Within our office we often get into debates about fashion faux pas. One of our Account Exec’s, Brandon, absolutely despises wedges and is adamant that they should never be worn under any circumstance. Garrick often wears skinny jeans on casual Friday’s and we debate how “skinny” is too skinny for a grown man. Others argue the shortcomings of Ugg boots. It seems like every time I walk through the mall with my wife I see an article of clothing and say, “who in the world would actually wear that?!?”
There have been countless occasions when I’ve looked at our clients ad copy and think the same thought… “who in the world wrote that?!?” Your ad copy is the critical first impression. One wrong word here or there can lead to the loss of a sale. In the same way you want to make sure your skinny jeans aren’t too skinny, you should make sure your ad copy has the right balance of word choice.
As a follow up to yesterdays post, here’s a list of 7 things Yahoo! Advertising says you should not do to your ad copy:
Unsubstantiated Ad Promotions: Be sure that any sale or percentage discount mentioned in your copy is prominent on the site’s landing page. This will help assure that clicks convert to sales.
Keyword Scope Mismatch: Diverse offers perform best when paired with general keywords, and while niche offers perform best with keywords that are very specific. Try not to bid on keywords that are too specific or too general for the offer, as they will not be targeted to the interested audience and are less likely to convert to sales.
Lists: Avoid creatives that are simply a list of products that you offer. Use short sentences and be sure to mention any competitive advantages.
Unknown Branding: Prominent mention of household brands is usually a plus, but using obscure brand names or non-famous personal names in copy performs more poorly than copy that just focuses on the offer.
Vague Offering: Avoid copy that is so general, jargon- or slogan-filled that the user can’t determine what you are really offering, or what your advantages are. Focus on how the offer answers the keyword inquiry.
Unnecessary Info: Do not mention products unrelated to the keyword, as this can confuse users about what is being offered.
Generic Templates: Avoid copy that is too basic and easily identifiable as a template, especially for shopping comparison sites. Keep specific copy categorized in campaigns with descriptions tailored to the general focus of the keyword, and the shopping season, as well.
Give us a call if you need some feedback or assistance with your creatives. We’d love to help.
— Michael Won