04 Mar
With a 2.14 billion advertising audience, it would be silly not to promote your brand on Facebook. According to Hootsuite, this number increased by 2.2% since the third quarter of 2020. That’s about 45 million users that your Facebook ad could reach.
As many of us on Facebook have noticed, it is an advertising platform that’s big on images. Because of this, your Facebook ad copywriter must have killer skills in writing ad copy that grabs attention. Here are ten skills you or your writer need to have to slay writing that Facebook ad copy.
1. Extreme Curiosity
Flexibility is a necessary trait to become a good copywriter. Almost always, you will write for not just one client, but a good several. This means you need to do extensive research on a variety of topics.
To get valuable data from research, you need to be extremely curious. Curiosity will help drive you to get the answers to the following questions:
- What is this product, and how does it work?
- Why would people want this instead of the others?
- How can I make people notice what I’m selling?
2. High Creativity
According to Consumer Acquisition, images are responsible for 75 to 90% of a Facebook ad’s performance. But of course, selling would be difficult without written content. This means your Facebook ad copywriter has to be highly creative to write ad copy.
The purpose of an image in a Facebook ad is to get attention. A great Facebook ad copywriter writes content that seals the deal. Take this example from Nike that uses a great image with very compelling copy:
3. Empathy
The best Facebook ad copywriter is one who can step into the shoes of the target audience. They should be someone who can see the world through the eyes of their potential customers. Having empathy as a writing skill helps them create ad copy that prospects can relate to.
Effective ad copy entails that the writer can speak to the hearts of consumers by knowing the following:
- What are their goals and objectives?
- What are their pain points and problems?
- How can this product make their lives better?
Gone are the days when advertisers try to trick people into buying their products, period. It’s no longer about making a sale but changing and improving lives.
4. Knowledge of the Target Market
To be empathic to your target audience, you need to know who they are. And not only that, you need to know them at a deeper level. For you to persuade them to do your bidding, you need to get into their heads.
Your research skills will come to good use here. Also, Facebook has analytics tools that can help you identify your exact target audience. Learning about your prospects’ behaviors, likes, dislikes, and preferences can help you write the best ad copy for Facebook.
5. Conversational Writing Skills
Hard selling is no longer relevant today, says Forbes. No one likes companies shoving their products down consumers’ throats anymore. This is why Facebook ad copywriters should learn how to convince buyers through their conversational writing skills.
A good example of this skill is an ad from The Dog Training Secret. Just a dog owner speaking to another about keeping pets under control. Definitely no pressure or hard selling whatsoever.
6. Learn About Retargeting
Effective Facebook advertising can benefit much from retargeting. This is the strategy where people who previously interacted with your page are reminded to check your brand again. What you do is introduce new ads to these prospects and encourage them to take action.
This means you need to write your persuasive best to get them to purchase. This includes writing specifically for these users and getting them to do what the previous ads weren’t able to do.
7. Strong Marketing Skills
When writing ad copy for Facebook, your writer needs to be aware that customers go through a sales funnel. Customers typically go through a six-step process:
- Awareness
- Interest
- Consideration
- Intent
- Evaluation
- Purchase
Familiarizing yourself with each stage helps you determine the tone and voice of your writing. A Facebook ad copywriter should know how to sell products through written words. And knowing which stage your prospects are in helps write better ad copy.
8. Powerful Headline Creation Abilities
According to a Quick Sprout survey, 8 out of 10 people will read only your headline. This means a measly two will read the rest of your content. Writing powerful headlines is a class in itself. You need to master this, especially since images are big on Facebook.
Writing the perfect headlines can be a challenge, but there are tools available that can help. Sharethrough Headline Analyzer is one. Plus, a ton of practice, trials and errors, and of course, research can help you.
9. Magically Turn the Ordinary into Extraordinary
A Facebook ad copywriter doesn’t have the privilege of choosing which companies or products to sell. This is why you need to have the skill of magically making ordinary, boring businesses into exciting and fascinating ones. Advertising legend David Ogilvy once said, “There are no dull products, only dull writers.”
You can add zest to your Facebook ad copy by doing these:
- Begin with an intriguing question
- Startle with statistics
- Tell an entertaining story
- Use metaphors
- Simplify complex information
10. Good Grammar
Last but not least is having a good grasp of grammar. A survey made by Global Lingo has shown that 59% of the respondents claimed that they wouldn’t use a company with apparent mistakes in grammar and spelling. Having good grammar as a writer can’t be emphasized enough.
In the image above, even HubSpot admitted to their mistake and included it in an article about this. There are many resources available to help you overcome this. Grammarly is one of the best tools for checking your grammar.
Final Thoughts
A Facebook ad copywriter has many factors to take into consideration when doing their jobs. It takes special skills to create ads that compel viewers. The ones listed here are some of the most important, but experience is still the best teacher.
