You don’t have to be a professional writer to create useful, compelling ad copy. But there are a few things you can learn that will improve your skills. Writing copy for your ads—whether they show up in printed media or online—is difficult if you don’t have much direction.
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There are a lot of characteristics of effective ad copy, but one of the most important is a call to action. A call to action breathes life into your copy and, more importantly, gives your customers some direction as they interact with your company.
In the early days of the Internet, a call to action was as simple as “Click here!” However, as people have become more comfortable online and learned more about how ads work, telling users to click anywhere has a patronizing, even archaic tone. People already know where to click if they want to visit your site. What they want to know is why they should bother. And that’s where a successful call to action comes in.
No matter where people are reading your ad copy, there are other things competing for their attention. In most cases, your competitors will be present as well. Therefore, it’s important to point out what makes your brand different and what customers should do about it. If you run an online company and are using a Google Adwords campaign, your ad copy is the one thing customers will use to decide whether to click on your link. Sure, you could say, “Baby clothes at great prices.” But wouldn’t “Buy baby summer clothes today for 35% off” be a bit more effective? It communications what is unique about your business and encourages customers to take a specific action.
Before publishing any ad copy, ask yourself: “What am I asking people to do?” If you don’t know, your customers won’t either. Be sure to include a clear call to action to make your ad copy effective.
Tags: advertising, Google adwords, marketing, writing