
Are you constantly investing in digital ads, only to return a handful of clicks and fewer conversions?
Digital marketing is a complex game. While one ad campaign might shine, others may falter. While it can be a frustrating process, remember that you’re not alone. In 2025, a whopping 65% of businesses aren’t getting a return on their digital marketing efforts.
The question is, why? From unrealistic expectations to ad copy that doesn't inspire action, there are several reasons why your digital ads may be struggling to generate conversions.
For those looking to boost their digital conversions, it may be time to try direct response marketing (DRM). This tactic aims to prompt an immediate response from your target, thereby increasing lead generation and your chances of conversion.
With this in mind, we’ve deconstructed some of the top reasons your current digital marketing strategy is underperforming and put together a guide on how to use DRM in your next killer ad campaign.
When executed effectively, digital ads can boost brand awareness by 80%. From online popups to promotional content on social media, there are endless opportunities to advertise your business online.
The key here is to ensure that your ad campaign effectively reaches your target audience and inspires them to take the desired action. Whether this is a newsletter sign-up or an on-site conversion, every ad should capture its target consumers and turn them into qualified leads.
In 2025, 70-80% of consumers report that they ignore digital ads online. This means that capturing leads has become even more challenging for businesses entering an online marketplace.
As the competition for digital advertising grows, here are some of the reasons your current campaign may be struggling to break through the noise:
Did you know that a digital ad with 100,000 impressions has an average click-through rate (CTR) of 0.1%? If you’re planning to see high returns on a singular ad campaign on one channel, you’re likely to be disappointed.
The key here is consistency. Not only does this build trust, but the more frequently your target demographic sees your brand appear on multiple channels, the higher the odds of engagement with your ad content.
A bad ad doesn't drive conversions. Consumers are not robots; they will only interact with content and copy that interests them.
In fact, creative ad copy has never been so important. To capture leads, your ad must clearly articulate the value of the product or service you’re selling and offer a solution for your customer’s pain point.
This attracts a first impression from your target lead. Once you’ve captured their attention, it’s vital that your copy inspires action. Clearly communicate to your customers exactly what they need to do and why. Ads that fail to effectively highlight their CTA often fall short in a competitive online marketplace.
Most consumers don’t convert on their first visit to your online store. Retargeting ads target online consumers who visit your website but don’t take action.
A retargeting ad is personalized, reminding the customer of your offer or enticing them with a new one. Businesses that fail to invest in retargeting ads leave their warm leads behind.
Studies show that customers are 70% more likely to make a purchase from a retargeting ad.
If you’ve worked your way through this list and are still having little to no success with your ad strategy, it could be time to look further.
While your ad copy may be catchy and your conversions API is on point, a poorly designed landing page can bring your strategy crashing to the ground.
To maximize the performance of your ads, consider addressing issues such as loading and connection problems, low-quality UX design, and a confusing purchase flow. Is your customer able to apply the ad promotion seamlessly at checkout?
Consider using a landing page builder to create web pages that align seamlessly with your ad campaign. For example, Hostinger’s landing page builder comes with built-in tools for mobile optimization, and 24/7 customer support, allowing you to maximize your ROI without hiring a developer.
Optimizing your landing page design is the key to ensuring that leads follow through with your desired CTA from start to finish.
Now that we’ve established why your ad strategy isn't working let’s talk about how you can fix it.
Direct response marketing (DRM) can help advertisers prompt a specific desired action and quickly generate new leads in a busy online marketplace.
Let’s have a closer look at what implementing the DRM approach to your targeting strategy could mean for your next ad campaign.
Direct response marketing is a type of marketing strategy that encourages a direct response from the consumer.
Also known as ‘direct response advertising,’ DRM content tends to be straight to the point, prompting a single action from the lead to establish a conversion for your business.
While most advertisers associate direct response marketing with direct mail, DRM can also be utilized on landing pages, in social ads, and even in TV and radio commercials.
Some of the advantages of DRM include:
Trackability: One of the most significant advantages of DRM is the ability to track ad performance easily. With just one desired action to monitor, businesses can easily analyze their ad success.
Measurability: With a simplistic campaign set-up, brands can easily break down their return on investment (ROI) by measuring how much they spend on each customer.
Higher Conversion Rates: DRM simplifies the customer journey, making it easier for them to receive instant gratification for their action. This is a win-win for both parties, resulting in higher conversion rates for the business.
In a nutshell, DRM focuses less on long-term marketing goals, such as building brand awareness and more on creating opportunities for direct conversions.
Building successful direct-response marketing campaigns requires extensive customer research and persistence. While you may not get it right the first time, the more you learn about your customers and what engages them, the better your approach will be.
Here are four ways to incorporate direct response marketing tactics into your next ad campaign:
A strong DRM campaign centers around creating a sense of urgency for your target audience.
This encourages your consumers to act immediately on your campaign’s call to action, increasing your conversion rate.
There are plenty of ways to create ‘urgency’ in an ad campaign. From highlighting deadlines to outlining limiting stock supplies, the key here is to let your target know that this is a one-time offer, not to be missed.
Exclusivity can also be a significant motivation. Take this example from Sephora for instance:
Their advert for their VIP Rouge scheme not only offers a membership that grants early access to the Black Friday Sale but also allows members to share their discount with friends for a limited time only.
Offering a target an incentive with a time limit is an easy way to encourage quick conversions.
Successful DRM campaigns focus less on long-term brand identity and more on what will satisfy the brand’s current target audience.
DRM ad campaigns shouldn’t talk about your brand. Instead, they should offer the target a direct offer of instant gratification. This could be the solution for a common pain point or something as simple as a discount code for your online store.
The key here is to make the advertisement less about you and more about them.
A typical example of this comes from Urban Outfitters. Their landing page pop-up directly addresses the target, offering 15% off for signing up for their newsletter.
Large-scale branding campaigns are created with the intention of reaching as many people as possible. This often means that marketers must use generalized copy, which often falls short when aiming to appeal to specific target segments.
DRM campaigns work best when they are segmented and personalized based on each user who interacts with your business.
It’s no surprise that 80% of customers are more likely to interact with a hyper-personalised brand ad.
Amazon does this well thanks to their impressive recommendation algorithm. Their DRM ads highlight personal taste based on previous purchases in the marketplace. This includes listing the categories with which the customer is most likely to interact.
Utilizing this strategy to their advantage, Amazon has experienced a 9% year-over-year sales increase from 2022 to 2025.
A powerful DRM ad ends with a clear call to action. If you want to encourage direct responses, your call-to-action (CTA) is a crucial component that should not be overlooked.
Ensure that your CTA is straightforward, easy to understand, personalized, and easily accessible from any device or platform.
Take this example from Hulu, for instance. Their CTA is clearly highlighted in green, and their copy, ‘Get This Deal,’ is easy to understand, prompting a quick response from the consumer.
Another key aspect to note in this example is the focus on a single action. Your DRM ad should only ask a customer to perform one action. Adding multiple CTAS to your ad design can cause confusion, often resulting in a lower click-through rate (CTR).
Direct response marketing is one of the easiest methods to utilize in your next ad campaign if you want to score conversions quickly.
This said, it’s essential to adjust your expectations when embarking on an ad campaign in 2025. After total search ad spend in 2024 amounted to $132 billion, ad competition is only expected to increase in the coming years.