Tips To Create An Effective Ad Copy

By Abeera Khalid Our Bestseller: WordPress Themes

Creating great ad copy seems to be a more intuitive way for advertisement these days. There is nothing called a technique to make an ad copy, it is just the matter of magical and meaningful words that attract the visitor’s attention. There has been an issue with those who created powerful ad copy but still unable to attract the user’s attention. Here in this article I will be sharing some useful tips which will help to make a useful ad copy.

Let’s begin with the basics.

What is an Ad Copy?

Ad copymainly refers to the main text of the advertisement which is clickable so as to redirect the users. Using effective keywords in the ad copy can be helpful in fulfilling the advertisement objective i.e. for what the advertisement is all about, so that the audience can understand about the ads completely. Although the ad copy is of only two or three lines but still it is a very important part of the advertising package. Using effective punch lines in the ad copy can attract the user’s attention. It will also help to grow your business at a faster rate.

Having written a lot of fiction, I consider creating an ad copy as a similar task. As a storyteller, one must quickly draw the reader into the tale, then sustain and heighten the interest with every word. To put this in another way, the tale must engage the reader immediately, so that he or she is compelled to turn to the next page or next chapter. And the words which an author absolutely loves to hear, come with a message from a reader- “ I couldn’t put it down “.

Yet while hundreds, if not thousands of books have been written about how to write, there are few rules. Obviously correct usage of the language and spelling also matters.

Advertising & Fiction

The above is essentially true for creating an ad copy. It must quickly engage the reader and continue to sustain and heighten the interest. You should compel the reader to continue with every word. And to lead each one right into the action that brings a sale. You hope nobody will be able to “put it down” until they’ve made the buy or acted as you wanted them to. But as in fiction, there seem to be few universal rules.

All agree that the headline must grab the reader emotionally and compel the reader to continue immediately into the copy which follows. But there’s a good deal of disagreement as to whether long or short headlines draw better.

All appear to agree subheadings matter as well. Since people tend to scan, particularly on the Web, it’s imperative that at least one subheading draws the reader into the copy below. And most agree a reader who gets into the copy and likes what they read, often returns to the top of the presentation, and reads from the beginning.

Certainly, if the headline and subheadings fail to grab attention, there is no sale.

Build Your Own Rules

The best approach in writing an ad copy may be to build rules of your own. Begin with a couple upon which all agree. Look at others and conflicting views then begin testing to see which works best for you.

For example , begin with the recognition that defining your target matters most. Now add in the universally accepted need to impact readers emotionally. Then explore other things you’ve heard, short or long headlines.
At the end, it doesn’t matter what rules you decide upon. It only matters that your copy works for you.

Handy Crutches

Find resources you can use as a reference. Use them to stimulate your imagination. I have several books about copy-writing which I turn to regularly. My favorite is Joe Robson’sbook, “ Make Your Words Sell ”.

One book I depend upon is “ The Word Book II ” compiled by Kaethe Ellis (ISBN 0-395-34028-4). It’s a small book that lists only spelling details. It’s much easier to use than a standard dictionary when trying to figure how to spell a word. And I’ve a good thesaurus handy.

Be alert to other references. A friend put me onto “ Words That Sell ” by Richard Bayan(ISBN 0-8092-4799-2). It’s a specialized thesaurus of emotionally grabbing words known to be effective in an ad copy. Invaluable, particularly when you get stuck or find yourself using the same word repeatedly.

A Great Example

To improve my skills, I find it helpful to examine a good copy on the Web. And ask myself questions. Why does this grab or appeal to me? What is this person doing that might enhance my work? And so forth.

One of the best pitches I’ve seen was written by Joe Robson, a master on all counts.
While I have no great need for what is offered, I darn near bought a couple of things as I studied this excellent pitch. You may find this true for yourself. For example, there are a couple of neat works about copy-writing available here. I may go back and grab them.

Conversion Ratio

One of the problems we face in writing an ad copy without the background of a professional is that our copy doesn’t seem to produce the CR (Conversion Ratio) others talk about.

Not long ago, many felt 2% was an acceptable CR. That is, if two visitors in a hundred bought or took the desired action, this was considered good by many.

I haven’t been hearing such numbers of late. But competition is now fierce in almost any area you want to get name and fame. Back when there were only say the two sites selling tropical fish, their CR was probably quite high. If there are 100 such sites now, I’ll bet their CR is much lower.

Settle For Less

It’s tough these days to be heard through what I think of as the “ White Noise ” of the Web. And it’s getting noisier each day. So as you judge the copy you write, set realistic goals.

CR varies enormously according to a variety of factors, including the product, desired action, and so forth. If you’re selling an inexpensive hot item much in demand, you might convert 10% of visitors. But if you’re selling expensive stuff, the CR may be ultra small.

If you’re selling software with a thirty day free trial, you may get fifty percent of visitors to download it. If you’re offering a free sample, you may do even better.

So don’t take the 2% mentioned above too seriously. The real merit in tracking CR is to see how your product pages are doing this month as compared to the last month or to the pages promoting similar products.

But if we take 2% as some sort of average a few years back, it’s certainly less now. My personal view is that if your page is converting even 1 in 200 (0.5%) visitors, you’re doing great.

Can You Do Better?

Yes, of course you can! But there’s more stuff to running a successful business than writing an ad copy. While this matter a lot, there’s a limit to how much time you can afford to devote to this task. And to be honest it is a time consuming task.

It may take time to settle for less on a given page and get on to other things that matters the most. Else hire a professional to do the same. But this will surely cost bucks.

If you can pay serious attention towards all the points which I discussed above, you can surely create an effective ad copy. I hope this article has explained all the key points for creating a meaningful ad copy. Keep sharing your comments and queries below. I would appreciate your feedback.

About Abeera Khalid
contributor

Abeera Khalid is the internet genie, blogger and writer. She loves to contribute article to other blogs. She enjoys sharing her experience, ideas & opinions to anyone who wants to listen. Apart from writing and blogging she likes Watching movies, dancing, cooking and playing cricket.

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