Getting Creative With Ad Copy

Copywriters are not one and the same. While some excel when it comes to long-form storytelling, others are great with short and punchy text. Digital ads often require short-form writing and come with a set of requirements as to how many characters are allowed and which keywords to use. For most creatives, this can stifle the process and get in the way of being creative. So, without further ado, let’s talk ad copy and how you can keep it interesting. 

Compelling ad copy is vital for the performance of the ad. When you’re putting budget towards ads, you need to ensure the copy is up to standard, because even if it fails to bring in revenue, it can do even more harm by damaging your brand perception. Is this a little dramatic? Maybe, but I’m sure you’ve been put off by a bad advert before.

The tone of voice is as important as ever. The ad needs to fulfill its purpose but as an extension of your brand. In other words, don’t divert too far away from your brand’s style. There also comes a time for soft-selling and hard-selling, with the latter being the driver for ad copy. But hard-selling doesn’t need to be pushy, either. People can appreciate an ad for what it is, especially when it provides them with a solution. The most effective CTAs are usually conversational ones that include encouragement.

Read More: 5 Call to Action Examples That Make Customers Click in 2022

And herein lies the key: focus on providing value! Identify it, align it with your customers, show the link to your brand, and show how it can solve an issue. The message needs to be easy to understand - don’t make your audience do the work of deciphering what your message is all about. 

With so few words to work with, you need to decide on the words you use very carefully. It needs to be captivating and compelling - enough to drive action or at least be memorable enough to drive action when the need arises. This fulfills the fundamental purpose of advertising. In fact, working with fewer words can be a blessing in that it cuts away the fluff, keeps the messaging direct, and keeps things simple. 

With certain ads, there will be an ad creative or visual component. This could be audio, images, or videos. It is imperative that the text and visuals work together seamlessly. According to HubSpot, digital ads have 3 main purposes, namely:

• Concept Ads: These ads are designed to create brand awareness. Storytelling techniques are used to entertain audiences and show a stance, especially with video marketing. As such, they usually have more production and investment requirements and are produced a few times per year - think branded videos. These ads are measured by impressions and interactions. 
• Content Ads: These ads are designed to increase engagement and the lead generated. They are also the most common types of ads, which target customers in the awareness and consideration stages. Content ads are measured by traffic and leads generated. They are fundamentally educational ads that put value at the front and center. 
• Commerce Ads: These are direct sales ads showcasing offers and products to shop. They are often minimalist ads that rely on platform functionality with have built-in CTAs like “Shop Now.” These types of ads are predominantly displayed in ‘Google Shopping’ suggestions and across social media platforms.

Read More: 9 Types of Paid Online Advertizing that Work

As we mentioned, the alignment of ads with branding is key. It needs to match the brand values and style with a complimentary look and feel. Ideally, you should create a custom landing page for your digital ads to lead to. With this, you’ll be able to optimize the conversion path to increase ad campaign performance. This process consists of presenting a content offer, including a CTA, reaching the landing page, and ending off on a ‘thank you’ page - in other words, the steps involved in a web visitor becoming a lead. 

By ensuring ads are optimized and following the above, you’ll be able to increase your conversion rates by strat4egically getting more viewers to take action. Better ad performance leads to improved cost per lead and cost per acquisition. Conversion rates are essential for these metrics. 

The landing page needs to match the look and feel and your ads so that your marketing and branding messaging is consistent and provides a seamless transition for the targeted audience to experience. The custom landing page should contain few distractions, a CTA above the fold, and a clearly defined conversion path.

Good ad copy can boost your ad campaigns and drive sales. It forms an essential part of digital advertising and affects the customer experience. Words quite literally set the tone of your ads and have a major influence on their performance. If you need the help of a wordsmith or a dedicated team to handle all of your digital advertising needs, speak with us at Nexa.