If I asked you how many ads you saw yesterday, how many would you say? 50? 200? 1,000? What if I told you that you probably saw around 4,000? 

Considering it’s the holiday season and we’re in the midst of the Black Friday / Cyber Monday chaos, it’s safe to say you likely saw even more.

It’s no wonder you can’t remember them all – or even notice them all. But the question then becomes, how can you ensure yours is one of the ads your target audience does notice and remember?

The secret isn’t in creating a better, bigger, brighter ad – it’s in the delivery of your message. The trick is to tell a story that your audience will connect with.

Example:

When was the last time you bought a book because it was going to give you practical tips for working faster? What if the alternative sell was that it was going to increase your productivity so you could spend more time on the things you really love: family, friends, and time to yourself?

Or what about a car commercial that advertises three rows of seats, a large trunk, and the option to add a roof rack; versus an SUV that lets you pack up your whole family, including the new puppy, Spot, and escape into nature for a weekend of quality time together?

The product in both of these cases is the same, but what they’re selling (an experience versus a product) changes your perception of it’s value. And everyone makes purchase decisions based on the value the item will bring to their life.

People can (and these days, they do) go online to research things like product details themselves. In order to get them there, though, you need to grab their attention with a story.

Whether you’re promoting your holiday sales this season, or creating brand awareness anytime of the year, remember to avoid a sell-sell-sell advertising method, and instead tell stories that will grab your target audience’s attention and show them the value your product or service will bring to their lives.