Marketing is a tough beast to tame. If you run a business, you have probably tried your shot at marketing before, and my guess is that you quickly realized that it is not as easy as it looks. 

It can be especially difficult because 1. Most business owners are busy, well, running their business, and they simply don’t have the time that is required to put into marketing, and 2. It is difficult to know what is actually going wrong if you aren’t getting the results you expected.

The goal of this article is to simplify the task of marketing for you so you can hopefully achieve better success next time you run an ad. 

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of how you’re going to do this, let me tell you about a concept called “Occam’s Razor”. Occam’s Razor is a principle that was created in the 14th century by a philosopher named William of Ockham. 

If you are thinking that this article is going to be just a history lesson, don’t worry, I promise there is a point.

See the idea of Occam’s Razor is basically this. 

When you are presented with a problem that could have multiple solutions, the most simple answer is usually the right one. 

This makes sense when we think about it, right? If you hear hoofbeats behind you, you are instantly going to think horse, not zebra. If your car tire is flat, you are going to think there is a hole in the tire, not that your wheel is broken. 

This concept is important to consider when writing ads, because a simple ad is going to do one thousand times better than a complicated one. 

I like the idea of Occam’s Razor, it keeps things simple, and simple is easy. 

So when you are writing ads, how do you keep them from getting overly complicated?

Well, it’s pretty simple (pun intended).

You need to make sure that your ads have a goal, and only one goal. They can’t be trying to sell your product, promote your social media, and build your brand all in one. Each ad you run needs to do one thing, and one thing only.

They also need to be clear. They need to clearly tell the reader what you are going to do for them, what they are going to get in return, and clear instructions telling them what they need to do. Your ads should always tell the reader to do something. Whether it is telling them to schedule an appointment, message you, or watch a video, it has to be clear. 

When I write ads, I like to put them through a test. 

I like to call it “The Occam Test”

The test goes like this.

Next time you are finished writing an ad for your business, send it to your mom and ask them to do what you are trying to accomplish with the ad.

If she can do it with no problems, then your ad passes the test, otherwise, it’s back to the drawing board. 

If your ad passes the test, great! But if not, take a step back from minor edits and ask yourself, “what am I trying to do here?”. 

Are you trying to sell a product?

Are you trying to book appointments?

Whatever you are trying to do, it should be very clear, and it should be very clear what you want people to do. 

Although most of your audience will probably be more tech savvy than your mom, it is a good test for you to determine if your ad is simple enough for people to understand and to buy, or if you need to simplify it a bit more. 

Next time you are writing an ad for your business, make sure you put it through “The Occam Test”. If your ad passes the test, then great, it’s off to the races, but if not, just simply make it more simple.

If you are interested in learning how you can use Occam’s Razor in your ads, or if you just want some help with advertising, contact me today and let’s schedule your free marketing analysis!