7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Ad Copy

With so many advertising opportunities online – from Facebook to Google and beyond – writing ad copy that gets noticed, read and acted upon is becoming harder and harder. Don’t forget old-school print ads, which, depending on your industry, are still used here and there.

As a copywriter and editor, I write a variety of content for clients that has to cut through all the noise and clutter.  Here are 7 valuable tips I’ve learned along the way that are easy to implement as you write your own ad copy:

1. Know your target market

Unless you thoroughly understand your target market’s demographic makeup, needs and wants, you cannot write copy – ad or otherwise – that will catch their attention.  Do your research so you know your audience inside and out.

2. Be careful with questions

If you ask a question as your ad’s headline, be sure to ask only yes/no questions that will be answered the way you want them answered – or you’ll lose potential customers. Asking “Want to go to a free concert?” will leave your readers asking, “What kind of music?  Who is playing?”  Instead, ask “Want to see Jane’s Addiction for free?”

3. Keep it to the basics

From your headline to your body copy, keep your language basic and to the point.  That doesn’t mean boring, though! Use vivid action words, adjectives and adverbs to evoke emotion and elicit excitement.

4. Be persuasive

Tell your potential customers exactly why they need your product or service in your ad.  What problems do you solve?  How do you make their lives easier?

5. Be convincing

Instead of using wishy-washy-maybe language like “could,” say “will.” Instead of “we think,” say “we know.”

6. Stick to one message per ad

For your ad to be most effective, stay focused on one message targeted to one of your customer segments.  If you have more than one message and more than one segment you want to reach, create multiple ads.

7. Add a call to action

Always use a strong call to action that tells your audience what to do – and if it’s online, make sure the call to action is linked to a landing page so your potential customers can take that action, whether it’s downloading a free demo or accessing a special discount.

What ads have grabbed your attention recently?  What have you done in writing your own ads that has been super effective?  Leave a comment below!

Image courtesy of serc.carleton.edu

This entry was posted on Monday, August 13th, 2012 at 9:00 am and is filed under Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.


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