How to Use Social Media Ads to Bring BUYERS to Your Online Store

Got a Shopify store?

Thinking of starting one?

Or perhaps you’re after that elusive “Winning Product”…

Wherever you’re at in your online store journey, this blog post is going to show you a completely unique way to set up targeting for your ads.

This isn’t fluff or theory — it’s the same strategies our team and clients have used to sell over 1,428,571 product units in our online stores.

When most people think of targeting, they just think of which interests to target with their Facebook ads.

But there’s actually three components to laser targeting.

Component #1. The Angle

The angle is simply WHY your product is a good fit for a certain person.

Think of an everyday item like a banana. I know it sounds silly. But imagine a banana rack at the grocery store, and it has a sign that says, “Get Your Bananas —  a Great Low-Calorie Snack!”

Now, imagine on the other side of the store, there’s another rack of bananas, but this time it says, “Get Your Bananas — a Great Way to Replenish Carbs After a Hard Workout!”

Two completely different angles for the same product. One marketed as a low-calorie snack, one marketed as a great post-workout source of carbs.

Those messages are going to attract two different people, and they’re going to speak to each person and say, “Hey, this product is for YOU.”

That’s what we mean by the angle, which then leads you to the audience.

Component #2. The Audience

Let’s stick with the banana example.

The angle we choose is going to impact who we target.

Someone in the “Weight Watchers Recipe” audience is probably interested in low-calorie snacks.

Someone in the”P90x” audience would be more intrigued by a good source of carbs, post-workout.

See how that works?

Then it leads to the final component of Laser-Targeting.

Component #3. The Actual Ad

Now we’ve made things simple.

Our ad copy is simply going to reflect the angle we chose and the audience we are targeting.

If we targeted Weight Watchers, we’d discuss why the banana is great for anyone looking for a healthy snack.

If we targeted P90x, we’d obviously change our ad message to talk about how replenishing carbs is important after a workout, and a banana is an easy and great source of carbs.

Compare our Laser-Targeting strategy to what most people do.

If they have a product that’s intended for people who like to fish, they target something like, “I love fishing.”

Can it work? Sure it can. But that’s kind of an old way of doing things and it’s not really as effective.

Check out this example below of how we took a broad product and implemented our Laser-Targeting Strategy.

It’s basically one of those hand putty products that you squeeze.

I really had no clue why people would buy a product like this. I knew that it sold well, but I wasn’t really sure why.

So I went looking for ANGLES.

One of the best strategies to find angles is to look in the reviews of products. See why people bought it. And in the reviews, I stumbled upon a ‘golden nugget.’

This person said they bought it for their sister’s birthday. And she put, “She knits a lot and it helps her hands to play with the dough.” In other words, it helps her sister’s hands recover from from knitting, right? It also says, “It’s wonderful for those with arthritis.”

That’s an angle!

We just took a product that looked so generic and we found an angle: People who knit and/or people with arthritis.

So next thing I would do is go to Google and look for knitting websites.

I found one called the “Ravelry,”  billed as a knit and crochet community. So my next step would be to go to Facebook Ads Manager and see if that’s an interest I can target.

Boom!

So now I’ve got an angle, an audience, and ad copy. They all flowed from one another.

I can discuss how this product is GREAT if you knit, and helps your hands recover.

We turned a completely broad product into something specific for people who knit.

And THAT is how you give yourself an amazing chance to turn a person scrolling through their newsfeed, into a buyer in your online store.

What to Do Next If You Want to Grow a Successful Store

As you know, targeting and ads are only one piece of growing a successful online store.

You need consistent strategies to find products, and a high-converting store to put those products in. A store that has the right apps, right navigation, and can turn visitors into BUYERS.

And once you get a product selling well, you might need help scaling it up :).

If these are things you might want help with, you’re in the right spot.

Over the last few years, we’ve helped HUNDREDS of entrepreneurs launch and grow their own eCommerce stores. 

But… as you’ve likely learned, we like to do things a bit differently.

We don’t focus on short team hacks… we focus on long-term strategies.

And we don’t insult your intelligence by pretending this is easy and you’ll become a millionaire overnight.

