Pop-up advertising can be a digital marketer's best friend or worst enemy. If your target demo finds your pop-ups annoying or not intriguing, you're sunk from the get-go.

The good news is that there are easy and super-effective ways to freshen your approach to pop-up placement. This way, your customers will be interested in what you show them and welcome seeing your content over and over.

Try these tips to boost enthusiasm and sales!

Limit your pop-up scheduling to early in the day.

A study from Polish researchers Izabela Rejer and Jaroslav Jankowski found that, in looking at the brain's electrical activity, concentration can drop when a consumer sees a pop-up.

It's key, then, to avoid scheduling ads at peak work times for your demo or late in the day when they're attention may be flagging due to fatigue. Try scheduling your pop-ups for 7-9 a.m., when your audience is alert and receptive.

Invest in more banners for mobile ads.

Research from Columbia University Business School found that using tiny banner ads can increase consumer spending significantly if you use them the right way.

Banner pop-ups work well for practical products, like lawnmowers or a new vehicle for the family. They don't work for splurge purchases like expensive watches, which are considered high risk by on-the-go consumers, or for low-risk items like toothbrushes. Consumers consider items like that so low-risk they don't need a mobile ad to purchase them.

A pop-up for major necessary purchases, though? That can get people thinking as they go about their day.

Don't overload your pop-ups.

A study from Virginia Tech by Katherine Haenschen and Jay Jennings found that millennial shoppers like pop-ups that only show them one item they've browsed online, as opposed to a string of items. That's a good rule-of-thumb for many consumer demos: don't overwhelm them.

Don't use pop-ups too frequently.

Nothing is more frustrating to a consumer than getting constant screen interruptions, even if they like your product. Overkill is the ultimate loyalty buster.

Put yourself in your audience's shoes.

When do you personally find a pop-up ad interesting or helpful? Analyze your last personal purchase that was influenced by seeing a pop-up.

What factors made you but the advertised product? Was it the photo, the tagline, or the way the pop-up specifically tapped into a practical need or not-so-practical whim? Use your own experience to create pop-ups that have real appeal. That's truly getting inside the head of your audience!