Ad Fatigue: What is it and How to Avoid Losing Customers to it

Introduction

Ad Fatigue is the headache of nearly every marketer. In this blog we’re going to be going over what ad fatigue is, what signs to look out for and most importantly, how you can stop it in its tracks. 

What is Ad Fatigue? 

 
Ad fatigue is when the paid adverts you’re putting out to your target audience start to become overused and repetitive, to the point they begin to go over your customers’ heads and, in some cases, even annoy them. 

It happens a lot more than you think: we’ve all been there, you’re in the car and you’re hearing the same “Bobs plumbers” advert on the radio, the one with the annoying jingle for the 15^th time, and you get to the point where you’re switching stations just to avoid it. 
 
That, in a nutshell, is ad fatigue! 

What Are the Signs of Ad Fatigue? 

So, from an analytical point of view, how do we see ad fatigue before your audience runs for the hills? Well, it comes in many shapes and forms, but simply put, your ads might be suffering if you’re seeing:  
 

• Reduced engagement – Are a similar number of people actually seeing your ads, but the engagement is down? That may be ad fatigue. 
   

• Lower click-through rates (CTR) – Same as the above, in combination with lower engagement rates you’re now noticing a drop off in clicks? 
   

• Lower conversions – And finally, you see fewer conversions which makes for a lower return on ad spend (ROAS). 
   

• Inflated cost of conversions – Have you noticed your cost per acquisition creeping up too? 
   

• Ad Frequency – How often is your ad being shown? If it’s the same ad to a customer 10 times a day, you’re going to get ad fatigue. 

Of course, you also should consider other factors such as:  

• The time of the year – Everyone has quiet periods; do you sell beach sandals? Then you might find a drop-off during the end of summer. 

• Budget changes to campaigns – If you’re spending less, you’ll see your results drop. 

• Algorithm Updates from ad providers – Google is guilty of this, what works one day might not work the next. 

And many other factors, but if you’re getting a combination of all the above, you may want to consider the following steps. 

How Can I Stop Ad Fatigue? 

 
Thankfully, ad fatigue can be managed, here’s 5 tips that will help: 

1. Create more ads – Just updating the images or videos for your ad and or adding more to your existing rotation will help reduce ad fatigue and give your campaign a freshen-up. 
    
   Pro tip: You want at least 5 variations of your ad. 

2. Update your ad copy – It’s the same as the above, think of new ways to write your ad, and think about separate ways to tell someone the same thing, in a simple hook e.g., “Try Johns Running shoes, lasting 20% longer since 1934” with “Want shoes that don’t fall about after 3 months? Try Johns Running shoes!” 

3. Change your audience – Many ad platforms let you choose lookalike audiences which are potential customers who won’t have seen your ad, and who potentially have the same interests. Or have you considered a new audience altogether?  

4. Reduce ad frequency – Depending on the ad platform, most will tell you the “Average Frequency” of someone seeing your ad, a customer seeing it 1-2 times a day is fine, but if you notice that number being much higher, consider pausing your ads and bringing that number down. 

5. Test your ads – Don’t just leave everything to run and hope for the best, remember to check your ads, what is doing well and what’s not. Remove the older ads as the fatigue sets in, replacing them with something new and don’t be afraid to try something outside of the box. 
    
   Pro Tip: Has a customer given you a glowing review? Why not take a screenshot and make an ad out of it? 
    

Ad Fatigue Doesn’t Just Go Away 

 
Ad fatigue is something you must stay on top of when it comes to maintaining the highest CTRs and conversion rates for your campaigns, so following the above tips today will go a long way to getting you there. 
 
But, it’s a tough job and finding time can be a headache. But not to worry, we’re here to help. 

Get in touch with me here to learn more about how we can help increase those conversions and maybe even save you money along the way. 

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