The biggest problem people cause themselves with PPC ads is that they are not properly targeted. You can write a brilliant ad that gets you everyone but your desired customer! Many PPC systems have sections of their Web site to guide you to writing a good ad. USE that tool! One thing to be careful of is curiosity. People are naturally curious. If they see an ad with a compelling headline and body, they will click on it just because they are curious. So your ad mustbe targeted to reduce the curiosity seekers and attract customers. It’s almost a “Catch - 22” because your ad has to be compelling to get interest, yet is can’t be so compelling that it gets
the curious!
1. Avoiding the Problem: Clichés
Some ads are filled with clichés. WOW, BEST, SPECIAL, LOOK. You see these a lot on e-bay! This is a waste of words. It attracts the wrong people. If you sell shoes and you say WOW, people who aren’t interested in buying shoes will visit, just to find out what is so WOW about your shoes! Unless your Web site or store front can convince even the most arbitrary visitor to buy your shoes, that visitor is a wasted click. Some PPC providers will alert you to this and ask you to re-write your ad.
Some ads are deliberately vague (sometimes, this is called a teaser). You want people to click in to read about your product. This is a really DUMB strategy. You pay for that click, and all you attracted was the curious. How many of the curious are going to buy? YOU WANT BUYERS! Make your ad clear as to what you are selling and why the customer would want it!
3. Avoiding the Problem: Urgent Ads
This is a very old trick that has little or no impact anymore, yet you see it all the time, especially on TV infomercial type ads. Unless your product is time sensitive (i.e. you are having a sale for a seasonal holiday), don’t use this trick to get customers. it will backfire. Many large cities have stores that are always “going out of business”. They post big signs in the window saying “Prices slashed, urgent, buy now!” and so on. This trick is so old that people just don’t fall for it anymore. So don’t do it (unless you really ARE going out of business!) The sense of urgency you try to engender in your potential customer through the ad will also attract the curious. Also, many PPC providers who review ads will catch this and not allow it.
4. Avoiding the Problem: Misleading Ads
Be careful of misleading ads. PPC providers may watch this also and stop you before you “shoot yourself in the foot” with them. Your ad should be honest and say what you are selling. For example: Putting the words FREE SEX (which probably won’t go through anyway, the PPC provider will censor that trick) in the ad will once again get the curious. Unless, of course, you are actually offering free sex—which will bring you a host of other problems we won’t even go into here! Your ad can be inadvertently misleading, and you want to watch for this as it will get by the PPC provider review. If you have something to SELL, then tell people they must BUY! Let’s take that music CD again.
Suppose your ad headline reads: Listen to this great kids CD!
Do you think a lot of people will click through? You bet!
They think they are going to LISTEN to something. That’s what you told them!
Suppose your ad headline reads: Great kids CD for sale!
Do you think a lot of people will click thorough? You bet!
Now they KNOW ahead of time that they are expected to buy something.
BUT... what the heck is a “kids CD?”, a game, a program, music?
Try this one: Buy this great kids music CD!
Do you think a lot of people will click thorough? You bet!
They KNOW ahead of time that they are expected to buy a music CD for kids.
BUT... What is a “kid”? Teenager, toddler, pre-schooler, etc?
We can do this forever, but you get the point by now. NEVER ASSUME, ALWAYS BE
CLEAR! There is a method to writing compelling ads, they MUST be targeted as much as possible! You can target by being very familiar with your market niche, your USP and your benefit. Many PPC systems allow you to change the ad content (subject to review), so if you DO make a mistake, you can correct it. And may times, you will have to do this several times, because getting it right is a bit of a guessing game. You can reduce that by testing the ad prior to using it.
5. Avoiding the Problem: PPC Ad Writers/Services
Many PPC providers will offer to write your ad for a fee (sometimes for free). This is tempting, but let’s gets this straight up front. Only YOU know your product best. The PPC people do NOT. Asking them to write your ad is like asking a stranger to do it for you. That’s exactly what you are doing. They WILL write the ad and they will follow their own rules for ad writing, which may or may not help you. So be VERY CAREFUL of paying someone to write an ad that you yourself are better qualified to write! If you know your niche, USP and Benefits, you are qualified to write a good, compelling ad! You can save a
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