How To Write Effective Ads That Get Results!
Nearly every week, I get an email from someone asking me why they’re not seeing any results from their advertising efforts. While this is a loaded question that could have a million answers, I do notice that there seems to be a common thread amongst everyone that their ads are not effectively written. When you’re a small fish in a sea of thousands of other fish, standing out from the crowd is absolutely critical to getting noticed. And getting noticed is the key to action and seeing results. We wanted to share with you 5 tips for writing better ads so that you can get noticed and get results!
1. Use your space wisely
First things first, you need to know how much space you have to convey your message. Once you know, you’ll want to plan out a message that is neither too small for that space nor too big. You’ll want an ad that is rich with content, but doesn’t throw too much out there so as to confuse the reader. This can be tricky, so if you’re unsure, ask for some examples of other ads that have been submitted. Figure out about how much space the shortest one is and the longest one is, then shoot for somewhere in between. As you’re writing, be conscious of what you’re writing. If you start to feel all “mumble jumbled” in your head, then chances are you’re coming across that way on paper/screen as well. If you write too much and confuse the reader, you’ll lose them and they’ll move right on to the next ad.
Another thing I’d like you to do is “own” your space. Don’t throw all of your information into one run on paragraph. The use of bulleted points and short paragraphs allow readers to easily follow the information you put out there.
2. Know what to say
Before you sit down to write your ad, make a simple list of what it is you’d like to convey. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook simple things as you get carried away talking about something else. By having a game plan up front, you can go through your list and make sure you touch on each of your points. Make sure that your reader gets a clear picture of your business from your ad. You’ll want them to know what you have to offer, what the features are of that product or service, how it can benefit them, and most importantly, what action to take. ALWAYS END WITH A CALL TO ACTION! You must tell your readers what you’d like for them to do, whether it be visit your website, view your catalog, connect with you on Facebook, etc. Use descriptive adjectives
When you’re talking about you and your products, it’s easy just to list off what you have to offer. Just adding a few small words takes an ordinary ad to extraordinary. Since you don’t have the products themselves in hand to sell, using as much vivid language as possible to describe them is critical.
3. Detail your features & benefits
One of the most important qualities of good ad is an explanation to your audience about the features and benefits of your product/service/business opportunity. Let’s face it-people are selfish. All they care about is what’s in it for them. If you have an ad that just goes on and on about how great you and your products are, you’ll lose their attention. But, if you tell them how great your products are, then tell them how those features will help them, you’ll pull them in and allow them to connect with you. Little things like that make a big difference!
4. A picture is worth a thousand words
If you have the option to add a photo to your ad-DO IT! People can glance at an image far easier than text. It’s a simple way to attract attention straight to your ad. But you can’t just use any picture. You need a picture that’s bright, inviting, visually appealing and something that the reader can connect with. Supplying a logo is all well and good, but will your reader connect with your logo? Keep in mind that just having an image isn’t the only piece to this puzzle. You also want to make sure that your image is polished and that it looks as professional as possible. Pictures taken in your home with poor lighting and bad backgrounds may only deter the reader away from your products. It’s quite easy to create good images these days with digital cameras and programs like Photoshop and PicsArt. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to make your photos look like a million bucks!
5. Check your spelling and grammar
Rule number 1 is a simple one, but sadly, is the most overlooked. The absolute worst thing you can do is send an ad out that has spelling and grammar errors. This is your audience’s first look at your business and we all know how important first impressions are. If the first thing they see about your business is an error, they’ve lost trust in you from the get go and it will be nearly impossible to earn it back. Here’s a good way to prevent errors I learned at Alison that has stayed with me throughout my career. Sending out good content is as easy as 1, 2, 3…
1. Read your content through after you’ve written it to correct any errors.
2. Once read, run spellcheck.
3. After spellcheck, read again.
These three steps will help you make sure errors don’t fall through the cracks!
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful so the next time you’re ready to write an ad, you know exactly what to do!
