In today’s digital age, where consumers are constantly bombarded with information and advertisements online, small businesses must find innovative and effective ways to reach their target audiences. Once you’ve gone through your digital marketing checklist and set up your paid media campaigns, crafting persuasive ad copy is a crucial component of any successful strategy. Having said that, writing ad copy that resonates with the right audience can be a challenging task. In this comprehensive guide, we will provide you with actionable steps to help your small business create ad copy that connects with your ideal customers.
Step 1: Know What Type of Ad You’re Writing
The foundation of any successful ad campaign begins with understanding the type of ad you’re creating. Ad copy comes in various forms, including PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads, social media ads, and display ads, each with its unique set of rules and limitations. Complicating matters, different channels within each type have their own rules. Before you can create ad copy that resonates, you have to understand the requirements of each ad. Familiarize yourself with the nuances of the platforms you intend to advertise on, such as Google Ads, Facebook, or LinkedIn, to tailor your ad copy accordingly. The following lists some of the most commonly used channels for ad placement and their rules:
- Google Ads:
- RSA (Responsive Search Ads)
- Headline 1-15: 30 characters
- Description Line 1-4: 90 characters
- Responsive Display Ads:
- Short Headline: Up to 15 characters
- Long Headline: Up to 30 characters
- Description: Up to 90 characters
- Business Name: Up to 25 characters
- Logo Image: Square (1:1), at least 120×120 pixels
- Image: Landscape (1.91:1), at least 600×314 pixels
- Image File Size: Up to 5 MB
- Bing Ads:
- RSA (Responsive Search Ads)
- Headline 1-15: 30 characters
- Description Line 1-4: 90 characters
- LinkedIn Ads:
- Sponsored Content:
- Intro Text: 150 characters
- Headline: 100 characters
- Description: 150 characters
- Meta (Facebook):
- Text in Ad: 125 characters
- Headline: 25 characters
- Link Description: 30 characters
- TikTok Ads:
- In-Feed Ads:
- Title: 12-100 characters
- Description: Up to 100 characters
- Branded Hashtag Challenge:
- Hashtag: 4-16 characters
- Description: Up to 100 characters
Step 2: Understand the Value You Provide Your Customers
One of the most critical steps in crafting persuasive ad copy is to understand and articulate the value your product or service offers to your customers. Your ad should answer the question WIIFM or “What’s In It For Me?” from the perspective of your target audience. To do this effectively, you can review previously used ad copy insights, customer testimonials, case studies, and product reviews. Then use those items to identify the most compelling reasons why your happiest customers chose your business and how your offering solved their problems! Highlight these key value propositions in your ad copy to engage potential customers.
Example: Company that sells automotive seat covers
- Values: Premium leather and made in the US
- Description Line: Elevate Your Drive With Our Premium Leather Seat Covers, Made in the USA. Buy Today!
Step 3: Research Your Market & Your Competitors
To craft ad copy that connects with your audience, you need to be aware of the latest market trends as well as who your competitors are and what they’re doing. Utilize your industry knowledge to get a sense of the ideal ad copy that aligns with your specific market. Study your competitors to understand what they are doing well and how you can distinguish your business from the rest. This market research will provide the context needed to stand out and effectively communicate why your product or service is the preferred choice.
Ask questions like:
- Are there specific industry-related words or phrases that are essential to include in my ad copy?
- What unique value do I deliver compared to my competitors?
- Can I offer special promotions or incentives to entice potential customers?
By infusing your ad copy with industry-specific language, unique selling points, and compelling differentiators, you can convince customers to choose your business over the competition.
Step 4: Consider the Decision-Making Process
Crafting ad copy that resonates with your audience requires understanding where potential customers are in their decision-making journey. Different customers are at different stages of the buyer’s funnel, and your ad copy should cater to these varying levels of familiarity with your brand or product. By tailoring your message to align with the decision-making process, you can create a personalized connection with your audience, alleviate confusion, and reduce friction, ultimately leading to higher engagement.
Step 5: Use Original Value Propositions with Emotive Words and Phrases
Emotion plays a vital role in motivating consumer action. Human beings are naturally inclined to respond to emotionally engaging content. Incorporate emotive words and phrases that resonate with your audience and trigger a strong emotional response. For instance, words like “with ease,” “seamlessly,” “effortlessly,” and “stress-free” can evoke feelings of comfort and relief. Ad copy that makes customers feel something while demonstrating value is more likely to result in conversions. Immerse your audience in the experience your product or service provides.
Step 6: Craft Catchy, Yet Direct Headlines
The headline is often the first element of your ad that catches the reader’s eye. Creating a compelling headline is crucial to capturing the reader’s attention and encouraging them to engage with your ad. Align your headline with industry-related keywords that users are likely to search for in the platform where your ad will be displayed. Think of headlines as digital bumper stickers, meant to stand out and convey their message quickly. The character limits for headlines vary by platform, so be sure to adapt your headlines accordingly while remembering you want to try to max out as many characters as possible.
Step 7: Write a Killer Call-To-Action (CTA)
The call-to-action (CTA) is a pivotal element of ad copy that is often underestimated. A well-crafted CTA should motivate the audience to take immediate action, be concise, and indicate what the reader will gain by clicking on the ad. Examples of effective CTAs include “Talk To An Expert,” “Register Today,” or “Buy Now.” Once you’ve piqued a potential customer’s curiosity, guide them directly to a product or service page that delivers on the value propositions highlighted in your ad. Ensure that these landing pages also feature CTAs to maximize performance.
Step 8: Test, Test, and Test Again
When it comes to writing successful ad copy, one of the last but most important steps is to test your ad copy to see what works and resonates with your audience. A/B testing is a valuable method for evaluating ad performance. Compare two or more ad variations within the same ad group, altering one variable at a time. By analyzing the results, you can discover which aspects of your ad copy are most effective with your target audience.
- Not entirely sure how to set up an A/B test or measure results? Talk to one of our experts today and receive a free digital marketing audit!
Step 9: Implement Additional Best Practices
To create ad copy that truly resonates with your target audience, consider incorporating the following best practices:
Activate Ad Extensions:
Ad extensions provide users with additional information and opportunities to act directly from search results. Different types of ad extensions can enhance your ad’s visibility and guide users toward the information or action they seek.
Create a schedule:
Evergreen vs event-based
Evergreen ads provide a steady and continuous brand presence, promoting core offerings consistently, while event-based ads are designed for specific occasions, creating urgency and capitalizing on timely opportunities, resulting in a balanced marketing strategy that builds long-term awareness and seizes immediate, event-driven engagement.
It’s clear that crafting persuasive ad copy that resonates with the right audience is a vital component of small business marketing. By following these steps and implementing best practices, you can create ad copy that not only stands out but also engages and converts your ideal customers. Understanding the nuances of different ad types, knowing your value proposition, conducting market research, aligning your message with the decision-making process, infusing emotion, creating catchy headlines, and writing compelling CTAs are all key factors in achieving success with your ad copy. Moreover, always be open to experimenting and optimizing your ad copy to achieve the best results and continue reaching the right audiences.
Contact us to talk about how Unfair Advantage can help you reach your business goals.
Want to learn more? Read about how we used paid media to increase our automotive aftermarket client’s revenue by 157% or how to use local digital marketing strategies to grow.
