Have you ever closed your web browser because you were forced to look at the same ad over and over again? You’re not alone. This phenomenon, known as creative fatigue or digital ad fatigue, is not only annoying for consumers; it can be costly for your business. You’re already fighting an uphill battle against an overload of advertisements and shorter consumer attention spans, so the worst thing you can be is stale. In this blog, we explain the best ways to avoid ad fatigue and keep your messaging fresh.
What Causes Ad Fatigue?
Whether it’s on Meta, LinkedIn or Google, your audience will become bored (or even annoyed) with repetitive advertisements. In turn, your campaign will become less effective and users will stop moving down the sales funnel, ultimately hurting your bottom line. This usually happens every few months but can occur even earlier if you don’t have a frequency cap on your campaigns.
What Are the Signs?
So, what are the signs that a refresh is needed? When monitoring the success of your campaign, you may start to notice a slight but consistent decrease in clicks. You may also see less engagement and fewer impressions. Ads on each platform experience this decay differently; it generally happens much faster for social ads (Meta and LinkedIn) than for Google Search and Google Display ads.
How Can You Cure Ad Fatigue?
No matter which mediums you use, the best way to solve digital ad fatigue is to conduct a complete content refresh including headlines, copy and imagery. Once the changes are made, restart your monitoring process to ensure the new creative resonates with your audience.
Don’t have the time or resources to conduct a complete overhaul? Here are some other ideas to consider:
- Optimize your message. Use A/B testing to see what resonates. This will motivate your audience to act by recognizing and later remembering your brand.
- Apply a fresh coat of paint. If you’re working with display ads, you could try something as simple as changing the color of your call to action. You could also create a scheduled ad rotation to keep the messaging fresh.
- Incorporate dynamic ads and retargeting. You may be sending the right message to the wrong audience. Personalize content based on users’ histories and tack on a frequency cap.
- Request a professional audit. The Market Mentors digital team consistently monitors and analyzes customer performance against industry standards, establishing performance benchmarks and identifying areas for opportunity for campaigns.
Market Mentors in Action
Since our team monitors and optimizes our clients’ important KPIs such as impressions, clicks and conversions, we’re able to prevent creative fatigue before it takes hold.
In mid-2022, we observed how one of our clients, a leading life science manufacturer, began to experience a decrease in link clicks and a sharp increase in cost-per-click (CPC) just a couple of months into a campaign. We recommended a refresh, and subsequently advised on, crafted and uploaded new creative to their Meta campaigns. The following month the client saw a 93.4% increase in links clicked and a 48.4% decrease in CPC.
How Can We Help?
Think your advertising might be getting a little stale? We have the ability and expertise to quickly detect, prevent and cure ad fatigue. Reach out today and see how our digital proficiency can get your message across and improve your bottom line.
