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 How To Write Great Eye Catching Adverts
Ad copy is unique, in that you have very limited time to get your message across. At a glance, your ad copy needs to convince the reader to convert. Unless they’re instantly inspired to take, it’s not going to happen.
In which case, what can you do to step up your ad copy, starting right now? What are the secrets behind the most engaging and convincing ad copy, which apply irrespective of what you are selling?
Realistically, there are just 10 things you need to do to get your ad copy in order:
1. Offer solutions to the customer’s problems
First up, customers are only ever bothered about what they get out of the deal. Frankly, they couldn’t care less what’s in it for you. This is why your ad copy needs to be engineered to communicate how you can solve their problems and improve their lives.
The idea is that you identify the goal the customer wants to achieve, and base your ad copy around this. While doing so, be sure to use plenty of references to “you” and “your” so they know you are talking directly to them.
2. Add facts and figures
The addition of a few figures and statistics here and there can make all the difference. “90% of users saw a 50% revenue increase within 30 days” paints a clear picture of something that offers a proven benefit.
Adding ‘proof’ in one form or another to your ads can make all the difference. This is where the appeal of the ad goes beyond the basic message to include what’s interpreted as evidence of quantifiable value.
3. Address your customers’ concerns
By now, you should know what your customers value most, and what concerns than the most. If you know they’re concerned about high prices, tell them how cheap you are. If they’re obsessed with environmental concerns, tout your eco-friendliness.
It’s basically a case of taking the ‘solutions to problems’ step one step further. Think of the concerns and barriers that may dissuade them from converting, and address them directly.
4. Get to the point as quickly as possible
Your best and most important copy needs to come first, otherwise nobody may read the rest of your text. Ideally, you should be looking to communicate your message, your offer and your unique value proposition through your headlines alone.
Of course, convincing copy in sub-headers and descriptions is also essential. It’s just that by the time most people get this far, they will already have made a decision about what they plan to do next.
5. Don’t forget the call-to-action (CTA)
The importance of strategic CTA inclusion also cannot be overemphasised. If you want the user to take a specific action, tell them what to do. Whether ‘buy now’ or ‘find out more’, it’s essential to give them clear instructions on what to do and how to do it.
Experimenting with different CTA wording, positioning and even colour choice comes highly recommended. Oftentimes, even the slightest tweak to a CTA can make a huge difference.
6. Make sure your ad copy corresponds with your landing page copy
It’s important to remember that convincing people to click your ads alone isn’t enough. In fact, it’s only half the battle - you then need to convince them with your on-page copy. This is where it is essential to ensure that the landing page copy they are presented with matches the ad copy.
If some of your landing pages have excessively high bounce rates, it could be that the copy is not meeting the expectations of those clicking your ads. The landing page an ad points to should essentially take the ad copy to the next level, with further insights on the same subject matter. When a person feels they’ve been misled to a page that’s of no real relevance to what they were expecting, they’ll leave and never return.
7. Bring emotional triggers into your ad copy
If you can make it work, it can be highly effective to bring emotional triggers into ad copy. The effectiveness of any given emotional trigger will be determined by what it is you are selling and whom you are selling it to.
For example, luxury products are always marketed to affluent customers in a way that plays on their desire to show off, their refusal to buy anything substandard and their fear of missing out. Or when selling sustainable products to environmentally conscious audiences, you can bring positive emotional triggers and your ad copy by talking about hope, change and a better world for future generations.
8. Leave them wanting more
With limited space to play with, you have to strike the perfect balance between getting your message across and leaving the reader wanting more. Ideally, your copy should be so compelling that they simply cannot resist clicking through to find out more.
This is again where facts and figures can help - you engage them with the promise of something quantifiable, but you don’t tell them how it’s done. You make it clear you can satisfy their needs and solve their problems, but they’ll need to click to learn how.
9. Prioritise mobile audiences
A brief point but important nonetheless, remember that most of the traffic you get may come from mobile device users. Mobile traffic has already overtaken desktop traffic in many key markets, and is set to continue dominating indefinitely.
Consequently, your ads need to be as mobile-friendly as possible - both in terms of their presentation and their usability. Links that are inconvenient to click for mobile users, for example, will only work against you.
10. Keep an eye on your competitors
Last up, it is always useful to keep a close eye on what your closest competitors are doing with their ads. Not to rip off ideas wholesale, but to find out how you can improve on their ads and ad copy.
Taking inspiration from the competition is never a bad thing. It can also be a useful part of your programme of keyword research, allowing you to leverage less competitive keywords of relevance to your target audience.