Wondering why your online ad campaigns are lacking traction? Want to navigate the engagement funnel for more profitable futures? AdClients’ Jon Penberthy says it’s not as hard as it might seem.
Celebrated author, life coach and inspirational speaker Tony Robbins says: “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” One-time high school rabble rouser turned big ticket coaching and business guru Jon Penberthy agrees, and he’s happy to share the dos and don’ts of decision-making in the online marketing space.
With a plethora of platforms and compounding competition for advertiser capital, Penberthy cuts a swathe through the cacophony to provide clear choices for those who wish to maximize their return on investment (ROI), client attraction and retention.
Getting the biggest bang for your online marketing buck
Despite the existence of myriad online platforms, Penberthy says there are only two heavyweights in the space; Facebook, owned by Meta, and YouTube, which is part of the Google/Alphabet stable.
“You might wonder which is better if you want to run an ad, command traffic, and make sure it’s profitable. I have the answer, after spending millions on both,” Penberthy says.
Long story, short . . . YouTube.
“I spent the first years of my business – between 2014 and 2018 – focusing on Facebook ads, and spent over £1 million,” Penberthy says. “Between myself and my business partner, we spent multiple millions and had a great time . . . making sure our businesses were profitable.
“In 2018/19 we switched focus and doubled down on YouTube advertising as that was up-and-coming, and we saw a good opportunity there. AdClients alone has spent over £2 million on YouTube since then. Hands down, I believe it is currently more powerful, more profitable, and more effective than Facebook.”
Penberthy says he still runs adds on both platforms, but with an 80/20 per cent tilt towards YouTube amongst a larger advertising mix that includes, but not exclusively, Facebook.
“Facebook is still an incredible platform. There is a lot of opportunity to build email lists very quickly, to target someone quite effectively, and to bring them through into your sales funnel, into your website, and to convert those people profitably,” Penberthy says.
The problem is, he says, that Facebook has hit a critical mass whereby there are more advertisers wanting traffic than there is space available. “They’ve hit a point where they have maxed out the number of ads they can run . . . The biggest issue is that because Facebook is in a luxurious position where they have far more advertisers than advertising space, they don’t care about me and about you as individuals.
“YouTube, on the other hand, although they are a billion-dollar platform, still has available ad space, and they are focusing on the support they provide to their advertisers.”
Mindful messaging is key
While Jon Penberthy’s YouTube videos have amassed more than 61 million views and are replete with slick production values – dramatic lighting and backgrounds; high quality audio; and creative camera angles – he says the most important aspect of “hooking” an audience is a good script.
“When you’re browsing on YouTube and an ad pops up, you are going to give attention to that ad for a maximum of five seconds before the skip button arrives, but even before that, for a second or two you’ll be making a decision about whether you wish to continue watching the ad,” Penberthy says.
“If I’m targeting coaching and course creators, for instance, I’m going to say, ‘hey, real quick, if you’re selling coaching or courses, I’ve got to speak to you’. I’ve increased the chances this type of audience is going to stick around because I’ve called out exactly what they’re doing.”
In a free three-step resource offered to AdClients subscribers titled The 60 Second Script, Penberthy calls the second step “45-seconds of Wow, Not How” whereby valuable “lightbulb” moments are revealed and insights shared that are designed to grasp viewers’ imaginations and guide them to innovative and practical approaches in enhanced delivery of client services.
The third element clincher is a specific call to action, not some random “for more information click on the link below”.
“Sell people on making the click and make sure it’s an informed click,” Penberthy says. “If your call to action is to register for your webinar presentation, your call to action might be ‘hey, if you’d like to go a bit deeper on this topic, I’ve got a brand-new presentation for you where I’ll walk you through . . . and by clicking here you’ll be taken to a registration page. Look forward to seeing you there.”
Penberthy says AdClients has tested The 60 Second Script methodology over thousands of online ad posts and, he says, it has proven to be the most significant factor in potential client engagement.
