Marketing Strategy To Profitably 5x Your Ad Spend

Hey there,

Welcome back to another drop of The Ad Performance Lab

Now we’re diving deep into an area which most people easily disregard when planning out new ad creatives.

And this is an area that allows you to 3x, 5x, and even 10x your ad spend...

While keeping your target CPA.

Pre-production is not just about brainstorming different hooks, headlines or catchy storytelling.

There are many levels to understanding your customers and their buying behaviours.

It all starts from laying out the market awareness levels of your audiences.

So I want to share share with you each of the stages

That way as a marketer know exactly what the end customers are currently feeling and going through.

So you can direct your messaging to actually resonate with people watching the ad.

We could write a whole book about this so let’s get straight into it!

Why Market Awareness Levels Matter?

We all know that some messages resonate like a bell and others we just completely skip as we don’t have any connection with it.

It's all about alignment.

Imagine pitching a sturdy, state-of-the-art lifeboat to someone who doesn't realize they're on a sinking ship—they wouldn’t understand the urgency or the value.

That's exactly why understanding market awareness levels is so crucial.

Knowing where your audience stands in their awareness journey allows you to craft messages with ultimate precision.

It's about sending the right message, to the right person, at the right time. (as well all know :D)

This isn't just marketing; it's connecting on a human level.

How To Approach Different Levels?

1. Unaware Stage: Unaware: Identifying Latent Needs

In the Unaware stage, individuals haven't yet recognized a specific problem or need.

They are not actively seeking solutions, making this group the most challenging yet potentially rewarding audience to engage.

Use broad messaging that resonates on an emotional or instinctual level.

Include lifestyle improvements, general wellbeing tips, or highlighting common issues that people might not realize are affecting them.

The goal in this stage is to awaken a realization in the audience about a problem they hadn't considered before, without directly naming it.

Imagery, metaphors, and storytelling are powerful tools at this stage.

2. Problem Aware: Identifying The Specific Thing

Once people recognize they have a problem, they transition to the Problem Aware stage.

However, they may not know the cause or the solution, leaving them uncertain about the next steps.

In this stage, you need to directly address the problem in your messaging, using language that reflects the audience's experiences and feelings. '

Educational content that outlines the problem's nature, impact, and general types of solutions (without selling a specific product) will be the most effective.

It’s about building trust and authority

3. Solution Aware: Looking for The Answers

Solution Aware people know what outcome they want but are unaware of the specific products or services that can achieve it.

They seek a solution but need guidance on finding the right one.

That’s where you need to highlight the benefits and outcomes of solving the problem, focusing on how life improves post-solution.

Use case studies, testimonials, and scenario-based content to illustrate the transformation possible with the right solution.

The key here is to connect the dots between the desired outcome and your product as the means to achieve it, without making the product the centerpiece.

Educate on the criteria for choosing a solution, subtly guiding the audience toward your offering.

4. Product Aware: Evaluating Options

Now aware of specific solutions, including your product, these people are comparing options.

They're closer to a purchase decision but need to be convinced that your solution is the best fit.

So, your job is to differentiate your product from competitors by highlighting unique features, benefits, and value propositions.

Address common objections and comparisons directly, showcasing why your solution is superior.

Transparency and credibility are crucial.

Provide clear, comparative information, and back up claims with evidence.

This stage is about persuasion through differentiation and proof of effectiveness.

5. Aware: On the Brink of Decision

The smallest but most ready-to-act segment.

Aware individuals are convinced of your product's value and are merely waiting for the right moment or offer to commit.

Employ scarcity, urgency, and special offers to compel action.

Remind them of the product's benefits, the problem it solves, and what they stand to lose by waiting.

The message must be clear, compelling, and focused on closing the sale.

This is where direct-response tactics shine, using strong calls-to-action and incentives to convert interest into action.

Value Bomb Of Week 👀 

Each week our team goes through 10+ different newsletters in the digital advertising world and collects together the best value here in a simple format. Think: you get the best value from all newsletters in one single place, in one single email.

Nick Sharma Newsletter

What are funnels, and what is the AIDA framework?

In short, inside the world of marketing and sales, almost everything we do is driven by the concept of converting customers through some kind of funnel.

Your “funnel” represents the full customer journey from someone’s initial awareness of your product all the way to their final purchase decision. Think of that upside down cone, that funnel.

It’s visualized as a funnel because at each stage, there is going to be some percentage of dropoff in the total number of people who graduate from the next step. It always gets narrower and smaller the further down the funnel they go.

The most common framework for talking about funnels is the AIDA framework, which was invented in 1898 by Elias St. Elmo Lewis, who was an American advertising and sales pioneer. AIDA stands for attention, interest, desire, and action.

Lewis believed that in order for a customer actually to buy something from you, they needed to progress from being aware of your product to being interested enough to learn about the product's benefits and value props, to then having the desire to benefit from your product.

He also believed that the fourth stage, action (or the decision to buy), would naturally result from a marketer simply doing their job to move the customer through the first three stages of the funnel. Here’s my interpretation of the AIDA framework and what you need to know:

A) is for Awareness: This is pure top-of-the-funnel marketing. The goal here is to get as many potential customers as possible to become aware of your product and brand. This stage is about capturing the attention of your target audience through any means necessary, including organic content, ads, partnerships, sponsorships, affiliates, influencers, TV, PR, billboards, etc, to drive the largest possible awareness for your product or offer.

I) is for Interest: After becoming aware of the brand, you want potential customers to show interest in learning more. At this stage, your goal is to educate the consumer on more of the specific benefits and differentiators your product offers to get them more excited to buy. You should do this through different kinds of ads, more educational content in your newsletter, a podcast, SMS marketing, product-in-use content, comparison charts, FAQs, etc. The goal is to nurture their awareness into genuine interest by guiding them to the next stage.

D) is for desire. This is when you need to use marketing to make them desire to buy. The best way to do this is through emotionally driven content. I like story-driven lifestyle and product-in-use content, and strong testimonials. In general, people buy something because it either A) solves their problem, B) makes them look or feel good, or C) helps them gain new status around their peers. In general, you want to show them what life will be like after they buy. Reviews and strong testimonials also work incredibly well here, as consumers want to know that others have purchased and received the end result or experience they are looking for as well.

A) And the final A is for action. This is when they either decide to buy or churn. The goal here is to hit them with the right hook to purchase. The best way to get them to convert is typically to offer one more final incentive like a free gift with purchase or a percentage off. If you have done a good enough job in the first 3 stages, they will feel compelled to buy.

With the tragic losses we continue to have with tracking capabilities, from a content and creative standpoint, everything should feel full-funnel.

Meaning that whether someone is at the top of the funnel (doesn’t know your brand) or at the bottom of the funnel (ready to buy from a website retargeting email), all your content/creative/landing pages should properly educate and sell.

You never know which user wasn’t properly tracked and may get served the wrong ad or shown the wrong email flow.

If you run a Shopify brand and you're trying to scale to 8 and 9 figures but need some help with your ad creatives (whether it’s still or short-form video :D)…

get in touch to book a discovery call today and let's talk about how we can help you grow your brand!

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On your side,

Matias Myhrberg

Founder, ©/Alota