You nailed down your target audience, the marketplace you want to reach this audience in, and the best timeframes to run your ads to attract your ideal customer. This is a great start to launching your search campaign, but these pieces of the puzzle can fall short without persuasive ad copy to reel in the right customers in the right place at the right time. In search, your brand messaging and keywords are everything – they are not just clickbait. Crafting the perfect ad copy takes some finesse, but more importantly a true understanding of your customer base. If search ad copy is relevant, then customers will take action.
Here are our best practices for writing effective copy for your search ad campaigns:
1. Include Your Brand Name
It goes without saying that you should have your brand name clearly stated in the first headline of your search ad. Internet users should immediately know what brand they are reading about. SearchEngineLand reports that branding your ad helps develop a persona, inspiring potential customers to click a link to a company they can trust.
2. Write a Headline to Appeal to Your Target Customer
Your headline should be specific to the product or service your brand offers and contain relevant keywords to what your target audience is searching for. It is best if these keywords are in the headline – if users are searching for auto insurance, then right away they will see that your brand offers this service.
3. Provide a Detailed Description of Your Brand
Below the headline, you have an opportunity to really sell your brand to your potential customers in the description line. This is the place to turn your value proposition into concise ad copy. Take full advantage of character limits with genuine messaging to showcase how the user can benefit from your product or service.
4. Establish Credibility
In addition to your value proposition, you will want to showcase what makes your brand legitimate. The best way to stand out from your competitors and share how you are unique in your market is with data. Include one metric even if it is as simple as the fact that you offer a 100-day free trial. This information can give your target audience a little nudge in the right direction to see what your brand is all about.
5. Give a Call To Action (CTA)
After you have described your brand’s product or service and your value to the end user, do not forget a call to action. In order to set yourself up for success, you need to clearly label what the next steps are for your target customer. Tell your audience exactly what to do in your CTA, such as “Sign up now to get your biggest tax refund!” This tells the user precisely what to do and what they are going to achieve with your brand. Also, your CTA is the best place to include any promotions or exclusive offers, “Register to activate your 3-month free trial today!”
6. Test Your Copy
It is best to draft a variety of search ads, then to test each one to determine its effectiveness. This way, you will learn what works for your brand. Once you find which search ad is giving your brand the most engagement, move forward with that ad copy to improve campaign performance.
