Proven Strategies for Improvement
Incorporating text ads into your digital marketing campaign can ensure you reach as many people as possible. Not all platforms allow you to run banner ads, and banner ads can also be more expensive than text ads, requiring a larger budget.
Text ads can appear on search engines, like Google, or other sites. The main thing that sets a text ad apart from a banner ad is that there are no graphics, so you’ll need to rely more on the power of your words to catch the viewer’s attention. While that might present a challenge, here are seven effective ways to boost the effectiveness of text ads.
1. Be Specific
Don’t use vague language when writing text ads. It’s critical to be specific and to the point. Talk about the benefits of your product, what your product does, what you want your viewers to do (the CTA), and so on. Using vague and confusing language that forces people to think hard before they can understand what you’re talking about will lead to subpar results.
If you’ve been running banner ads until now, it’s important to remember that you can’t rely on visuals to convey your message anymore. That’s why using clear and specific language is so essential.
2. Sell on Value and Not on Price
Focus on value instead of the price. When running a banner ad, the attractive images of the product often do a good job of selling the value of the product and making it look appealing. That gives you more space to talk about how appealing the price is, how affordable it is, etc.
With a text ad, however, your main focus should be selling the value of the product or service. You can talk about things such as the quality of the product and the materials it is made of or the level of in-depth customer care and customization the service comes with.
Discuss what sets your product or service apart from what your competitors offer. In what way do you distinguish yourself in the market? What void in the market are you aiming to fill? What is your long-term goal and vision?
Of course, it can be hard to fit the answers to all those questions in a short text ad. Think about the most important information you want customers to see and include it in your ad. You can also run A/B split tests to see which ad versions perform better. Remember: Be concise.
3. Highlight the Benefits of Your Products and Services
When writing your ad, highlight the benefits of your products and services. One way to make sure you’re focusing on benefits that matter is to concentrate on pain and pleasure points. The benefit that your product or service provides to customers often boils down to one or both of the following: It helps them avoid pain, or it helps them gain pleasure.
In marketing, pain and pleasure are two essential phases in the customer journey. Customers are searching for something to avoid pain. They have a problem, and they’re looking for a solution. Pleasure is what comes next, after they use your product.
Sometimes, customers don’t have a particularly pressing concern. Instead, they are only looking for pleasure. Products that aren’t essential but target a luxury market typically seek to provide pleasure rather than help prevent pain.
So, how can you select which benefits to include in a short text ad? Start by asking yourself what the most pressing difficulties your customers face are. What things are causing them the most pain?
Then, figure out the pleasure they’re looking for. If you are selling a vacation package, the pain might be needing a break from the stress of work. Avoiding the confusion of booking a trip for the first time is another pain point many travelers experience.
On the other hand, the pleasure points may be:
- A relaxing, de-stressing getaway on the beach
- Some much-needed sunshine
- A honeymoon or a bonding opportunity for two partners
- A stress-free, all-arranged tour
4. Make the Ads About Your Potential Customers, Not Yourself
It’s critical to put yourself in your customers’ shoes when writing your text ads. Try to get into their minds and understand their mindset. Too many advertisers make the ads about themselves or the products instead of what the product does for the customers.
I know you’re excited and hyped up about the product you’re promoting, but don’t lose sight of how potential customers view your ad when first seeing it. User testing and surveys can help you learn how potential customers view your ads.
Focus on what your customers want, the concerns they have, the difficulties they are facing, and the solutions they are seeking. This ties into what I just said about pain and pleasure. By understanding what makes your customers tick, you’ll be able to write efficient copy that attracts attention and leads to more conversions.
5. Make Sure Your Copy Is Up-to-Date
Always keep your ad copy up to date. If you change anything on the landing page the ad leads to, for example, update the ad copy accordingly.
Otherwise, you’ll end up paying for clicks that don’t end up converting. Your ad copy should always reflect the landing page and the CTAs on that landing page. If your text ad promises one benefit, and your landing page doesn’t mention that benefit at all, customers may feel disappointed and let down, not following through on your CTA.
That’s true even if your product does provide that benefit.
In addition, your ad copy should have accurate information. Things can change, including:
- Your phone number
- Your address
- The price of the product
- Promotions and deals
- Etc.
Make sure the ad copy doesn’t contain outdated information. It should also link to an updated web page that loads quickly, is mobile responsive, and doesn’t lead to a 404.
6. Don’t Forget the Visual Aspects of Text Ads
Just because an ad is a text ad with no graphics doesn’t mean you can forget about its visual appearance altogether. The way your ad looks can vary from platform to platform – not all platforms give you as many customization options.
However, something as simple as using less text can result in a bigger font and a more visually-appealing ad overall. Some ad platforms may allow you to customize your fonts, bold certain letters, choose how your CTAs appear, and so on.
Text banners can also come in different sizes. Some may be long and skinny, while others might be wide but short. Some may have limited graphics, such as an animation or two, but not enough visuals to count as a non-text ad.
Colors and even text-based emoticons – like the smiley face “:-)” – can also make a difference in how eye-catching your text ad is and the number of conversions it brings you (include emoticons sparingly and only when appropriate). Again, split testing your ads will help you figure out which visual aspects of the text are more effective.
7. Try Ad Extensions
If you’re not using ad extensions on Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, you’re missing out. Ad extensions are calls to action that allow you to extend your ad, so to speak, by adding CTAs without using up your available ad space.
These CTAs could be to:
- Download an app
- Visit a page
- Place a call
- Find directions to the place
- Send a message
For example, let’s say you want people on mobile to be able to call you immediately without needing to search for your phone number. You can add an extension that says, “Call 1-800-123-4567.” Readers can click on that, be taken to their phone app with the number already filled in, and call you.
Alternatively, they can instantly open up Google Maps and start navigating to your or an affiliate’s store if you include a location extension.
Ad extensions can also allow you to:
- Display various prices
- Promote a limited-time deal
- Show customized sitelinks
- Display customer ratings (via location extensions)
The awesome part about ad extensions is that they don’t cost you anything! You can add extensions for free, and you’ll be charged the regular price if someone clicks on your ad extension.
The same best practices that apply to ads, in general, apply to ad extensions. For example, you need to be specific. Don’t include sitelinks when they aren’t relevant to what customers are searching for. If you use language in your ad title like “Call Us for a Quote,” include a call extension instead of a location extension.
When adding sitelink extensions, make sure each sitelink doesn’t exceed the limit of 25 characters per link (12 characters in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean). Also, add a short description for each link and consider adding multiple sitelinks for each ad group.
Similarly, ensure your ad extensions are up-to-date. Whether it’s your phone number, address, or a promotion you’re running, it must be accurate.
Final Thoughts
Text ads can be just as effective as banner ads. Whether you have no choice because your platform doesn’t accept banner ads or you want to test the potential ROI of running cheaper text ads, use this article as a guide. At the same time, don’t forget organic SEO, including keyword research, on-page optimization, and backlink building for local businesses.
