Chances are, you’ve noticed a change in paid ads recently…
Your budget doesn’t go as far as it used to.
Conversions aren’t as high or effective.
There’s more competition from other businesses!
Paid advertising remains one of the best ways to scale your business, and for many entrepreneurs that reach a certain level, it’s essential. But that doesn’t mean the landscape hasn’t changed in the last few years, and it’s set to continue this shift moving forward.
Paid ads still work (and will continue to) BUT you need to tweak your approach and outlook.
That’s why I’ve written this article because “this” way both makes and saves you money…
This is what we’ll explore today:
- How To Do Paid Ads in A Way That Resonates With You & Your Audience
- The Levels of Consciousness and Paid Ads
- 1: Reactive
- 2: Willful
- 3: Intellectual
- 4: Intuitive
- Conclusions & Next Steps
How To Do Paid Ads in A Way That Resonates With You & Your Audience
If you’ve followed my journey over the years, you know I’m an advocate of paid advertising.
I’ve grown several businesses to seven and eight figures largely due to paid ads.
And consulted, mentored, and worked with hundreds of others that have done the same.
I have seen a lot of success (as well as a few failures) along the way. And have a good insight into what does and does not work.
Through approaches like The R.O.I. Method and Nuclear Effect, I’ve developed ways for entrepreneurs to build trust with their audience and massively scale their business.
Yet I always felt like there were a few missing pieces…
That changed when I read Levels of Energy, by Frederick Dodson. This book shifted my entire outlook, not only on marketing and paid ads but on business and life overall.
I won’t go into it all here because I dive much deeper inside the article: https://scottoldford.com/2023/02/15/the-4-hidden-levels-of-consciousness-for-marketing-your-online-business/
As you’ll see, it centers around four levels of consciousness:
- Reactive: This is the level we see most in the online space, full of heavy-hitting tactics that focus on scarcity, FOMO, and quick fixes.
- Willful: This is the level where someone opens their eyes, pushing fear to one side and feeling highly motivated toward a vision or goal (most associated with hustle culture).
- Intellectual: At this level, someone moves away from tactics and focuses on strategy, not wanting to work hard, but rather work smart so they can be more efficient in their pursuit.
- Intuitive: This final level is when someone lives in the present, feeling whether they should or should not do something.
I encourage you to study these four levels in greater depth before you move on—check out: https://scottoldford.com/2023/02/15/the-4-hidden-levels-of-consciousness-for-marketing-your-online-business/
In this article, we’ll look at how these four levels direct how you can effectively leverage paid ads.
The Levels of Consciousness and Paid Ads
Before we dive into the levels of consciousness and how paid ads best work inside each, it’s important to appreciate paid advertising is most effective at the reactive and wilful levels.
At least, I should say it’s cheaper and, on the surface, produces greater results.
Paid ads can and do work at the intellectual and intuitive levels, but it requires patience (and a larger budget). But that’s why I’m writing this article because any form of marketing only works under the right circumstances. The same is true for paid ads, yet most of the advice you come across doesn’t teach this.
Instead, it says… follow this method and you’ll make money!
I used to be part of this problem. I genuinely thought my methods could help anyone to some extent. And they can, but only if you appreciate your level of consciousness and your customers’.
Keep this in mind as you read on…
Reactive:
The individual at the reactive level of consciousness is focused on what’s “out there”.
It’s important to remember this because this type of person floods their senses with ads every single day. They love to see them, to optin, to join another webinar they won’t watch, to hop on a new email list…
Each time they do, they feed their addiction and escape their current pain/problem.
And it’s this pain/problem that rules their world!
For your ads to work at this level of consciousness, you need to focus on two things:
- Frequency: get your ads in front of them as many times as you can
- The Problem: trigger this pain and promise them a quick fix
If you do this, you’ll enjoy high conversion rates. You don’t need to go into huge detail about what the solution is, because, for the most part, they don’t care. They’re so focussed on their pain that they don’t have the capacity to understand what they want.
This is why status symbols are so important at this level of consciousness.
Pictures of Lambos, private jets, parties on a beach, luxurious houses, etc…
If I wanted to attract someone at this level of consciousness, I’d take a picture in front of my $3 million house, leaning against my McLaren with a giant smile on my face. The text that accompanies this image wouldn’t even matter. I’d just briefly focus on their pain and hint at the solution.
