I suck at writing adword copy
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Hey emp,
What do you suck at in particular? Do you think it's wording / choice of good phrases?
I'd be glad to give you some pointers - but first, some more questions:
- Do you break up your ads into groups categories for different types of visitors of your demographic?
- Do you write different ads for different "buyer modes"? I.e. one set for tire kickers, one for comparers/shoppers, and one set for buyers?
Well, all this Google CTR% and Quality Score is a load of rubbish if you ask me, basically they say a low CTR% means that the advert isn't relevant. I say the opposite, I say a low CTR% means the advert is very relevant because people read it and say, that's not what I'm looking for... Anyway, I digress!
Sorry if this is too basic etc, shoot me down in flames for being a tard... but off the top of my head, think about:
Look what your competitors are doing and look to cut through their message with something different. If they are all price led, try going for features, or messaging reflecting add-ons, quality, whatever... What is your unique selling point (if you have one) if you don't have one, 'invent' something. If everyone is quoting prices, don't stick your price in the ad if you're more expensive.
If you get something free, (Download for Free) say so, if you get something quickly say so (Get it Now!) basically, you need to spell it out for them. The shorter the better I reckon. Very short copy usually stands out in the listings. I've seen copy with just a couple of words. (whether that leads to sales is a different matter)
Try to write the title as a complete sales message in itself. Many people only glance at the adverts.
Test Dynamic Keyword Insertion. I personally don't like it, but in some cases it does work better than a static advert.
Get the keyword into the copy. If you have to create more adgroups to target more closely that's a good thing as it will improve your quality score.
In the old days everyone wrote lowercase ads, then people Started Captitalising Every Word And Now We're All Doing It... Look to see if everyone is doing it and try lowercase. It will stand out.
Lead with a call to action. Buy... Try.... Download...
Remind the viewer of what your product does for them: Protect, Help, Save Time...
People do fall for stupid sales messages: Low Cost, Cheap Deal, Bargain...
AB Split test the adverts. It sounds like marketing bollocks, but works if done correctly.
If you have a low CTR% ensure that your positions aren't too low, that your match type is correct for the terms you are using, and make sure you've really thought out the negative terms.
Sorry if this is too basic etc, shoot me down in flames for being a tard... but off the top of my head, think about:
Look what your competitors are doing and look to cut through their message with something different. If they are all price led, try going for features, or messaging reflecting add-ons, quality, whatever... What is your unique selling point (if you have one) if you don't have one, 'invent' something. If everyone is quoting prices, don't stick your price in the ad if you're more expensive.
If you get something free, (Download for Free) say so, if you get something quickly say so (Get it Now!) basically, you need to spell it out for them. The shorter the better I reckon. Very short copy usually stands out in the listings. I've seen copy with just a couple of words. (whether that leads to sales is a different matter)
Try to write the title as a complete sales message in itself. Many people only glance at the adverts.
Test Dynamic Keyword Insertion. I personally don't like it, but in some cases it does work better than a static advert.
Get the keyword into the copy. If you have to create more adgroups to target more closely that's a good thing as it will improve your quality score.
In the old days everyone wrote lowercase ads, then people Started Captitalising Every Word And Now We're All Doing It... Look to see if everyone is doing it and try lowercase. It will stand out.
Lead with a call to action. Buy... Try.... Download...
Remind the viewer of what your product does for them: Protect, Help, Save Time...
People do fall for stupid sales messages: Low Cost, Cheap Deal, Bargain...
AB Split test the adverts. It sounds like marketing bollocks, but works if done correctly.
If you have a low CTR% ensure that your positions aren't too low, that your match type is correct for the terms you are using, and make sure you've really thought out the negative terms.
I've posted this link before here on WF, in case you missed it check it out: 31 Killer Writing AdWords Ads Tips
They have some excellent tips with examples.
They have some excellent tips with examples.
My ad tips...
First, if you haven't done so already, you need to identify and break up your different groups within you target demographic. Almost any niche, product, or service will have a mixed demographic that can be split up and categorized.
In your case, you're promoting software. I of course don't know anything about this software, but for this example let's say it's a desktop office app, like MS Office. Assuming you have your keywords already (so we know what people will be looking for), now identify who will be looking for it. (who will be using these keywords). We don't wanna generalize them all and expect they are all one big, generic crowd.