We’re a REAL, professional organization, that helps entrepreneurs grow their online stores.

And we do it through our done-with-you program.

Click here to get full details on our done-with-you program.

Thanks again for taking time to read this post.

I hope you got some value out of it ?

-Jeremy

PS: If you want our Definitive Guide to growing a successful store, you can read that here.

 

I’m not a big name dropper, but I’ve actually shared this strategy with a few VERY high-level marketing friends / mentors, and they’ve all loved it.

So in short… if you have a higher-ticket program/service, I think you’ll love this too.

And if you don’t, you might still find it valuable, but this isn’t targeted towards you.

What we’ll cover:

  • How we’ve enrolled over 421 clients into our high-ticket programs ($3k – $30k) primarily using a single blog post.
  • Why I don’t use automated webinars, VSLs, cold emails, organic messaging, or anything else.
  • The blog post that generated hundreds of high-ticket clients.
  • Why I use the word “Bloginar” to describe this strategy.
  • Proof that this type of marketing really resonates with people.
  • While the Bloginar is truly evergreen, compared to other forms of marketing.
  • Other “Sneaky” Bloginar Tricks
  • How we can help you incorporate this strategy into your own business to generate new applications and clients.

The Background

In my 10+ years in business, I’ve always been a fan of using blog content to sell my products and services.

It mainly started back in 2014, when I wrote a blog about outsourcing a Print on Demand t-shirt business.

At the end of the post, I encouraged people to sign up for a live training I was doing with Matt Schmitt (currently the CEO of Skup).

People read the post and came to the training warmed up, leading to over $30,000 in sales for the program we were selling at the time.

I was hooked!

I continued using blog content in my business, and noticed the more I did, the more good things seemed to happen.

For example, I remember running ads to this blog post in 2015 and generating THOUSANDS of leads and tons of new customers.

Notice the social proof on that bad boy :-).

I also had big influencers reaching out to me after reading, wanting to connect, hire me, etc.

As I expanded, I began using blog content as the primary driver to fill our eCommerce coaching and consulting program.

I’d done case study videos and such to drive leads, but using blog content just felt right.

The process is simple:

Ad > Blog Post > Program Page > Phone Call > New Client

Why I Don’t Use Automated Webinars, VSLs, Cold Emails, Organic Messaging, etc…

The main reason I use written content in my business is based on my philosophy that I want to market to people the way I want to be marketed to.

I don’t like watching webinars.

Not a huge fan of VSLs.

Haven’t done cold emails since my SEO days years ago, when I used to email local businesses.

And I don’t use my personal social media profiles for business. In fact, I’ve never posted a single self-promotional post on my personal social media profiles.

Nothing against it, just not for me.

Note: I’m NOT saying to stop using webinars or any of those other strategies. If they work for you, keep using them! But you might find the  Bloginar strategy brings in a whole new subset of your target audience that previously ignored your ads.

I’ll tell you what…

If I’m surfing social media or the web and I come across a blog post topic that captures my attention, I get EXCITED!

I will either read it right then and there, or bookmark it for later.

I LOVE the written word.

I LOVE how I can read on MY time, consume content at MY desired speed, and come back and review it at MY own pace.

And quite frankly, I don’t have the energy to sit through a 1.5 hour webinar, listening to someone’s life story for the first 25 minutes (no offense), and then trying to gather the important information through bullet points on a slide.

I’d rather use that time doing the things I enjoy… like coaching my kids sports teams, going on walks while listening to podcasts, and playing Daily Fantasy Sports (…hey, we’ve all got our vices).

And listen… I’m someone who has invested over $250,000 in mentors and online education.

And I’m not alone.

People that have money to invest value their time, energy, and desire to consume content on THEIR terms.

Heck… there’s a reason big advertisers have been using the written word to sell their products and services for years.

Just pick up a magazine or local newspaper and look at the advertorials.

There’s a reason these have run for decades and decades.

Heck, here’s two from my recent Sunday paper.

If you look closely, the formula in these articles is simple:

Intriguing piece of content + facts and unique insights + a call-to-action.

Why does this work so well?

People like to read.

Reading never goes out of style.