That’s all you need to flood your business with leads.
Whether they’re useful and qualified leads is another question.
That happens more as we move on to the next level of consciousness.
Willful:
At the willful level of consciousness, you target someone who’s still focused on their pain/problem, but also has an appreciation of their desired outcome.
As with the reactive level, those here still like to overload their senses with messages and options.
They have an idea of what they want but still aren’t sure.
So it’s good to remain open-minded, which is why the hustle is most associated with the willful level of consciousness. This person’s willing to work hard, grind the gears, and do what it takes. As such, you shouldn’t only focus on their pain/problem but also shine a light on their desired outcome.
If we continue the example from earlier, I’d still share an image of me in front of my house, but also provide a before shot from seven years ago as I worked in my small apartment.
The accompanying text would then focus on how far I’ve come.
I’d paint a vivid picture of what my life looks like today, compared to a few years ago.
But HOW I did this wouldn’t be important.
The point is to show them they can achieve their dreams.
It’s possible, and I have the secrets they need…
As before, relevant and qualified leads aren’t easy to come by here. It’s quantity over quality, which leads us to the next level of consciousness.
Intellectual:
It’s at the intellectual level when paid ads don’t seem as effective.
Maybe this is why you’ve noticed your results decreasing in recent years.
The overall market has an impact, sure, but maybe you’ve evolved—or who you work with those that have—to a higher level of consciousness. This means what used to work no longer will because those at this level are more inward-facing.
They don’t focus on what’s “out there”.
They don’t sign up for every webinar or challenge.
They’re no longer focused on their pain, and they clearly appreciate their desired solution.
They are smart work over hard work!
Paid ads still work at this level, but you need to show greater patience. You need to back up your claims with detailed case studies and a breakdown of how your solution works. It’s harder to get people into your funnel at this stage, but once inside they’re more likely to remain loyal to you because they don’t have the time or desire to follow dozens of different influencers.
If we continue our example from earlier, sharing a picture of my house won’t work with this person. At least, if I use my house as the backdrop, I need to explain how it’s relevant to them and my message.
I could focus on how it’s a good long-term investment, for instance, and how my home is where I do most of my work—how it helps me find flow, work more productively, and save A LOT of time commuting.
This way, my house is no longer a status symbol, but rather something to leverage for greater success.
It has a purpose, allowing me to dive deeper into my message, case studies, proof of work, etc…
Intuitive:
At this final level of consciousness, you deal with someone who lives most—if not all—of their life focused within.
They’re not on social media.
They block ads.
They don’t compare themselves to other people.
And when they do, they appreciate another person’s path isn’t relevant to their own.
That isn’t to say paid ads don’t work at this level, because they can—although it’s harder to reach these people because they 1) spend less time around ads, and 2) take less notice of them.
The person at the intuitive level allows their feelings to guide them. As such, you need to connect with them through visuals that create a rapport, not with your solution/framework, but rather WHO you are.
If we use that example one final time, I’d simply record an unedited 10-minute video while in my house, sharing a message I know would speak to them. The fact I have the house I do isn’t important to the person watching. But seeing me in this place, in flow and at peace does.
Conclusions & Next Steps
I continue to use paid ads to great success to this day, but how I use them has changed.
Today, I live my life between the intellectual and intuitive levels. I continue to serve people at all levels (except for reactive) with specific products, services, and offers. It acts as my compass as I ask…
Who am I talking to right now… who can I help the most with this?
If, for instance, I have a launch designed to bring people from the wilful to intellectual levels, I’ll likely hire a writer to create these ads. Whereas if I target someone at the intellectual or intuitive level, I’ll write the copy myself and record videos on the fly.
Each situation differs… and that’s the point!
The level of consciousness you are in matters.
The level of consciousness your audience is in matters.
Paid ads only work if you make sure they’re relevant. It’s why no generic template works—or if it does, it only does for so long. Discovering this has changed how I play the game because it allows me to speak to the right people in the right way at the right time.
This is a successful approach no matter what level of consciousness you’re dealing with.
Your next step is to take action on this, so make sure you download the guide that accompanies this article—not only does it cover paid ads, but marketing and sales as a whole (as well as other specific techniques like funnels and launches).
To get instant access to this guide, complete this form now…
