 Communication is an essential skill and writing is a critical part of communicating online, particularly on social media. The right words can make or break an ad and simple tweaks can have a big impact. Promoting the wrong message is wasting money and something I see too often with businesses running Facebook Ads. Successful online advertising starts with the right message targeted to the right audience. #1: 80/20 rule Headlines matter. On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, however only 2 out of 10 will read the rest of your message. This means your headline or opening sentence is prime real estate for getting your readers attention, make it count. #2: Clarity & Readability Short and sweet is best. We're all 'time poor' and tend to skim messages. This is difficult when text is wordy, hard to read, and has poor grammar. You need to get the reader engaged enough to learn more, whether that be following your page, visiting your website, making a phone call or visiting your store in person. #3: Customer focus Although your message may be reaching many people, it’s valuable to write as if you were speaking to an individual and what they care about. Too many businesses talk about themselves instead. Focus on the problem you solves for your customers rather than simply describing your product or service. People respond to ads that speak to their needs. The word ‘you’ is one of the best words for connecting with someone and placing them in your story. Other words like ‘your’ have the same effect (see the title of this blog!). “Good advertising is written from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions it rarely moves anyone.” – Fairfax M. Cone “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” – Theodore Levitt #4: Call to action What do you want your reader to do next? It could be visiting your website, subscribing to your email or picking up the phone - make it obvious! Phrases like ‘Learn more’ are often more successful in increasing click-through rates and moving people along the sales process. Let people know what they get out of it. For example 'Give us a call to get a free quote'. However, the call to action shouldn’t always be a hard sale or “BUY NOW” and too many calls-to-action in the one post can create confusion and indecision. #5: Add zest What makes your business unique? Generic terms like 'great customer service' are overused and an expectation rather than any kind of competitive advantage. Let people know why they should do business with you, rather than your competitor. “Homework” Having written Google Ad copy for many different business, it can be a challenge to accurately describe your business in only a sentence or two, but it's important to try. In 90 characters or less try to sum what your business offers. I use a character counter to help keep track. It’s a simple exercise but that doest mean it’s easy - it can be harder than you think! This helps you get clarity on what you offer, your point of difference, and forces you to remove filler words and phrases. Need help crafting your message?
So here’s my call to action (remember tip number 4?), if you're working on a new campaign and would like a second opinion I'd be happy to help - just reach out! |