And here’s a little secret…

Some of your BEST potential clients with the MOST money to spend are NOT gonna sit on a 1.5 hour webinar.

But put an intriguing blog post in front of them with no opt-in or other friction?

You might be surprised just how well it works :).

Like I said… I’ve done video case studies and things like that, but I’ve had the most long-term success using blog content to generate leads and sales.

The Blog Post That Generated Hundreds of High-Ticket Clients

Before I get into the “genius” behind the Bloginar strategy, I want to show you some of the most successful ads I’ve driven traffic to, that will give you confidence you can indeed generate a flood of high-ticket clients with a single blog post.

Ad #1:

Ad #2:

Same ad, different image.

I ran a few other images, but these were the clear winners.

See ad stats for my initial test of these ads:

In this case, a “Purchase” is a completed application and scheduled phone call.

When I saw dozens of calls being scheduled for sub $75, I knew I was onto something.

Especially because this was not some short funnel.

This was a multi-step funnel designed to make sure people were warmed and qualified before scheduling a call.

  1. They had to click on the ad.
  2. They had to read the post (or at least scan it). It’s around 7500 words. See one of the variations here.
  3. They had to click through to our program page. We’ve evolved it over time, but here’s the latest version: https://digitaltrafficace.com/sip
  4. They had to fill out an application.
  5. They had to schedule a call.
  6. And on the backend, we eventually added further qualification via text messaging and a more in-depth application.

    While it’s a multi-step process, it involves MUCH less friction than a webinar funnel.

    Typical webinar funnel:

    1. They have to click on an ad (that mentions buzzwords like “masterclass” or “free training” they’ve seen a bazillion times).
    2. They have to opt-in and/or pick a time.
    3. They have to show up and watch the webinar.
    4. They have to stay until the end.
    5. They have to fill out an application and/or schedule a call.

    Yes, this works and has worked for years. But what happens to all the people who don’t want to sit through a video presentation?

    At minimum, adding a Bloginar to your toolbelt is a savvy way to scoop up new clients who won’t watch your webinar. 

    Anyways… those were the initial ads above, but I eventually evolved the blog post and ads, using different angles and hooks (understanding this is crucial to success w/ this strategy).

    For example, one of my favorite hooks to use is the “curiosity” angle.

    Notice over 1000 engagements, hundreds of comments, hundreds of shares.

    This is because this doesn’t come across as some boring, douchey ad.

    It creates intrigue and it lets the person know if they click, there’s something to read.

    If you were doing dropshipping or planning to launch a store, this ad is gonna capture your attention.

    These strategies will work across the board, for almost any industry.

    For example, if you had a golf training program, an ad headline may state: “Don’t Pick Up a Golf Club Again Until You Read This.”

    This is just ONE potential angle (the Bloginar goes much deeper than that).

    I’ve launched different variations of the post/ad that makes this strategy evergreen, and this has led to THOUSANDS of applications to our program(s) and hundreds of clients.

    For example, below you can see some stats from Email Me Form and Jotform, showing the thousands of application submissions we’ve received.

    Why I Use the Word “Bloginar” to Describe This Strategy

    I don’t remember how long I’ve been using the term “Bloginar,” but it’s been several years.

    I remember having a high-level discussion with someone about my lead generation strategies, and explaining to them about my blog posts.

    The topic turned to webinars, and I mentioned my blog post(s) essentially operate as a webinar, except in written form.

    “Ya know… it’s kinda like a Bloginar.”

    Every single person I’ve mentioned this to has LOVED the name and concept behind it.

    In short… if you have a webinar you use or have used to bring in leads and clients, a Bloginar can do the same (and will actually attract a segment of the marketplace you’re probably missing right now).

    Proof That This Type of Marketing Really Resonates With People

    For our eCommerce coaching program we’ve run the past several years, the primary funnel has been:

    Bloginar > Program Page > Application > Call > Client

    Once people schedule a call, we send them a more in-depth application to complete (this is in addition to the first application they filled out).

    I call this the “Doctor’s Office Technique,” because I modeled it after what doctor’s offices do.

    (Note: This single technique can increase your apps and clients.)

    At a doctor’s office, first you schedule an appointment and answer a few simple questions.

