Win Paid Media with this simple Framework in 2023 | ??BONUS: 2 Action Tips

Growth plateau, unreliable traffic sources, bad Return on Ad Spend & IOS14…

Too many “direct-to-consumer” brands struggle with these (marketing) challenges in 2023 - but they shouldn’t.

If you're managing (or working in) a ‘direct-to-consumer’ brand and advertising on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok or Snapchat, this article is for you.

After spending multiple 6-figures in advertising budgets on Facebook Ads this year, I'm sharing our most powerful learnings that enable us to constantly deliver hilariously profitable results for our clients and help them grow even in such rough (advertising) times.

Let's start with 'Ad Copy'

(ad copy = the text next to your ad)

Your message should single out your prospect like a man being paged in a crowded hotel lobby.

- Claude C. Hopkins

When I scroll through Facebook’s Ad Library I often see brands writing one-liners about all the fancy features of their product and that’s it.?

Fair enough, these USPs (=Unique Selling Propositions or simply put: features) support a buying decision, however, especially with people that don’t know your brand yet, it's far more powerful to address the benefits a customer will experience as soon as he owns your product (=Future Pacing).

Thinking of yoga pants for example:

USP: “special fabric so it becomes flexible”

What we should say instead (benefit): “thanks to highly innovative materials these yoga pants fit every woman!”

Furthermore, you should play with pain & pleasure points:

No matter what niche you're serving, your potential customer feels pain to a certain extent and wants it to be solved - now you come in, let’s have a look:

If we take the cosmetics niche for example, these are some common problems:

• Acne, dry skin. scars & other skin problems?
• too many skincare products
• difficult morning/evening routine
• hard to find ethical skincare products with natural ingredients

TIP I: Make a list with 2 columns and write down the common problems your potential customers face as well as the solution your product/brand offers.

Use these techniques when you create the next copy/ad and enjoy a hefty boost in CTR (=Click-through-Rate: the ratio of people seeing your ad and clicking on it) and conversions.

Copy: check, now: Creatives

Your 'creative' is the single most powerful leverage when it comes to Social Media Marketing in 2023.

- Pascal Sohler (ok, I said this)

In Facebook Ad lingo a ‘creative’ is your ad - the visual part of it (video, photo, carousel, etc.).

This is what makes or breaks your paid media marketing. Let me explain:?

Ppcprotect.com estimates that we are seeing between 6.000 to 10.000 advertisements - not every month or week but every single day!

People are used to advertising. In my opinion they even have an 'ad-detection-mechanism' nowadays.

With that I mean that most ads are instantly skipped because it’s so obvious that it is an ad and that you are trying to sell them something.

So, what should you do?

Simple, do NOT make your ad look like an ad.

I hear you saying: “Wait, Pascal, of course I need to sell the products in my ads, that’s what I advertise for!”

Yes, definitely but let’s remember why people use social media:

They want to know what their friends are doing, to be up to date, get inspiration and so on; the list is endless. Nevertheless, they are NOT on these platforms to enjoy ads! In fact, most people hate them.?

What you should do instead is make your ad blend in with the social media feed of your potential customers.

Three simple letters that work like a charm for social media advertising in 2023?

UGC

When we talk of 'User Generated Content' we refer to simple, amateur-style videos/photos of people like you and me showcasing a product, its features & benefits all in a way that it looks ‘native’ in the user’s social media feed. Like a normal post of your friend.

Trust me, this works like magic!

Furthermore, you can use UGC in every industry, here are some examples:

Cosmetics: person applying your skincare products

Supplements: consuming it & staging like a ‘30 day review’

Electronics: unboxing, showcasing the functionalities & how it impacts their life

Toys: person unpacking and playing with it

Fashion: footage of your models wearing it, also ‘behind the scenes’ of the shooting for your latest collection

Ideally, you find an influencer that is used to this type of stuff or have the luck to work with an agency like ours that covers this in-house so you don’t have to worry about it.

TIP II: precisely brief your content creator, what they should say and do. Most feel confident with making Instagram Stories but this is different. If you don’t give clear instructions you will end up getting ‘something’. Something with the wrong video length, horrific product demo and even format - so be precise!

In conclusion, I'd say the most important lessons you can draw from this is:

Don’t make your ad look like an ad, bring value & solve problems!

If you blend all these techniques together, your paid media marketing will soar and become more profitable than you could have ever imagined.

Let me give you a clear 'action-step' what you could & should do next:

Apply the strategy of the ‘problems-solutions-table’ from tip one and jot down everything that comes to your mind. How can your product solve the daily issues of your potential customer? Then, write compelling ad copy according to that and additionally create ‘creatives’ that address every single problem.?

Afterwards, you’ll probably have more ads than ever before. This is crucial.

Facebook says that the good advertisers create 11 times more ads than the mediocre ones. It's all about testing. Once you have your ads ready, launch them and see what works for your brand.?

Then, iterate and focus on what brings you the best results.

In 2023 the secret of effective targeting lies within the ad itself, not the Ads Manager settings of Facebook.

I hope this article motivated you to level up your paid media game. Yes, 2023 hasn't been a bed of roses but that's no excuse to run bad ads and be on the loser’s side.

You can do it, just do it ‘smartly’.

... and don't forget:

The consumer isn't a moron; she's your wife.

- David Ogilvy

What may also interest you:

I've just finished a short case study video where I reveal our exact tactics we use to grow shops by 354% in 30 days or regularly run Facebook Ads with a ROI of 10X. It's absolutely free and you can even save yourself a copy of our internal 'creative workshop' sheet that only our clients and graphic designers get.

If you have any intention of growing your business in 2023 profitably & sustainably, I'm sure you're going to love it!

There you go: https://solophotomedia.at/case-study