How To: Write Actionable Ad Copy that Drives Sales
There are countless factors that contribute to the success or failure of an advertisement: timing, graphics, ad spend, design, keywords, audience and more. Yet at the core of any successful ad is attention-grabbing and inspiring copy.
To enhance your ad copy and drive action, try implementing the following best practices in your next campaign:
Help your audience solve a problem.
To ensure your ad stands out, your copy needs to demonstrate how your product will solve a specific problem in people’s lives, making it worthwhile for them to click on your ad. For this reason, the ad should not be laden with information on detailed features and product specs, but instead portray how you can help the user accomplish their end goal.
Instead of stating the price, state how much they will save. Instead of speaking about how the product works, emphasize how convenient, fast, comfortable, easy, fun, etc. the product is to use. Each facet of your product or service can be framed as part of the solution to their problem.
As exemplified by the car ad above, there is not a single price or product specification in sight. Instead, they catch audience attention by appealing to their desire for a luxury vehicle at a reduced price, and then further enticing readers by effectively using the word “you” to make the ad more personal and persuasive.
Appeal to your audience’s emotions.
Another way to increase the draw of your ad copy is to ensure it triggers some sort of emotional reaction, such as humor, joy, sadness, anger or even fear. Emotional triggers are a tried-and-true method to encourage someone to act. While there is typically some level of logic in a consumer’s decision-making process, what they feel often trumps what they think.
To pull this off, you need to determine who your desired audience is, choose which emotion you want them to feel, and then pinpoint what content would evoke that emotion. As with all things, moderation is important. If your ad taps into a negative emotion, don’t make it too extreme or else the audience will associate your brand with that negativity.
The Climate Reality Group succeeded in walking this fine line. The ad copy is straightforward, with two statistics making the connection that the percentage of people who believe in zombies matches the percentage of people who don’t believe in climate change. It taps into the audience’s fear by emphasizing the magnitude of misinformation on a topic with such severe consequences — enough to leave the audience thinking, but not enough to leave an adverse impression of the organization.
Utilize persuasive and actionable terminology.
Whether you are helping your audience solve a problem, appealing to their emotions or both, there is a variety of terms that will help pique the audience’s interest and encourage conversion.
- You: This word makes the ad feel personal, like it was created precisely for that person and their problems.
- Try: Sometimes the word “buy” is a bit intimidating. The solution? Try. This word still provides a clear call to action, but offers a low-stakes way to evaluate the product or service without long-term commitment.
- Save: Remember, your ad copy needs to demonstrate how your product or service solves a consumer’s problem. One way to do this is by emphasizing how your company lifts the burden — by saving time, money or resources.
- Guarantee: This word provides reassurance and removes doubt, helping assuage any concerns that might be holding the individual back from making a purchase.
- Exclusive: Everyone wants to feel special. By providing a deal or product that only an elite group has access to makes them feel like a VIP. This can be accomplished by offering a deal for “members only”, with membership being a simple email registration away.
- Be: This word is small but mighty. It implies transformation, painting a picture that the individual can be whoever they want to be in their career, education or personal life, and that your brand can help them accomplish those aspirations.
- Best & Proven: Both of these words pack a punch and are most effective when backed up with evidence. Was your product, service or company honored with an award? Is it proven effective by research? Did customers vote that your smokehouse has the best ribs? Let the audience know!
With the right balance of problem-solving, emotional appeal and word choice, you can craft copy that stands out and spurs your audience to action. We hope these tips prove helpful in your copywriting endeavors.