If you spend any time online, you have probably seen something like this: “ARE YOU SURCHING FOR A GAURANTEED BUSSINESS OPPERTUNITY? DOWNLAOD HERE” That may be extreme. Unfortunately it’s not at all unusual.
One of the first lessons we’re taught is to
“wash behind your ears”. We also “don’t air our dirty laundry in
public”.
Who hasn’t heard the axiom: “You never get
a SECOND CHANCE to make a GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION”?
Why then do so many Internet Marketers insist on ignoring these simple guidelines? Instead of an attention grabbing introduction, that offensive headline simply sets off all the bells, whistles and sirens which proclaim: “dirty ears, dirty laundry and a lousy first impression—probably a lousy product”.
Nearly all serious prospects will instantly surf away from such flagrant carelessness. How then do you fine tune your ad copy?
- Proofreading
Proofreading isn’t all that difficult. If
you’re not comfortable doing it yourself, find a friend…..or HIRE someone. Writing
good copy is a challenge. Creating an effective website can take weeks or
months.
Can you afford to throw away all that work over
a few “typos”, misspellings and missed punctuation marks?
- Use spell checkers
Spell checkers are not the final answer either. Although they would have corrected the offending headline, they don’t differentiate among “their“, “they’re” or “there“. “Too“, “two” and “to” are treated equally; so are “your” and “you’re“.
There is no substitute for intense and accurate proofreading. You also must realize that your own “proofing” becomes less effective with each read through.
Your brain and eyes are already conditioned to see what you meant, and not always what you actually created. It is much more effective to have someone who is not familiar with your copy do additional proofreading for you.
- Use friends or family
Don’t hesitate to call on friends and family. My ten year old granddaughter is one of my regulars. She loves to help in any way that she can; and I suspect that she gets a certain thrill out of catching “Poppy” in yet another “goof”.
Once she is finished proofing the copy, there is the bonus that I can then ask her to explain what she has just read. All too often, what seems so clear to me when I write it turns out to be not nearly so understandable to the reader.
I then ask “the light of my life” to read the copy aloud. Actually hearing what I have written turns out to be one of the most effective ways of finding the need for additional editing.
Nearly everything I publish these days goes out with the disclaimer: “Dear Reader, I spent eight years in a Catholic grade school. I am accustomed to having my knuckles smacked with a 12 inch wooden ruler for making spelling, punctuation and grammar errors.
When you find the errors that my proofreading
crew and I have missed, please bring them to our attention. A gentle reminder
from you won’t hurt a bit, and it beats the hell out of bloody knuckles.”
So much for my methods. There are professional
proofreading services available. Just consider them a necessary part of doing
business. A quick “Google” for “proofreaders” just returned
304,000 possibilities. (Make that 304,001 if you want to include my granddaughter.)
A quick recap: PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD. Then PROOFREAD AGAIN……..
- Remove needless words
A whole lot of ad copy’s these days make use of unnecessary words. Considering the fact that there is just a few numbers of characters to be used, wasting these resources will be quite uncalled for. instead, utilize keywords.
Some of these needless words often used in ad copies include;
- Brand
Most advertisers whose brands are not recognized tend to use most their brand in their ad copy. This should not be the focus.
It is better however, to focus on your Unique Selling Points (USPs) like variety of selections, fast delivery, 24/7 customer service, varieties of derived from using the products among others.
- Company location
Don’t you think that if the ad is compelling enough, the customers will so yearn for the location of the company? Well, it is unnecessary to include location in an ad copy.
Google ad features, appropriate integration, and ad extensions can be used to integrate the company’s location. By so doing, your ads will definitely stand out among others.
- Phone number
Just like in using location in an ad copy, using company’s phone number is totally unnecessary too. Instead, ad extensions can be used to include company’s phone numbers.
- Platitude
The use of platitude/cliché depends on the product and ad used. Some of such platitudes are service, quality etc.
Since the aim of an ad is to compel, platitudes can clutter the whole ad copy and yet not fulfill the purpose for which it is meant.
It is therefore better to use the limited time allocated for the ad copy in compelling the audience to patronize the product such as every hour delivery and so on. These general ideas are usually more beneficial to PPC ads.
- Decide your existing customers’ wants and needs
This is another very important way of fine tuning your ad copy. Hear from the customers you have already and understand what really they want and need.
You can hear from your customers through a wide range of interactive chats on social media, phone calls, emails and others.
As long as you discover what actually their attraction to your business is, you can go on in writing a very powerful ad copy. The content will turn out to be so compelling.
- Craft precise groups for your ad
Your ad campaign should have several groups in which precise or specific products or services are advertised to.
The relevance of your ad will be increased to your clients if you advertise only exactly want they need to them. If the ad is specific, potential customers can decide to have a look and check out your content.
For instance, if you advertise soap, a customer can be compelled to click and have a look than when you advertise personal care products which is what you deal on.
Generally, be specific about your product or service and ensure your target audience are rightfully reached as this will fine tune your ad copy.
- Look into your landing page
This action is specifically necessary for all PPC ads. This is because they direct their ads to a landing page. The landing page however, should however be very relevant improve traffic.
By relevance, I mean it should explain better what you have just advertised. As a rule of thumb, ensure that the landing page does not have exactly the same words and content with the ads copy. It should be advanced.
Conclusion
To fine tune your ad copy, you need a lot of dedication and time. You do not have to just create the content and leave out like that.
Regular touch, proof reading and lots of work are required to make it successful……and don’t forget to wash behind your ears.
