The Top Campaign Content Hacks

Creating your own online ad and sending it out to the masses is pretty straightforward. You put down your budget, find your traffic source and wait for clicks. However, The process of crafting killer copy on a time limit and with a limited word count is an art form in and of itself.  

So, without further delay, here are a few of the top Display and Banner ad copy best practices for 2021, that with the strategy, have the power to generate effective, clickable campaigns, without breaking the bank.

Target your ads to the right audience 

As you move further down the online advertising rabbit hole, you might start to select offers that are globally adaptable, highly popular, and strike a chord with multiple audiences across multiple regions. But, before you can get there, you need to zero in on a specific audience and sell to them as effectively (and directly) as possible. 

To do this, you need to know who your audience is, what they’re looking for, and how to address their needs in a concise and effective way. 

This is where User Interest Targeting comes into play. Available on the Adcash DSP platform and highly sought after as a way to drill down into your target audience from the get-go, User Interest Targeting allows you to select users who have exhibited a defined interest in a specific niche or vertical. Added to that, advertisers can use the feature to pinpoint target audiences that have shown interest in previous campaigns/offers. This allows you to replicate that model and send similar (targeted) traffic straight to the source that holds the highest chance of converting.

Meet and mirror your audience intent

You’ve got your target audience, and now the trick is to speak to them directly (with the limited characters you have at your disposal). This is where some ads fly and others fall. As a rule, the most effective ads are the ones that immediately get to the point! They address a unique concern, offer a solution, and throw in a value ad along the way…all through your company/product or offer!  This, in turn, lets your prospects know that “you get them” You know who they are, what they want, and how to get it for them. “Not only will we buy your car for cash, but we’ll also pick it up!”. “Not only will we deliver food straight to your door, but it’s healthy too!”

Pay special attention to certain psychological drivers that feature in your buyer’s persona when considering a certain offer. Always be addressing potential questions through copy that speaks to different features, solutions, benefits, testimonials, problems, reviews, and similar.

Prequalify leads with numbers

This is a short two-parter. You want to include your offer/product price in your copy for two reasons.

Firstly, you’re once again speaking directly to your target audience, addressing their questions before they ask them, and bringing a sense of transparency to the digital conversation. 

Secondly, as an online advertiser (risking budget in search of targets), you want to separate your serious from non-serious leads straight off the bat. 

Drive urgency with countdown triggers

Countdown triggers are a sure-fire way to instill a sense of urgency and loss aversion in your end user. 

✅ Great deal on product X

vs.

✅✅✅ Great deal on product X, AND, IT’S SELLING OUT FAST!  

Bring your loss aversion tactics into the H1 or H2 heading of a given ad. Some good examples of content with strong urgency tactics include…

This Day Only! 

Hurry!

Only X Items Left!

Don’t Miss Out!

At the end of the day, you want to hedge your bets as much as possible when it comes to crafting campaign content. An engaging ad is great, but an engaging ad with a STRONG SELL is even better, especially if your consumer is already in the market to convert on an offer. Your copy might just be the final push that they need to make a buying decision.

Craft a strong Call to Action

The right CTA can spark interest and bring your audience through to your offer much faster, resulting in conversions, clickthroughs, subscribers, or whatever target you’re going after. Start by defining what you want out of your campaign and find the copy that suits the sell best. 

Always be on the lookout for short, sharp (emotionally charged) words that speak to consumer psychology and carry a strong message. Words like “Now, Free, Save, Online, Best, You”, will put you on the right track. 

As a general rule, try writing your copy according to the end goal you’re after. After that, the method will be the road you ride to get there. 

Goal: Get more subscribers to your email list
Method: “Sign up today”, “Join Now”

Goal: Get your target on the phone and convert to a premium subscription
Method: “Free Quote Now!” “Call Now!” “Find out More!”

