Do you want to know what is advertising copywriting? Do you need help with your copywriting for marketing and advertising campaigns? If so, then this article is for you. We will teach you everything you need to know about writing effective ad copy.
What is Advertisiing?
When you hear the words “advertising” and “writing” together, the first thing that probably comes to mind is magazine or newspaper advertisements. But, as the name would suggest, advertising is much broader than that. In fact, it’s a form of marketing that includes all types of marketing material designed to attract customers (or potential customers) to your business.
Why should you care about advertising? Simple – marketing campaigns through traditional and social media reach a lot of people. More importantly, these people often become your customers or, at least, your target audience. With customers, comes money (and the opportunity to grow) – something that every business seeks.
That’s why it’s essential to have effective advertising campaigns. By understanding the art and craft of writing effective ads, you can optimize your marketing strategy and drive more leads to your business.
What is Advertising Copywriting?
If you’re reading this, I assume that you’re looking for an explanation of what is advertising copywriting. If that’s the case, then let’s dive into the details. What is advertising copywriting, exactly?
Advertising copywriting is the process of creating written content (e.g., ads, website copy, social media posts) to promote brands and products. When someone writes advertising copy, they are, in effect, selling a brand or product. To qualify as advertising copy, the content must be designed to attract potential customers to a business or product. The focus is on the persuasiveness of the writing rather than its literary merit.
What are the Steps to Write Effective Ads?
To write effective ads, you need to start with a clear goal in mind. Ideally, you want to end up with an ad that is highly persuasive and that will compel readers to take action.
To determine which action to compel readers to take, you need to consider the individual differences of your target audience. While it would be great to convince all of your audience to take a given action, that’s not always possible. So, you need to pick the action that you think that they will most likely take given their own unique differences.
For example, if you’re trying to sell gym memberships, you might want to focus on convincing men to become members of your gym. One way of doing that might be through emphasizing the wellness benefits that come with membership. Another way of doing that might be through highlighting the numerous social events that your gym holds.
Once you’ve determined the goal of your ad, you can move on to the process of writing. To begin with, take a step back and analyze what you know about your product or service. There are several good reasons why you should do this. First, it will help identify relevant keywords and phrases that you can use in your ad content. Second, it will give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the benefits that your product or service offers. Third, it will help you assess the strength of your brand and how you want to position it in the marketplace.
The Keywords and Phrases You Need to Target
Now that you have a clear idea of your product and its benefits, you can start to think about the words and phrases that you will use in your ad. When it comes to keyword and phrase research, you need to keep your eye on the big picture rather than getting bogged down in specifics. That’s because although you might want to target a specific set of keywords and phrases for your ad, you will almost certainly want to use keywords and phrases that are relevant to a variety of products or services. The following paragraphs will go over some general guidelines for selecting the right keywords and phrases to target in your ad.
The first step in creating keyword and phrase lists is to brainstorm. When you brainstorm, you should come up with as many words, phrases, and sentences as possible that relate to your product or service. You can always come back and add additional ideas to your list. Just make sure that you keep it original and that your ideas reflect the voice of your product. For example, if you’re marketing a legal product, you might want to come up with phrases such as “secure legal documents,” “simple wills and deeds,” and “low-cost legal help.”
As you brainstorm, you should aim to come up with five to seven (5-7) phrases or words that you can use in your ad. Once you have a list with at least five (5) items, you can move on to the next step.
How to Write a Winning Ad
Based on your keywords and phrases, you can now create a shortlist of compelling ad copy that will draw attention to your business and compel readers to take action. Remember, your goal is to end up with an ad that will convince readers to visit your website, make a purchase, or take a specific action. Once you have your shortlist of ads, you can start to compare and contrast among them. In addition, you can look at the competition and see how they are approaching the market with their ads. This will help you determine the strengths and weaknesses of your current ad campaign. Remember, you’re only as good as your last ad. So, if you feel that your previous efforts were lacking, this is a good place to start. Finally, once you have a winning ad, you can use it as a blueprint to create more content that is directly related to your product or service. Following the proven strategy for writing effective ads will allow you to write more ads and gain more customers. In turn, that means more revenue and growth opportunities for your business.
Differences between Writing for Print and Online Ads
Whether you’re creating ads for print or online publications, there are several key differences that you need to be aware of. First, the font size. When you’re writing for print, you should use smaller text because that’s how most magazines and newspapers display their content. However, on a digital landscape, you can go with larger fonts because digital readers have a different view of content than print readers. For example, the New York Times features larger font sizes on their online versions so that their content is easier to read.
The next difference is the type of content that you should use. If you’re writing for a print publication, you should use short sentences and simple words. When you’re creating content for digital publications, you can use longer, more detailed sentences to elaborate your thoughts. In addition, you should also use media such as bullet points, bold text, and illustrations. These elements will make your content more interesting to readers.
The Artistry of Advertising
Although advertising is typically considered to be a form of marketing, it has several distinct creative elements that are used to stand out among competitors. To name just a few, there is artistry in the following:
- The type of artwork that you use on your ads (e.g., a simple illustration or a photograph);
- The color scheme of your ads; and
- The positioning of your ads within a publication.
An ad that is well-crafted using these elements will undoubtedly reach its intended target audience. However, if you want to go above and beyond what is considered “good enough” and would like to stand out among your competitors, you can take your marketing and advertising to the next level by applying for a creative brief. A creative brief is a formal document that explains the objectives and the parameters of a creative project. Having a clear idea of what is expected can help you and your team deliver something unique and exceptional. In other words, it can help you apply the artistic spirit of advertising to your work.