    Things like why you’re scheduling, your birthday, etc. Probably over the phone or online.

    But once you enter the office, BAM!

    They hit you with a stack of paperwork.

    Family history, allergies, EVERYTHING.

    I’ve always wondered if this was strategic. Like they know if they requested that paperwork BEFORE scheduling, many people would procrastinate and not schedule.

    But since they give it to you AFTER you scheduled, you’re more likely to fill it out.

    Regardless, I modeled this in our biz, and it allowed me to get some interesting answers to why people scheduled calls with us.

    A common answer is the BLOGINAR (obviously people don’t call it that, they refer to it as the “blog” or “definitive guide.”).

    See below some examples (make the doc bigger to read them):

    That’s just a very, very small sample.

    And when we get on calls with people, we hear more of the same.

    I’ve learned the Bloginar does a few things, when done right.

    1. Positions you / your company as an expert / authority.
    2. Frames your USP or unique mechanism for achieving a result.
    3. Educates your target audience, while also pre-selling them.
    4. Creates a feeling of warmth towards you / your company from the reader… due to the combination of good content and value in advance.

    Combined, these elements all work together to generate consistent,  high-quality, pre-sold consultations for your product/service.

    Why the Bloginar is Truly Evergreen, Compared to Other Forms of Marketing

    Pardon my french… but on the internet, sh*t changes FAST.

    I’ve been in business for over 10 years, and the rollercoaster is real!

    Here’s the good news…

    If you’re using the Bloginar, these changes give you a HUGE edge on your competition.

    Example #1

    Let’s say something you teach changes. Maybe Facebook makes a change to their ads platform (lol, happens every few months) or something else related to your biz changes.

    If you’re relying on a webinar to educate, you probably have to re-record it or do some fancy editing.

    Or even worse, the whole thing might become outdated, ineffective, and cost you dozens of hours in redoing it.

    But with a Bloginar?

    I can simply pop into the post, tweak some words and/or images, and in just a few short-minutes, my marketing content is up-to-date again :).

    Example #2

    The way people consume content is always evolving.

    At some point, webinars were new and innovative. Now they’re the norm, and because of that, interest and show rates have declined.

    But you know what doesn’t evolve?

    READING.

    People have always read and will continue to always read.

    Books, magazines, articles, BLOGS, and so on.

    Perhaps the way they consume their reading evolves (iPhones, iPads, etc), but reading will never go out of style.

    Example #3

    I mentioned reading won’t go out of style… but the way people read or the places people read may change.

    Again, this is a GOOD thing if you’re using the Bloginar, because it means you can adapt to any platform now or in the future.

    For example, at this time… most people only use Facebook ads or YouTube ads for marketing their webinars.

    With a Bloginar, I can use those platforms, but also native platforms like Taboola that thrive off content.

    I can also do creative things, like use Quora ads, and drive to my content.

    I haven’t focused on these areas yet, but the point is if you drive traffic to a FREE written piece of content, you have much more options of how you promote it.

    Example #4

    Another advantage of the Bloginar, is the ability to keep it evergreen by “cloning” it and re-deploying it in new and exciting ways.

    This means your marketing can appear brand new, but actually be a “clone” of your previous work :).

    For example…

    Here’s the EXACT same Bloginar I showed you above, but with a new TWIST.

    One of the big questions people in eCommerce would ask was, “How can I dropship from USA suppliers?”

    So I cloned the Bloginar, created a specific ad for this angle, and drove traffic to it.

    Here’s the top of that blog post. Everything is basically the same, just a different headline that’s congruent with the ad.

    This can really come in handy, based on current events and what’s happening around the world.

    Or just based on what the marketplace is currently talking about.

    Here’s another example of me tweaking an angle:

    This will hit different hot buttons and appeal to people in a NEW way, who want to see what an expert would do if they had to start all over.

    You can apply different angles to your ads too.

    This ad works because there’s so many people screaming from the rooftops that you can start an online store and quit your job.

    Sure, it’s possible, but here I am in an ad stating the OPPOSITE.

    This creates intrigue, then leads people to the Bloginar to read more.

    Anyways… a Bloginar can be evergreen if done right.