Each niche is different here, but for this one it's safe to say that some of the demographic groups would be:
- students (most likely on a budget)
- technically savvy people who work from home and will be using it heavily
- less tech-savvy people who just need it for some basic work now and then
- small businesses looking for one or several licenses for employees
(you can probably think of more but we're keeping it simple here for the example)
Now we have identified our potential visitors and know who they are.
In order to write good ads, we also need to consider one more thing: in what state of mind will these visitors be when they are searching for MS Office?
They will be either in:
- Surfing mode - just surfing around the net, reading up on office application packages. At this point, they just know that they need an office application, but they may not know which ones are popular, which ones are out there, who develops them, etc.
- Comparing mode - starting to narrow down a few options that seem to match their needs. They want to know how they stack up against each other. Which office package has the best spreadsheet app? Which one gives the most value for money? Which one is most compatible with different document formats? Etc. etc.
- Buying mode - they have decided that MS Office is the one they want / need. Now they are looking for a site that has the best deal. They're ready to make a purchase but need to be told why they should get it through your site and not the competitor.
So we now have 4 categories of visitors, and we have 3 states of mind that these people will be in. Now it's your job to write up 12 different sets of ads (preferably 2 ads for each for split-testing).
Notice how I haven't mentioned wording yet? Well I think it's crucial to understand your demographic first - before you even think of what words to use. Many articles and books have been written about actually writing compelling ad copy. Your choice of words should reflect you are targetting, but also follow the AIDA principle:
Attention-Interest-Desire-Action (in that order).
Your ad copy headline should grab their attention. It's possible to do this with the copy body too with some creativity
The headline should also contain the keyword if possible.
Your ad text should then make the reader interested. This by playing on his/her emotions, desire, needs, and so forth. Check out some popular magazine / tabloid covers and note how they try to lure readers in to read more (and to buy their mag) by creating interest right up front. Lastly - make a strong called to action, forcing them to click your ad..
First, if you haven't done so already, you need to identify and break up your different groups within you target demographic. Almost any niche, product, or service will have a mixed demographic that can be split up and categorized.
In your case, you're promoting software. I of course don't know anything about this software, but for this example let's say it's a desktop office app, like MS Office. Assuming you have your keywords already (so we know what people will be looking for), now identify who will be looking for it. (who will be using these keywords). We don't wanna generalize them all and expect they are all one big, generic crowd.
Each niche is different here, but for this one it's safe to say that some of the demographic groups would be:
- students (most likely on a budget)
- technically savvy people who work from home and will be using it heavily
- less tech-savvy people who just need it for some basic work now and then
- small businesses looking for one or several licenses for employees
(you can probably think of more but we're keeping it simple here for the example)
Now we have identified our potential visitors and know who they are.
In order to write good ads, we also need to consider one more thing: in what state of mind will these visitors be when they are searching for MS Office?
They will be either in:
- Surfing mode - just surfing around the net, reading up on office application packages. At this point, they just know that they need an office application, but they may not know which ones are popular, which ones are out there, who develops them, etc.
- Comparing mode - starting to narrow down a few options that seem to match their needs. They want to know how they stack up against each other. Which office package has the best spreadsheet app? Which one gives the most value for money? Which one is most compatible with different document formats? Etc. etc.
- Buying mode - they have decided that MS Office is the one they want / need. Now they are looking for a site that has the best deal. They're ready to make a purchase but need to be told why they should get it through your site and not the competitor.
So we now have 4 categories of visitors, and we have 3 states of mind that these people will be in. Now it's your job to write up 12 different sets of ads (preferably 2 ads for each for split-testing).
Notice how I haven't mentioned wording yet? Well I think it's crucial to understand your demographic first - before you even think of what words to use. Many articles and books have been written about actually writing compelling ad copy. Your choice of words should reflect you are targetting, but also follow the AIDA principle:
Attention-Interest-Desire-Action (in that order).
Your ad copy headline should grab their attention. It's possible to do this with the copy body too with some creativity
The headline should also contain the keyword if possible.Your ad text should then make the reader interested. This by playing on his/her emotions, desire, needs, and so forth. Check out some popular magazine / tabloid covers and note how they try to lure readers in to read more (and to buy their mag) by creating interest right up front. Lastly - make a strong called to action, forcing them to click your ad..
