Being boring is the kiss of death in advertising. Consumers are exposed to far too many ads to pay attention to something boring. Some say consumers are exposed to 5,000 ads per day. That makes it tough to get attention, keep attention, and get someone to take action.

Here are some tips to improve each portion.

Get attention

Targeting: If you run a steak commercial to a vegetarian, they won’t pay attention from the beginning, so it doesn’t matter what the advertisement is. Sensationalism is getting worse. Things like “click bait” are becoming more common. This makes targeting even more important.

The ideal target is people who have purchased from you in the past. They are more likely to pay attention to your message, especially if you have a somewhat captive audience, or are sharing your message in a setting where there are less distractions.

We send email newsletters for clients to their existing and past customers. The open rates are three to four times better than other open rates in part because it’s people who have purchased from them previously and the messages are often entertaining.

Quick: Be quick to get attention. Offer something interesting and unique right off the bat. The consumer wants to know, “what the heck is this?”

You can do that through arousing curiosity. In this short and funny video of Santa on the golf course, the viewer is immediately curious to find out where this is going. It also helps to keep attention.

Start like a James Bond movie with immediate action. Guys are skiing down a hill shooting at each other. It grabs you quick.

Keep attention

Many people watch Super Bowl commercials because they expect to be entertained. It has become a “thing to do.” I know people who do not watch the game but tune in for commercials.

The commercial that I remember that got all this started was Michael Jordan and Larry Bird playing Horse — shooting full court shots, then from cheap seats, then from miles away…and neither would miss. It was fun and entertaining which kept my attention.

Some Super Bowl ads are entertaining, but only for the sake of being entertaining. They do not prop up the product or service in the way that they should. These types of ads can still have added value because long after its debut, the ad is shared on YouTube and Facebook for an extended period.

The best ad would be entertaining with the gag or the hook being something that leads to your product, service, or a behavior that the advertiser wants to promote. The Santa video mentioned earlier is meant to drive a certain behavior. You can probably guess what it is after seeing the video.

Get consumers to take action

The media you use can make it easier to get the consumer to take action. An entertaining email or video can have a clickable link. If an advertisement gets and keeps attention then encourages action and that action is to click on a link such as “check out our inventory,” it’s easy for the consumer. This is one of the reasons for growth in people using QR codes. The average person can use their camera to scan the QR code to be taken to a link rather than typing it out. It’s easier and faster.

An entertaining message can get consumers to let their guard down which may lead to more action. An fun and informative message may breed trust, which may lead to action.

Entertain

Marketing that is entertaining is more likely to get and keep attention. It is also more likely to lead to action, shared and remembered. It does not have to be laugh-out-loud funny. It can cause a smile, a chuckle, or just be informative with a unique delivery.

Kenny Atcheson is the founder and president of Dealer Profit Pros and author of Marketing Battleground: How to Deploy Under-the-Radar Strategies to Explode Your Profits. Request a consult or learn more about his company’s marketing and advertising programs, customer service and sales training at www.DealerProfitPros.com.