    I can tweak the headline, perhaps make some tweaks to the post and/or ads, and BOOM… it’s like a fresh piece of content.

    NOTE: You may be concerned about duplicating content and SEO ramifications. I was an SEO expert in my former life (okay, 2011-ish), but I truly have no clue what this would do from an SEO standpoint. My goal is to use paid ads effectively to drive sales and clients to my business -:).

    Other Sneaky Bloginar Tricks

    It would take me dozens of more pages to go over all the cool things you can do with a Bloginar.

    Things like turning it into a book in digital format…

    Or having potential affiliate partners mail it to their list.

    But let me cover a few here.

    1. The Splintered Posts

    One of my FAVORITE things to do with the Bloginar (this trick is $$$$) is splinter it into separate content pieces!

    So for example, in my Bloginar post about eCommerce, I talk about product selection, Facebook ads, and more.

    I then splintered the content on those specific topics, and put them into their own blog posts!

    Few examples:

    An AMAZING Resource to Find Products For Your Online Store… WITHOUT Even Looking For Them!

    Here’s How to Find the Best Dropshipping Products For Your Online Store

    How to Use Social Media Ads to Bring BUYERS to Your Online Store

    I’m then able to run ads to these posts as well!

    Examples below:

    I’m simply cloning my existing assets, getting more mileage out of them for my lead generation!

    A way I maximize this is with RETARGETING!

    But it works both ways…

    So the first thing I do is retarget people who hit the Bloginar, but didn’t schedule a call.

    I’ll retarget them a few ways:

    1. With different Bloginar angles (and even the same angle).
    2. With the splintered content pieces.

    Sending them right back to the Bloginar (let’s face it, not everyone is gonna read the first time) is a great way to get inexpensive applications.

    As far as the content pieces, check out some stats when I used them to retarget people who initially went to the Bloginar:

    Almost 5% of the people who see it actually click on it.

    It’s a great way to get exposure to your program page and additional scheduled calls.

    Okay, time to start wrapping up…

    I’ve given some good tricks here :).

    I don’t have time to go into all the strategies, but just know that running ads to the Bloginar opens up LOTS of opportunity you might not have with other marketing strategies.

    How to Use the Bloginar in Your Own Business

    Without a Bloginar in place, anyone with a high-ticket program and/or service could be missing out on literally hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of sales (per year OR per month).

    In other words, I HIGHLY encourage you to put it into place.

    Especially if you’re currently running traffic to a webinar, or have run traffic to a webinar in the past.

    You can easily spin the webinar content into a Bloginar, tweak some things, and start running ads.

    There’s definitely nuances and moving parts, but that’s the gist of it — ONE SINGLE BLOG POST that fills your calendar up on a daily basis with qualified leads.

    You have a few options:

    Option #1: Do nothing. Definitely not the option I’d recommend, but you can certainly just keep doing what you’re doing if you’re happy with it.

    Option #2: Take the info I gave you above and do it yourself. Nothing wrong with this option either, you can definitely try to create your own Bloginar, angles, ads, other pieces, and so on.

    But that’s kinda like watching a Tiger Woods golf swing tutorial on YouTube, then expecting to hit 300 yard drives and play at a PGA pro’s level :-).

    Option #3: Let myself and my team help you with it. My favorite option :-).

    If you want my team to help, here’s the details:

    1. I can personally consult with you on your Bloginar, walk you through it, help with the content, ads, etc. We can do this over Zoom as strictly consulting.
    2. I can have my team just create the Bloginar for you (and even run the ads if you want). This option is much more expensive, BTW, just due to the work involved.

    1. Lastly, I can tell you about a “FREE” way my team can run the Bloginar for you with NO UPFRONT COSTS out of pocket.

    We’d do all the heavy lifting, and in return, you’d simply pay us a piece of every sale we generate from our work. Due to demand and the nature of this arrangement, I can ONLY accept clients in this scenario who are consistently generating at least 15 new clients per month, and are looking for unique, cost-effective ways to add more without any drama.

    If you’re interested in any of those options, just pick a time from the calendar below and let’s chat!

    Thanks,

    Jeremy

    President, Digital Traffic Ace