Use Awareness Stages to Create Perfect Ad Hooks

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Welcome back to another edition of ADvantage. We hope you had a great weekend and are well-hydrated for an exciting read. Ready to explore a fresh perspective on creating ads? Let's jump into a new approach that transforms how you can engage with audiences.

Remember how your view of the world changed from when you were a kid to now? Your business experiences the same evolution as it grows and matures. Just like you had different interests at different ages, your prospects have varying levels of awareness about your product. 

Knowing where people are in their awareness journey can help you create ads that really connect with them. Whether they're just finding out about a problem or ready to buy, you can create hooks that speak to them, making your ads more effective and exciting.

There are usually five types of customers:

1. First, unaware customers need to realize they have a problem.

2. Then, some are problem-aware; they know something's wrong but need help with the solution.

3. Next are the solution-aware customers who are exploring different options. 

4. After that, product-aware customers come who know about your product but need a reason to choose it.

5. Finally, the most aware customers are ready to make a purchase.

To connect effectively, you must customize your approach to match their stages, ensuring your ad is relevant and engaging at every step.

Customer Intent: What Is It? 

Before creating an ad, you must understand the customer’s intent. But do you know what is that? Intent is basically understanding a customer's readiness to act, like purchasing or seeking more information. It helps you understand how likely a customer will engage with your ad. 

Customers can have different levels of intent for each awareness stage: high, moderate, or low. Knowing these three intents allows you to easily change your message to match their readiness, making your ads more relevant and attractive. 

However, 'unaware' customers have no high intent since they have not realized they have a problem. For the other stages, customers can exhibit all three levels of intent. Correct intent ensures you reach customers with the right message at the right time, which makes your ad effective.

Understanding Awareness Stages Through Ad Examples

Have you ever wondered why some ads grab your attention while others fall flat? It's all about understanding where your audience is in their awareness journey. Now, we will explain how different stages of awareness can shape the perfect ad strategy, using real-life examples to illustrate.

Unaware Customers

Hook Strategy: Highlight a common issue that impacts many people, such as daily habits or health concerns.

Example Hook: Use a hook like "Surprising Ways Your Food Choices Impact Your Well-being” to engage without assuming prior knowledge.

Creative Direction: Use broad, relatable scenarios or pain points to spark curiosity and interest.

Pain/ Problem Aware Customers

Hook Strategy: Directly address the specific problems they face.

Example Hook: Use a hook like "Struggling with Dull, Dehydrated Skin? Discover the Solution"

Creative Direction: Visuals and narratives should vividly illustrate visuals to engage pain-aware customers by highlighting specific problems.

Solution Aware Customers

Hook Strategy: Offer insights into solutions, highlighting how your product or service uniquely addresses their needs. 

Example Hook: Apply a hook like  "Don’t Miss The Opportunity to Remove Acne Marks By Bare Body Acne Spot Corrector" to engage solution-aware customers by mentioning why your product stands out.

Creative Direction: Showcase the exact solutions, emphasizing the specific advantages of your product.

Product Aware customers

Hook Strategy: Emphasize your product’s unique value propositions.

Example Hook: Write a hook like “Enhance Your Period Days With Bestep Cramp Relief Massager” to capture the attention of product-aware customers.

Creative Direction: Showcase the product in action, highlighting its benefits through user testimonials and demonstrations.

Most Aware Customers

Hook Strategy: Make a compelling offer or call to action, like shop now.

Example Hook: Engage the most aware customers with irresistible offers like "Experience The Life-changing Benefits of Foxtale Serum With 25% Offer."

Creative Direction: Utilize direct CTA and prominent offer range with visuals showcasing the products.

How to Push Based on Intent Levels

Remember, your customer intent is like following the different currents of a river, each leading to different levels of interest and action. In marketing, most customers find themselves in the middle stages of awareness. They're either keenly aware of a problem (Pain-aware) or actively seeking solutions (Solution-aware).

This table shows different awareness levels and the relevant message style you should convey - 

What’s Next?

When you completely understand the stages of awareness, it’s like having a guide for making great ads. By knowing where your customers are in their journey, you can create hooks that really catch their interest.

Whether they realize they have a problem or are ready to buy, matching your message to their awareness level makes a big difference. So, next time you make an ad, remember to meet your audience where they are; it’s the key to getting their attention and trust.

PS:  Can you guess what these legendary brands have all in common?

They all use enhanced catalog ads that look good and perform better by 50% in an effortless manner. RetainIQ platform helps you to unlock creative freedom for your Catalog Ads (see an example below or see more examples here.)