In today’s digital-forward business environment, attracting the attention of potential customers is simultaneously easier and more challenging than ever. While social media platforms have become a key way to effectively target a specific audience segment, businesses are competing in a crowded market that not only includes other businesses but also friends, family and more.

While standing out is difficult, developing advertisements that effectively capture the attention of audiences can be done with careful planning. Below, 18 Forbes Business Council members discuss strategies leaders can leverage to create effective ads that convert prospects.

1. Craft A Compelling Call To Action

In my experience, the secret to creating an effective ad that converts is crafting a compelling call to action or CTA. A clear and enticing CTA prompts immediate action from the viewer, resulting in higher conversion rates. It should be concise and specific while offering a clear benefit to the audience. – Ryan Austin, Cognota

2. Make It Memorable

The secret to creating an effective ad that converts lies in its memorability. In today’s cluttered advertising space, capturing attention is paramount. One essential ingredient for achieving this is creativity. A memorable ad stands out, resonates emotionally and leaves a lasting impression, increasing brand recall and driving conversions. – Amber Brown, Grant Cardone Licensee

3. Connect On An Emotional Level

High-conversion commercials use captivating consumer psychology stories. Emotional triggers and inspiring stories help us connect with our audience. We improve our technique by utilizing real-time performance measurements. It is essential to connect with individuals on an emotional level because it effectively conveys the worth of your proposal, builds trust and inspires them to act. – Sergey Buchin, Irbisio Cleantech Infrastructure Fund

4. Set Yourself Apart

A key ingredient is difference. Research your competitors and aim to do something wildly different. For example, if they’re all using sleek graphic ads with catchy taglines, perhaps try a minimalist approach with a bold, single statement. The more contrast you have, the more you’ll stand out and invoke curiosity. This will leave your audiences excited and eager to make that click. – Sean Shea, ViB

5. Deeply Understand Your Audience

Your target audience is the key to successful advertising. Understanding their needs, desires and problems allows us to create advertising materials that are attractive and relevant. It’s also important to demonstrate how our product or service can help solve their problems or meet their needs. This analysis allows us to create advertising that effectively communicates with our audience. – Jekaterina Beljankova, WALLACE s.r.o

6. Tap Into Deep Desires And Fears

The No. 1 ingredient for creating ads that get people to buy is tapping into their deepest desires and fears. Craft your message to what your customer craves or worries about the most. Use vivid language to stir emotions like longing for success, yearning for love or dread of failure. Make them feel your product or service will solve their burning need. When ads ignite powerful feelings, customers feel compelled to take action. – Vikrant Shaurya, Authors On Mission

7. Blend Human Insight With Humour

In our experience, the secret to crafting an effective ad is having a deep human insight driving the story and blending that insight with humour. Understanding what triggers people’s decisions, fears and joys is crucial. Once you have that insight, infusing humour can be a powerful way to connect by creating tension. This will make the ad relatable and, most importantly, shareable. – Roberto Max Salas, Young Her

8. Be Authentic

I’ve found that authenticity is the key ingredient to creating an effective ad that truly converts. It’s about connecting with your audience, understanding their needs and addressing these concerns with integrity. This approach garners attention and builds lasting trust, transforming interest into action. Remember that customers seek solutions from trustworthy sources—authenticity drives conversations. – Aleesha Webb, Pioneer Bank

9. Create Relevant Ads

Ads can convert when they are relevant to the target segment. Ads that address a customer’s pain point have a much better chance of converting than visually appealing ones. As much as possible, it is better to test an ad on a sample population before spending a big budget on it. Testing ad effectiveness in today’s digital world is not a difficult task at all. – Sabeer Nelliparamban, Tyler Petroleum Inc / ZilBank

10. Focus On The Solution

Highlight the solution, not just the product. An effective ad connects by addressing the audience’s pain points directly and showing how your solution will make their life easier or better. – Blake Olson, Smart Prop Trader

11. Provide Timely Information

Effective ads are curated with articles that can provide customers with the information they really want in a timely manner. Traditional SEO alone is not necessarily the approach your customers want, so you will need an information platform that satisfies their needs. It would be even better to have a system that allows for interactive information sharing rather than one-way information provision. – Karita Takahisa, UNIFY PLATFORM AG

12. Localize Ads

Targeting ads based on geographic location or local preferences can make them more relevant and impactful. Customize ad content to reflect regional interests, language preferences or cultural nuances. Localized targeting will help you connect with audiences on a personal level, increasing the likelihood of conversions, especially for businesses with physical locations or regional offerings. – Ran Ronen, Equally AI

13. Utilize Good Visuals

Crafting an effective ad that converts involves utilizing good visuals that capture attention. In the property management industry, showcasing stunning images of luxurious amenities or offering virtual tours can entice potential guests to book a stay. By combining persuasive messaging with visually appealing content, businesses can create ads that attract attention and drive meaningful engagement. – Johan Hajji, UpperKey

14. Tap Into Audience Emotions

The most effective ads tap into the target audience’s emotions—whether that’s excitement, humour, aspiration, nostalgia, etc. Figure out which emotion most authentically aligns with your message and audience to deliver an advertisement that is memorable and impactful. Emotive language and strong imagery are excellent tools to make sure an advertisement isn’t looked over. – Archer Chiang, Giftpack

15. Tailor Messaging

In our experience, one essential ingredient is relevance. Tailoring your advert to address specific audience pain points and motivations increases the impact and likelihood of conversion. When your ad speaks directly to the audience’s interests and addresses their concerns, it establishes a stronger connection and drives higher conversion rates. – Chris Coldwell, Quicksilver Software Development Inc.

16. Highlight Your Unique Offering

One core ingredient you must have in your ad is the unique selling proposition of your brand. Identify and highlight what sets you apart from the rest. Hit the right spots in terms of the brand and cover all the bases the ad requires by being funny, emotional or adventurous to properly position the brand to the target audience. – Vinay Chandrashekar, Long Boat Brewing Co.

17. Be Patient

The secret ingredient for an effective ad is simple: patience. In marketing, it’s rare to nail it on the first try. View each campaign as a learning experience where even subtle changes can get you closer to your conversion goals. With that in mind, don’t be afraid to try something new. Often, the best-performing ads are the most surprising. – Mark DeHaan, TenantCloud & Rentler

18. Have A Finger On The Public’s Pulse

People like to think we’re totally rational actors making rational decisions when many things are truly motivated by a fleeting feeling or subconscious instinct. A good ad must have its finger on the public pulse. Whether that public is B2B or B2C, the things that induce virality and conversion are about getting a deep cultural and emotional understanding and then reflecting that onto the viewer. – Michael Shribman, APS Global Partners Inc.