Is it worth targeting ads to those who aren't in buying mode? Do you expect to be able to convert those browsing/comparing into buyers?
ImagesAndWords - great analysis; +rep
I GUESS there is a group of people who are ready to buy, no matter what website they are on. Just give them a brief description of the product, mention the benefits and place a big ORDER NOW button in front of their eyes. They don't want to research (don't know how), they have enough money and they will buy straight away. Just make it as easy as possible for them.
Do you have any experience with this kind of group? Or is everyone on the internet researching before buying?
This is a bit offtopic. But how do you target this kind of group? Do these kind of buyers even exist? Would like to hear some insights from others. Especially tips on writing ad copies since this is the topic of this thread.
I GUESS there is a group of people who are ready to buy, no matter what website they are on. Just give them a brief description of the product, mention the benefits and place a big ORDER NOW button in front of their eyes. They don't want to research (don't know how), they have enough money and they will buy straight away. Just make it as easy as possible for them.
Do you have any experience with this kind of group? Or is everyone on the internet researching before buying?
This is a bit offtopic. But how do you target this kind of group? Do these kind of buyers even exist? Would like to hear some insights from others. Especially tips on writing ad copies since this is the topic of this thread.
One small thing I have noticed on two of my campaigns, I have worked in the word "today" into the ad copy. Examples: "Sale Ends Today" and "Get Your Widget Today"
With the "sale ends today" I noticed an 2% CTR increase, went from ~4% to ~6% and the "widget today" went up about 1%.
With the "sale ends today" I noticed an 2% CTR increase, went from ~4% to ~6% and the "widget today" went up about 1%.
Me lovin' the WickedFire. Wasn't even looking for something like this. I just know my ads have terrible CTR also.
Regardless of the type of product that I'm advertising for I've always had good performance from ads that talk about the product benefits. Make the person "visualize" the benefits of owning the product.
Also, I like to split test multiple ad copies, find the best performer, and then split test multiple versions of that ad copy by rearranging, rewording, and rephrasing it. That way you end up with the best version of the best ad copy that you tested.
Also, I like to split test multiple ad copies, find the best performer, and then split test multiple versions of that ad copy by rearranging, rewording, and rephrasing it. That way you end up with the best version of the best ad copy that you tested.
{KeyWord: Your Software Name}
You Must Have "Your Software Name"
Try it and Buy It for only $99.99
The KeyWord will use their search term as the title, capitalizing each word. If the search term is too long, it will default to the text after :.
I find this essential for Adwords campaigns and do it for every single one.
You Must Have "Your Software Name"
Try it and Buy It for only $99.99
The KeyWord will use their search term as the title, capitalizing each word. If the search term is too long, it will default to the text after :.
I find this essential for Adwords campaigns and do it for every single one.
I thought I could boost my ctr by mentioning the city in my ad but this doesn't always seem to be the case.
An example...
So,If I was offering payday loans I would be writing and ad like this:
Payday Loans Detroit
The Fastest Cash You've
Ever Seen...
Of course, I would be targeting Detroit,only.
I was suprised to see that an ad like this doesn't get clicked too often. Maybe it was my ad but I tried something similar without targeting a certain area and it got way better results (Oh, and this is with my placement targeted campaigns).
An example...
So,If I was offering payday loans I would be writing and ad like this:
Payday Loans Detroit
The Fastest Cash You've
Ever Seen...
Of course, I would be targeting Detroit,only.
I was suprised to see that an ad like this doesn't get clicked too often. Maybe it was my ad but I tried something similar without targeting a certain area and it got way better results (Oh, and this is with my placement targeted campaigns).
The problem is sometimes people don't want the local hick town dealer or vendor, so showing an ad that includes the city/town can actually hurt as you noticed. A bit like Big Bertha's Pay Day Loans versus Bank Of America Pay Day Loans or National Pay Day Loans...
Which one would you chose ? This is why you have test every vertical you market for. Different customer types react differently.
Which one would you chose ? This is why you have test every vertical you market for. Different customer types react differently.
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