Goal: Converting Traffic
Method: “Buy Now” “Get Your 50% Discount”

Wrapping up, the top CTA’s have a few things in common. They…

• Drive urgency.
• Contain irresistible offers.
• Sell the value of the offer/entity.
• Are specific and to the point.
• Contain “strong sell” keywords.

Push the right conversion funnels 

Sticking to the topic of converting traffic quickly, a Call to Action is only as effective as the end destination that it’s sending your traffic to. If you’re looking for email subscribers, your ad needs to take traffic STRAIGHT to the page that will yield the best results (in this case, email addresses) in the shortest possible timeframe, and with the least possible effort. 

This is where landing pages become an online advertiser’s best friend. When done right, they complete the marketing funnel and convert the prospect painlessly with an unforgettable offer, easy to navigate sign-up form, or a condensed segment of information, packed with company info, tutorials, and testimonials that add credibility to your brand, product, or offer.  

A quality landing page, used for various Display Banner rollouts, usually has…

• A captivating headline (H1) with a clear (and brief) offer or description. 
• Unique product/service selling points and/or motivators. 
• Concise benefits and advantages to the offer.
• Eye-catching images that bring the product/service/offer to life.
• Customer testimonials/ratings/reviews.
• A one-liner that reinforces the offer and eliminates any lingering doubt. 
• A CTA that drives conversions, clicks, or other sales metrics 

Craft world-class landers with top Landing Page Optimization Strategies.

Use a differentiating offer 

This is a big one! With an endless sea of advertising and the mass majority of consumers grappling with ad fatigue an incentive fueled offer that’s too good to pass up on goes a long way! If you’re marketing your own product, bring an offer to the table that doubles your chances of conversion. If you’re an affiliate and marketing on behalf of a larger entity, look for products with built-in incentives, or ask for some! Some examples include…

• Discounts on first-month subscriptions in the region of 25-45%. 
• Referral bonuses for spreading the word about an offer. 
• Early access to new items, promos, and sales. 
• A Buy 1 get 1 free incentive. 
• And, of course, any additional products that come FREE, with an initial purchase. 

Craft ultra-strong headlines 

Maybe it makes more sense to include this last one at the beginning of the article, but to make it stick like glue, we thought we’d leave it for last. As of 2021, for every 8 out of 10 people that read your headline, only 2 will click through and see what the offer actually entails. These are pretty harsh stats considering the good stuff lies on the other side of the click-through. But if you can break the banner blindness barrier with an ultra-strong and engaging headling, your chances of converting traffic will multiply. 

So, what are the characteristics of a solid headline when it comes to Display Advertising and other banner formats? Well, we like to think that a headline should be…

Stong selling.
Your headline needs to get straight to the point immediately and the best way to do this is by using numbers (ie. offer prices, number of converted clients, etc.) Additionally, discounts work a charm. Be sure to write your numbers out numerically (it also helps to save character space) and use percentages where possible. 

Current.
A great case in point. Utilize hot button topics, like international political rivalries, global pandemics, and climate change, tying them back to your product or service if and where possible. 

Short and to the point
When it comes to word count, 16-18 words usually falls within the limit of what you’ll get away with on your Display Ad rollout, but you honestly don’t need much more than that. Build your headline copy according to what you’re selling, why your audience needs it, and why they should buy it right away. 

Keyword optimized
Keep your headlines SEO-friendly. Sift out the keywords you want to rank for and organically tie them into your headline roll-out. Check out keyword comparison tools like AHRefs and others to get to grips with (a) what your audience is looking for, and (b) which keywords your competitors are ranking well for. 

Check out Thrive Headline Optimizer and a host of other software options for seamless and Search Engine consistent headlines.  

Well, that’s it from us until next time. All the best with your online campaign copy and wishing you every success in nailing your conversions moving forward. Remember, you can craft your own unique and engaging online advertisements in a few easy clicks, with the Adcash DSP platform. Sign up today and skyrocket your conversions. 

How can we take your online advertising adventure to the next level and beyond!?! We always love to hear from you, so reach out to us anytime right over here and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!