This little experiment or ad exercise, will help you write better ads

Here are the 3 questions:

1. Assuming you have a Facebook account… when exactly do you scroll through your Facebook news feed? —what “state of mind” are you in, when you’re on Facebook?

2. If you search in Google for “best places to live in Bali”… then what are you probably doing? —and what “state of mind” are you in?

3. If you’re reading your emails… what else is happening in your life, and around you? —what “state of mind” are you in?

Well?

Here’s my guess…

Facebook
The only likely reason why you’re on your Facebook news feed… is because you’re waiting for the bus, and bored out of your skull. Or maybe it’s 4:30pm at the office, and you need to stay till 5. You’re looking for a quick shot of entertainment, or anything to not be bored!!

“People are on Facebook because they’re bored”

Google
If you search Google, it’s almost always because you’re in “research mode”. You need an answer to a question. Ideally, you’d be served a blog post or an article that gives you the exact answer you were looking for.

“People are on Google because they need a answer—right now!”

Email
When do you check your email? Maybe first thing in the morning, over a cup of coffee. Or maybe while you’re sitting in a taxi or metro, on the way to work. You also check email while you’re at the office, but your mind is numb and you don’t feel like doing anything “productive”.

“People check their email in moments of “down time”, in-between more important things”

See where I’m going at?

#### **If you want your marketing to succeed, it matters what “mind state” your users are in!**

To write a successful ad, you need to match exactly against that mind state. No matter the platform you’re on—Facebook, Google, email or any other platform…

“Make sure you know what mind state they’re in”

Emails need to be “easy to digest”, and fun to read. So the next time they see your name pop up in their inbox they’ll think… “let’s start with that one. That one’s probably fun!”

Or when they’re doing SEO and writing an article that you want to rank well in Google… make sure it answers the goddamn question people were Googling for!!

#### **Here are some quick-fixes to improve your game in this area:**

1. Facebook :: In the very first sentence of your post, tell them “who this is for” and “why they should care”. A simple example would be: “this one’s for the entrepreneurs that struggle with marketing…”

2. Google :: make sure that whatever ranks in Google (whether an ad or a content piece) matches EXACTLY with what a user is probably searching for. In the first few sentences of the content piece, give them the answer, and show them that all their questions will be answered by you…

3. Email :: keep it light! Nobody is in the mood for reading an 12-page essay in an email. Assume that people are sitting on the toilet—emails need to be done within 90 seconds, max.

   Note: if you send educational emails (like we do), make sure that each email is 1) fun to read, and 2) contains a simple insight that you can grasp & remember within a minute.

4. Magazine ad :: (just throwing it in, so you can see that this applies to any channel.)

   If you’re doing newspaper ads… make your ad look like an interesting opinion piece! —and a clickbaity one, at that! For God’s sake, don’t make it look like an advertisement. Nobody wants ads! Instead, give readers exactly what they were looking for, when they bought the magazine…

Obviously, there are many, many more examples. But you see where I’m going at, right?

»Match their mind state«

Give them exactly what they want. It does wonders for “hooking” people… and it’s a great way to start building a connection based on relevancy & understanding.