We would probably all agree that advertising is critical to business success. Whether it is word-of-mouth or through an organised marketing campaign, a company cannot sell its goods and services without informing customers that the company actually exists. It is a fundamental rule of business. Where organised marketing campaigns are concerned, a big part of the equation is advertising copy.
All of us have a vast amount of experience with advertising copy as consumers. We see it and read it every single day. Advertising copy can be seen in online ads, street signs, newspapers and magazines, digital ads on our mobile phones, and on and on. However, what makes this kind of copy productive? More importantly, how do you create successful advertising copy as a business owner?
There is no form of advertising copy that can be considered perfect. Likewise, not all copy will generate the results you are looking for. Additionally, good advertising copy can be somewhat of a hit-or-miss proposition depending on consumer trends at any given time. With that in mind however, there are five keys you can implement that will increase the chances of your advertising copy being highly successful. Those five keys are:
1. Find what makes you Unique
According to Google, one of the top tips for writing successful ad copy is to highlight something about your business that makes you unique. Google’s comments are obviously geared toward online advertising, but the principle is just as applicable to other forms of marketing as well. Google gives examples of uniqueness, including a free shipping policy and an extensive variety of choices. Whatever it is that makes your business stand out should be included in your ad copy.
2. Pricing and Promotion
Google also recommends including pricing, promotions, and exclusions in your ad copy. There is a good reason for this. Advertising copy is a unique type of copy that is designed primarily to sell products and services. If a potential customer does not have pricing, promotion and exclusion information readily in front of him/her while reading your ad, he/she is not likely to make a purchase decision.
3. Carefully Consider Length
Debate rages all across the Internet about how many words a piece of content should be. Some say it should be between 500 and 750 words. Others claim that Google is looking for content between 750 and 1,000 words. Truth be known, the total number of words is irrelevant. Therefore, the length of your advertising copy should be commensurate with what you are trying to sell and who your target audience is. For example, if you are trying to sell an app to twenty-somethings, be brief. They are not interested in reading 750 words about why they should buy your app.
4. ‘Shout’ with Your Headline
Headlines are important from an SEO perspective inasmuch as search engines use them to figure out what content is about. Nonetheless, if headlines are important for SEO, they are critical for ad copy. The headline of any advertising copy needs to ‘shout’. It needs to be such that it demands the attention of the reader. To that end, brevity is a big plus when creating headlines for advertising copy.
5. Keep It Simple
Ad copy is often complemented with graphics and stylised text. Here is one thing you absolutely must remember: keep the additional material simple. You do not want your customers focusing on the graphics and stylised text that are meant to enhance your message, rather than the message itself.
Read more: 10 Questions to Ask for Advertising Success