Nearly every week, I get an email from someone asking me why they’re not seeing any results from their advertising efforts. While this is a loaded question that could have a million answers, I do notice that there seems to be a common thread amongst everyone that their ads are not effectively written. When you’re a small fish in a sea of thousands of other fish, standing out from the crowd is absolutely critical to getting noticed. And getting noticed is the key to action and seeing results. We wanted to share with you 5 tips for writing better ads so that you can get noticed and get results!
1. Use your space wisely
First things first, you need to know how much space you have to convey your message. Once you know, you’ll want to plan out a message that is neither too small for that space nor too big. You’ll want an ad that is rich with content, but doesn’t throw too much out there so as to confuse the reader. This can be tricky, so if you’re unsure, ask for some examples of other ads that have been submitted. Figure out about how much space the shortest one is and the longest one is, then shoot for somewhere in between. As you’re writing, be conscious of what you’re writing. If you start to feel all “mumble jumbled” in your head, then chances are you’re coming across that way on paper/screen as well. If you write too much and confuse the reader, you’ll lose them and they’ll move right on to the next ad.
Another thing I’d like you to do is “own” your space. Don’t throw all of your information into one run on paragraph. The use of bulleted points and short paragraphs allow readers to easily follow the information you put out there.
2. Know what to say
Before you sit down to write your ad, make a simple list of what it is you’d like to convey. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook simple things as you get carried away talking about something else. By having a game plan up front, you can go through your list and make sure you touch on each of your points. Make sure that your reader gets a clear picture of your business from your ad. You’ll want them to know what you have to offer, what the features are of that product or service, how it can benefit them, and most importantly, what action to take. ALWAYS END WITH A CALL TO ACTION! You must tell your readers what you’d like for them to do, whether it be visit your website, view your catalog, connect with you on Facebook, etc. Use descriptive adjectives
When you’re talking about you and your products, it’s easy just to list off what you have to offer. Just adding a few small words takes an ordinary ad to extraordinary. Since you don’t have the products themselves in hand to sell, using as much vivid language as possible to describe them is critical.
3. Detail your features & benefits
One of the most important qualities of good ad is an explanation to your audience about the features and benefits of your product/service/business opportunity. Let’s face it-people are selfish. All they care about is what’s in it for them. If you have an ad that just goes on and on about how great you and your products are, you’ll lose their attention. But, if you tell them how great your products are, then tell them how those features will help them, you’ll pull them in and allow them to connect with you. Little things like that make a big difference!
4. A picture is worth a thousand words
If you have the option to add a photo to your ad-DO IT! People can glance at an image far easier than text. It’s a simple way to attract attention straight to your ad. But you can’t just use any picture. You need a picture that’s bright, inviting, visually appealing and something that the reader can connect with. Supplying a logo is all well and good, but will your reader connect with your logo? Keep in mind that just having an image isn’t the only piece to this puzzle. You also want to make sure that your image is polished and that it looks as professional as possible. Pictures taken in your home with poor lighting and bad backgrounds may only deter the reader away from your products. It’s quite easy to create good images these days with digital cameras and programs like Photoshop and PicsArt. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to make your photos look like a million bucks!
5. Check your spelling and grammar
Rule number 1 is a simple one, but sadly, is the most overlooked. The absolute worst thing you can do is send an ad out that has spelling and grammar errors. This is your audience’s first look at your business and we all know how important first impressions are. If the first thing they see about your business is an error, they’ve lost trust in you from the get go and it will be nearly impossible to earn it back. Here’s a good way to prevent errors I learned at Alison that has stayed with me throughout my career. Sending out good content is as easy as 1, 2, 3…
1. Read your content through after you’ve written it to correct any errors.
2. Once read, run spellcheck.
3. After spellcheck, read again.
These three steps will help you make sure errors don’t fall through the cracks!
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful so the next time you’re ready to write an ad, you know exactly what to do!
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