Let's talk about words. The copy you choose to include in your ads can make a big difference between a message that's heard and a message that's ignored. In this video, I will walk you through a few tips for writing great ad copy. Here are two Facebook ads DCB Cleaning Services has created to promote a paleo dietary plan that they want to introduce as part of their snack wall offering. Paleo means that the diet is based on foods similar to what might have been eaten tens of thousands of years ago. If the goal was to get people to sign up for their 30 day diet challenge, tell me which ad you think is better. The first says, "Stop counting calories and take off inches with our 30 day challenge. Real food, filling meals that curb cravings." The second says, "Lose weight in 30 days. Try the Paleo diet." If you were looking for a dietary plan, which ad would you click on? Well, the second example has one thing going for it, it's short and sweet, but also pretty vague. The first example, however, is a lot more effective. It addresses the objective of the targeted audience in a concise and familiar way, taking off inches while also addressing a typical objection, counting calories. It then introduces a solution, the 30 day challenge, that, unlike other diets, contains real and filling foods. The headline of ad one is also more effective, and uses a customer rating of five stars and a quote to demonstrate social proof. The advertiser included a call to action button that points people directly at what they're supposed to do next, and more about the 30 day challenge. Well, I would click on the first ad, how about you? But before you put down any words, go back to your audience and your objective. Who are you targeting and what do you want them to do as a result of seeing your ad? With that in mind, you're now going to organize your copy using a simple three part framework that advertising expert Molly Pittman shared on the social media marketing podcast. I will share a link to the podcast in the course resources. The three parts are; opening, transition, and call to action. Let's start with the opening. This is the most important element of your ad copy. Because depending on the length of your copy, this might just be the first sentence or the first paragraph. But especially on mobile, your opening as crucial as users will often only see the first sentence or so before they have to click to expand the rest of the copy. In your opening, you want to accomplish two things. First, call out your audience. Imagine for a moment that you're in the business of producing and selling Almond milk. While you don't have to directly address your audience in a proper sentence such as, "Hello almond milk drinkers" you should use words that suggest who the ad is for. In this case, it would be a good idea to include the words almond milk or non-dairy milk in the first sentence. Alternatively, use words to describe your target audience, such as 'lactose intolerant' or 'gut health' if your goal is to reach people who have a specific need or interest. You could, for example start your opening with, "As a coffee lover with lactose intolerance" Or, "Looking for a healthy milk alternative?" In any case, make sure that the people you want to reach have an easy time understanding that your ad is for them. Second, pique the curiosity of your audience. To do that, you can use a number of what Molly calls hooks, and here are a few options you can test. Pain points can be a great hook, so speak to a pain point you know your audience has. You can also pose a question that addresses a particular pain points such as, "Can't drink dairy milk but love a good latte, we have got you covered." See how these two sentences both call out their audience and pique their interest. Another option is to create a hook, are feelings. Similar to addressing your audience's pain points, you can describe how your customers felt before using your product. Or describe the feelings a customers experience after using your product. Here's an example. Before switching to almond milk I had little energy and experienced stomach pain on an almost daily basis. Finally, there's the logic hook. Find a statement or a fact that proves your point, so people who are logic-based immediately agree with it and want to learn more. A common way to do that is a did you know statement such as, "Did you know that almonds are good for your gut? Once you've grabbed your audience's attention with your opening and made them aware of the problem you're solving, it's time for you transition. As the name indicates the transition is where we start to transition the introduction into the how. The transition is when we introduced the solution, and we talk about the benefits of your product, or we describe what someone's life looks and feels like after using it. A good transition can be short or long. Here's an example of a short one. After drinking almond milk for a month, I started feeling more balanced, had more energy and improved my blood sugar levels. See how this one sentence describes multiple benefits from the perspective of how an individual is feeling? We know that people are more likely to take action if they are told what we expect them to do. That's why after your transition, you want to close your ad copy with a call to action. Keep it short and sweet and tell your audience exactly what to do. Whether it's to watch a video, sign up for a newsletter, or buy a product, whatever it is you want them to do. Here's the call to action for our almond milk ad. Click here to claim your free 10 day supply of almond milk today. It's very clear to the target audience what they're expected to do and why. Give it a shot yourself and structure your ad copy with an opening, a transition and a call to action. You can cover all elements in just one sentence or a multiple paragraphs, and it's a good idea to test different lengths to see what performs best for your target audience. Here is seven additional tips that you can use to write better copy for your ads. Number one, tie text to your visual. Your copy ad image should individually tell your story, but also complement each other. If your ad is talking about vegetables, don't show a fruit basket. Number two, create different ads for different people. Tailor your ad campaign message to your audience segments with separate ads. Try addressing different audiences with the benefits that speak most to them, rather than just approaching everyone with the same one. Number three, speak to the audience. Decide on a person who characterizes your audience and write like you're speaking to them. If you can get hold of someone who represents your target audience, get their feedback before publishing your campaign. Number four, try emojis. Depending on your audience, emojis can be an effective way to grab their attention and communicate in a more casual way, Also a great way to tell a story just to make sure to not overuse them or otherwise your message might be hard to get. Number five, be recognizable. Use the same tone across channels so your audience recognizes your message no matter where they read it. Before publishing your ads, also check your landing pages and make sure that content and tone align with your ads. Number six, when appropriate, mention price. Price listings can motivate people to buy, especially when you have a good deal to offer. However, do make sure to only mention a price if this is in line with your brand. If you represent a luxury brand, advertising prices might not be in line with your tone of voice. Number seven, include a time-frame to create urgency. Using words and phrases that indicate time like today, now or this week only can add a sense of urgency and motivate people to click on your ad. Remember, you don't have to write the perfect copy straightaway, test a few different approaches and see what works best for you. Then take the winning copy to create your next set of iterations. In the next lesson, we will go over a few different team setups that you might find when working in a social media marketing capacity. You will learn how to write a creative brief so you can communicate your campaign goals as well as design and copy needs effectively to others. See you there.
