Why are people clicking on ads?

One of my favourite adage from the “Socrates of San Francisco”, Howard Luck Gossage is:

“Nobody reads advertising. People read what interests them; and sometimes it’s an ad.”

And this principle is still crisp today, more than half a century later, when every Business is craving for attention.

Here I try to explain the 7 causes of why people tend to be attracted by an ad, because people click on online ads for a variety of reasons, and the most important are:

  1. Relevance: People are more likely to click on an ad if it is relevant to their interests or needs. For example, if someone is searching for a new pair of running shoes, they are more likely to click on an ad for a running shoe store.
  2. Incentives: Ads that offer incentives, such as discounts, coupons, or free trials, can be very effective in driving people to click.
  3. Curiosity: People may be drawn to an ad out of curiosity, especially if the ad has an interesting headline or a catchy tagline.
  4. Trust: If people trust the advertiser, they are more likely to click on the ad and make a purchase. Advertisers can establish trust by providing clear and accurate information about their products or services.
  5. Emotions: Ads that evoke strong emotions, such as fear, excitement, or happiness, can capture attention and drive more clicks.
  6. Brand Recognition: People may be more likely to click on an ad if it is from a brand that they are familiar with and have positive associations with.
  7. Mistakenly: People may accidentally click on an ad while browsing a website, or if the ad is placed in a confusing or misleading way.

These are some of the most common reasons why people click on online ads, but it may vary from person to person and the specific ad they are looking at.

So, if you are currently building an online marketing campaign, it makes sense a lot of sense to consider all the above to maximize the impact of the marketing push while increasing the odds of your campaign’ success.