the fire looks like.
Are you dealing with green wood that’s wet? Nice dry wood that’s ready to burn? Kindling that’s a ready burning slowly. Or, a fire that already burning and we’re going for the bonfire?
If you have an offer that is “dialed-in”, you’re going for the bonfire. AKA, generating significant revenue. You’re dealing with a scaling problem, and this is where most businesses want to get to…
On the other hand, if you have an unproven offer you’re working with multiple variables, both the ad and the offer. That problem is much harder to solve out of the gate.
(You have small kindling, wet wood…or worse you’re in the rain.)
How do you know you’re working with wet wood? If you’re able to close a deal in person, and you’re not getting any traction with your ads…you have wet wood.
If you’re getting sales with referrals and word of mouth, but not your ads…you have wet wood.
What means that your ad is focused on the wrong phase of your customer’s journey.
Put another way, most paid ad failures are built as if they are talking to a person who comes from a personal referral or visiting your place of business, rather than as if you’re addressing a total stranger.
It creates a total customer journey mismatch, and even can come across as kind of ‘creepy’…
Your ad campaigns must take a customer through the next steps of their customer journey, from where they are and not where you want them to be.
You can do it with a single ad (long copy), or can be done with multiple ads/steps over time; however, you can’t skip the steps.
Back up, slow down, and look at your ads from your customer’s perspective…
Or, you can just keep trying to start a fire in the rain…
Brandon “stop the rain” Pugsley
P.S. My 5-second pitch. I am available to help you with your copywriting project. Just click here, and we’ll set up a time to discuss your project…
