Beginner’s Guide to Ad Copy Best Practices

Advertising has seen its fair share of radical changes throughout the years. Platforms came and went, strategies went from print to digital, and so on. But there is one thing that stays as crucial as ever, and that is ad copy. The best website, social media graphics, or the most expensive ad placements won’t get you optimum results without compelling ad copy. As with all your marketing strategies, ad copy best practices deserves as much attention as any. This guide for beginners will help you create effective content that will result in the returns you’re aiming for.

Research and Plan

Advertising legend David Ogilvy once said: “Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals.” Before you start writing ad copy, you need to get into the mind of your target audience. Always remember that it’s about them, not you. To do this, you need to understand the following:

• Who’s going to read your ad copy
• How that person thinks and behaves
• What they want and need (their pain points)

Include Emotional Triggers

While there are people who have specific end goals in mind while browsing, many are casually looking for information. These are people who want solutions to a problem or services to fill a need. Getting these visitors to take action requires special consideration, and that is to trigger them emotionally.

People make decisions based on logic as well as emotions, and you need to take advantage of this with your ad copy. Positive emotions, such as hope and relief, are emotions that can drive excellent results. But negative emotions such as fear (as in FOMO) or pain (we all want to avoid it) are great emotions to spur consumers into taking action.

Use Relevant Keywords

One way to zero in on what your target audience is looking for is to use relevant keywords. You can write about shoes, but writing about dress shoes gets your ad copy in front of a more defined audience. Adding keywords to your ad copy will make it relevant to your target’s search.

Offer Solutions 

Keywords are great, but you need more than just adding them to your copy. In a world where everyone uses keywords, your brand may get lost amidst a sea of competition. This is where you’ll need to write an ad copy about how you can solve people’s problems

Writing about how brilliant your brand is won’t do you any good, telling them how you can improve their lives, gets you their approval. Take these dress shoe ads as an example. They all clearly show you the benefit of purchasing from them—the discounts, the designer brands, free shipping, and more.

Add Numbers

We all want to make it easy and quick for our potential customers. By adding a number, whether a price or statistics, you’re helping them make their decision easier. This example from EO Executive Optical shows upfront how much you’re going to spend on a complete eyeglass package.

Most searchers already have a price in mind, but adding it to your ad helps them make a decision better. When they see your amount and compare it with your competition, they’ll quickly see who they want to do business with.

Show Respect to Your Audience

Consumers will determine the level of your brand’s success, so it’s imperative to show them the respect they deserve. Never talk down to them, instead, speak to them with dignity and intelligence. Your ad copy should reflect that, otherwise, you’ll risk them turning away and running towards the next guy.

Keep It Short and Simple

Most of the time, when you write an ad copy, you’re limited to a small space. This is what makes it tricky. You need to grab their attention using the least words possible. What you should do is be as specific as you can, avoiding fluff and holding out on the story of your product. Leave that to the About page of your website.

Don’t Forget a Call-To-Action 

Providing a good buying experience for your customers include telling them what to do next. A good call-to-action will show them how simple it is to buy from you or be directed to where they can get more details about the brand. After all, marketing efforts are all geared towards making the prospect take any action that will lead to a purchase.

A call-to-action can also be useful in weeding out those who aren’t really interested. You can add a Buy Now or Learn More button, depending on what you want them to do. Either way, you’re framing their visitor experience by telling them how to proceed. This ad from Spotify best exemplifies this in a very creative way.

Preempt Common Objections

Think of what could deter people from buying what you’re offering. Usually, this boils down to one of these two objections—price and convenience. When consumers choose between two competing brands, these two are on top of their considerations. How much is it, and how much hassle will I go through to get it?

This ad for Invisalign services helps ease the mind of those wanting to get it but have hesitations. It’s offering before and after photos, as well as reassuring prospects that 6 million patients couldn’t be wrong. It conveys a message of having straight teeth without the hassles usually associated with braces.

Test Your Ad Copy

To know if your ad copy best practices work, always make sure to test them. This is an excellent way to make real improvements to your ads and make them more effective. Create two or three different versions of your ad and see how each of them performs. Most platforms allow you to understand what ads do well and what doesn’t making it easy to reach your ad goals.

Final Thoughts 

Writing ad copy isn’t as easy and straightforward as it seems. It needs careful thought and attention to make it a good part of your marketing strategies. If you don’t have the time and patience for it, this may be the time to hire a professional writing service such as Content Fuel. Our team of vetted writers can write ad copies for your brand at an affordable price.