How to Write Better Google & Facebook Ad Copy

Smart marketers have a good psychological understanding of how their consumers operate. If you are aware of how people think and how they make decisions, you are better able to create your sales process to win them over. In this article I’ll focus on using psychological ‘tricks’ to perfect your ad copy and in turn lead you to more clicks and conversions.

FOMO

 Fear of missing out or ‘loss aversion’ to use the psychological term. Marketers are able to use the fact that people prefer to avoid loss over acquiring gains to ingrain this fear of missing out, resulting in more clicks and conversions. 

How to use it:

• Stress what your product/service will help the consumer keep, rather than what they will gain (i.e. time or money)
• Instill some form of urgency – you WILL be left out of this sale if you don’t buy TODAY
• Introduce consumers to the the concept that they can’t afford not to use your product/service – if they don’t consider the opportunity you are providing it will cause them trouble in the future 

Dual Process 

The dual process theory proposes that human thought is divided into 2 processes – system 1 (fast, automatic, frequent, emotional, stereotypic, subconscious i.e. gut instinct) and system 2 (slow, effortful, infrequent, logical, calculating, conscious). When creating your Ads think carefully about how the consumer might make a decision about the type of product you’re offering. Is it a low-cost buy, or something bigger?

How to use it:

• For a quick purchase focus on emotion and indulgence – tempt the consumer to click and act quickly
• For a bigger item don’t push too hard and risk irritating the consumer – instead present a case for why the service/purchase is a smart idea and direct them to a landing page with more information

Social proof

Social proof is the psychological idea that we look to others to point us in the right direction to act in a way that will help us fit in. Marketers use social proof for conversion rate optimisation by easing the minds of worried customers. This is especially the case for consumers shopping online. 

How to use it:

• Use review ratings to show consumers that other customers have had positive experiences
• Expert testimonials using a suitable picture for visual proof makes for strong social media ad copy
• General statements suggesting popularity “See what all the fuss is about” 

Overchoice or Overload

 The overchoice principle explains that having too many choices at once negatively affects the decision making process. We like options, but not too many. Overchoice leaves consumers confused, pressured and ultimately dissatisfied.

 How to use it:

• Advertise one product/service with each ad – don’t try to advertise an entire range which will water down the impact and lead to confusion
• To add variety for a service ad consider different tiers i.e. a free tier, a cheap paid tier and a more expensive paid tier (this makes the other paid tier seem like better value)
• Conduct proper product categorisation – provide clear navigation and categorisation of your products

Least effort

The law of least effort describes how people choose the easiest option, or the path of least resistance, when doing something. The more efficient, the better. 

How to use it:

• Don’t ask for too much from the reader – offer them something they can achieve in just one click
• Emphasise the ease of what you’re suggesting – use words such as easy, simple, and fast and focus on what it will achieve for them
• Simple landing pages lead to higher conversion rates and fewer choices eliminate distraction

Summing Up 

Next time you are writing your ads, think about each of them individually and using what you have just learned, cater the content accordingly. You won’t be disappointed.

This is an article for Business Blindspots Tasmania. To ensure you receive regular updates from expert business advisers across a range of areas follow our LinkedIn Group