How to get more people clicking on your ads with copy that connects. That’s what we’re talking about in this episode of Online Confidential, where I take you behind the scenes to talk about ‘Secret Ad Manager business”.
You’ve done all the hard work of testing audiences, doing all the audience research, the landing page and all the bits and pieces are together.
Now the goal is to get people to click on your ads.
If you see that the click through rate is a bit low, or if you’re just starting out and not sure what to do about low click through rates, here are some great ideas to help you improve that click through rate with ad copy that connects.
The Attention Grabbing Headline
Now, the first thing that people look at when they see your ads is the creative, that’s the image or the video that’s in your ad.
After that, their eyes go down and look at the headline. So you want to make sure you have a headline with a great hook. Sometimes you see those headlines that just say ‘Free Masterclass Join Now’ – they’re really not all that inspiring are they?
To get people’s attention you want to have a great hook but where can you find those hooks?
Take a look at the landing page. There might be a great headline on the landing page? You could pull a great hook for an attention grabbing headline on your ad from the headline or the bullet points on the landing page.
On top of that, here are four more ideas for a great headline.
- Use numbers – ‘3 ways to [get outcome]’
- You can create a sense of urgency for example, ‘2-Day Sale Now On’
- You could also ask a question – ‘Dreaming of the perfect holiday?’
- Make it specific to the audience you’re targeting for example, ‘Postnatal Workouts’
Just make sure the headline will fit on mobile, since 98% of traffic comes from mobile devices, you want to make sure you don’t have a headline that’s rolling off and people can’t read it. Since there’s also a call to action button in the same space, the headline needs to be short but also relevant.
Also, try testing a five word headline. If you can condense your headline into a nice and sharp five word headline, test how well that works against other headlines.
Those are four different ways you can create a headline. Use numbers or urgency, speak directly to your audience or ask a question.
Creating Ad Copy That Connects
Now you’ve heard the saying, ‘facts tell, stories sell’.
When it comes to the ad copy, which is the primary text in your ad, sharing a story is a great way to connect with your audience. It helps you make an emotional connection with your audience so they engage with you and become an advocate of who you are, the products you offer and who you serve.
Stories build trust. The stories you share could be your own or it could be client testimonials. It could also be from conversations you’ve had or stories from other potential clients or the people you like to serve.
If you were once like your ideal audience, then sharing your story is an authentic way to relate to them and build connection with you because you’ve been on a similar journey. You might have stories that come from discovery calls, onboarding calls and even exit calls you’ve had with people.
Other places you can find sources of inspiration for stories are the comments people have made about things like your programs, or training content.
You can also head over to Amazon and look at the book reviews your ideal clients would find interesting. There are plenty of stories about breakthroughs and challenges that people experience there. Now, of course, don’t go and claim them as your own or imply they were a client.
Also, don’t copy and paste exactly what is said in the Amazon book review. Instead, take snippets from the content. Use the information to find those exact words people use and include those into your copy.
YouTube is another rich source of ideas. Have a think about which YouTube channels your ideal clients follow. Look through the comments and see if you can find what people ask and make comments about. You can find lots of inspiration and relevant content to bring into your ad copy.
When it comes to creating your ad copy, there are tried and true formulas you want to use. Here are three copy formulas I like to use,
1. The PAS Formula
This formula helps you structure your copy in a compelling way by addressing the Pain or Problem, Agitating the pain and then revealing the Solution.
Firstly, what is the pain or problem your ideal client can’t solve but they want to overcome? Those words you’ve heard that describe the problem your ideal client has in your discovery calls, in your webinars, from Amazon and YouTube, will help you write copy that grabs the right attention.
Here’s how the copy would follow the formula,
Mary was once [describe the problem Mary has], then develop the introduction further by agitating the problem or twisting the knife as a way to show how the problem plays out in Mary’s life. Because of [the problem] Mary was stuck doing [the thing she didn’t want to do], then describe what happens if she doesn’t find a solution and make the pain that’s related to the ongoing problem real to the prospect.
The solution to the problem is how you can help your prospect. After you describe the problem and the pain that keeps Mary stuck, lead into your solution and reveal that once Mary discovered how to [get up early in the morning] by using [proprietary system, the solution] she was able to get more done in her day, feel refreshed and motivated, and include describing the benefits of using the solution to solve her problem.
Pain Agitate Solution (PAS) is a copywriting framework that once you’ve got the words your ideal clients say you can create a story that will connect and build an emotional relationship with potential clients.
PAS is a good copy framework to follow so you have compelling ad copy instead of wondering how you will put it all together.
2. The BAB Formula
Another solid copy formula is the Before After Bridge (BAB).
The BAB formula describes what life was like before, when you had the problem or the struggle. Then what life was like after overcoming that problem/pain and how you get there, which is the bridge and the solution.
As the solution, the bridge could be working with you or discovering how to do something that solves your potential client’s problem. It’s what they’ll learn by attending your masterclass as an example.
3. The SLAP Formula
The SLAP formula Is another copy formula to get people to connect and click on your ad. SLAP is Stop, Look, Act and Purchase.
The SLAP formula can work really well in bottom of funnel campaigns, when you retarget, but it’s also worth testing at top of funnel. You’ve probably noticed a notification from Facebook with the little hazard sign saying “Warning, warning, Will Robinson, you’ve got over 280 characters and your ad is less likely to convert”
When you need more of a direct response this is when using the SLAP framework in your ad copy is useful. Test it and see how it goes.
We’ve seen some nice, lower cost per leads when we’ve had less than 280 characters in the ad copy. We’ve just taken longer form ad copy and condensed it into very short, sharp and specific messaging and as a result got some nice low cost per lead.
Stop, Look, Act, and Purchase, rather than Purchase, it could be Action. So that would be SLAA, but it doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as nicely as SLAP does it?
Ultimately, what’s the action that you want them to take from the ad? Try more direct copy, pulling in the words the prospect says but keep it short and sharp. With the ad copy under 280 characters it will grab their attention quickly to look at the ad then take the next step, which might be to opt in or sign up for a masterclass or training.
I was recently a guest in Julia Tayler’s Geek Pack Facebook group which is full of WordPress developers.
I was talking to them about ADvisory and the ad strategies that we teach in that program. I could relate to these WordPress developers as someone who has a WordPress site that’s in need of an update. I hate sending people to my website because it’s ugly, it’s old and ugly.
Those were my exact words, it’s ‘old and ugly’.
So for those WordPress developers, if they want to use ads those words could attract their ideal client. And by asking a question like “Are you embarrassed to send people to your website because it’s old and ugly?” it would get the attention of people like me who need a website update.
To recap, use the words your ideal client has said. Listen to what your clients say to you when you do discovery calls and onboarding calls. Also, take notice of the comments people have made on your ads, those are great sources of customer voice to use in your ad copy.
Also, remember the copy formulas. Whether it’s the Problem Agitate Solution (PAS) formula or it’s storytelling with Before After Bridge (BAB) or the Stop Look Act Purchase (SLAP) formula, they’re all great copy formulas to use for ads.
So for copy that gets your clients or potential clients to click make sure you’ve got,
- A great headline and it’s a hook of a headline, not just a ‘come and sign up’ headline, and make sure it fits so try a five word headline.
- Use numbers, ask a question, call out your ideal client or show urgency.
- Have copy that includes words the ideal client uses to create instant connection and makes them think “oh my gosh, how did she know that’s what I’m thinking?”
I’d love to hear about your experience with copywriting to get people to click and connect with your ads.
What are your thoughts or feedback on today’s episode? Send us an email at success@socialcharlie.com, or just comment here.
