Why are copy and creative so important?
If you want to promote your products or services, Facebook Ads is definitely one of the most widely used and most profitable channels in the world.
It won’t be enough for you to create a technically perfect campaign, however, because of everything you do, the end user will only see two things: the ad, consisting of an image or video, and the text .
Technical optimizations are a necessary but not sufficient condition for your campaigns to work well.
People are the recipient of your communication, and precisely because you are not interacting with a screen, you must not forget the human aspect of this interaction.
Don’t forget that users over time have been accustomed to seeing so many ads that they now repulse them; therefore, when they come across an ad in which you are trying to sell your product directly, they will move on, not linger.
Your goal must not simply be to sell a product but you must be able to generate a feeling that makes the user feel part of something bigger. The potential customer has to dream through the story you tell him, you have to stimulate a desire in him, you have to address him to excite him, breaking the mold and focusing on emotions, nostalgia and a sense of belonging.
If you have to sell your own product or service, therefore, the first thing to do is to ask yourself who the product or service is aimed at by doing a more detailed analysis of your target audience.
In a nutshell, you need to be clear about who the target audience of your communication is, know who your “buyer personas” are, and understand how to intercept their attention.
If you’re having difficulty coming up with your buyer personas, this template of ours will certainly help.
It is a practical and intuitive tool where you can see concrete examples of other Buyer Personas and then build your own by going to fill in all the fields.
After devising your Buyer Personas and understanding what your target audience is, you will be able to deliver the right message to the right target audience, in the right way.
A: But how do I actually go about creating effective copy and beautiful creative for my ads?
We’ll see it together in this article! And remember that you can download it as a PDF to always have it at hand!
The anatomy of Facebook Ads
Let’s start with the basics : a Facebook ad consists of several parts:
- Main text
- Image/video
- Headline
- Link description
- Display link
- CTA (Call to Action)
1. Main text
It is the text of your ad.
Although the length provided by Facebook is longer, we suggest you not to make copy longer than 125 characters.
The reason is simple, beyond 125 characters the message is chopped and thus is more difficult for the user to use.
I know you’re probably thinking, “What am I going to write in only 125 characters?“
I’ll reassure you, you don’t necessarily have to do all 125-character copy, you can mix longer (not too long) and shorter content, but know that if Facebook recommends such short copy there is a reason.
As you can well deduce, it is the part that most convinces a user to click on an ad, and for this reason, now more than ever, being convincing is essential.
Well-crafted copy can make people prefer our product or company over a competitor, but we will elaborate more on this part in the next section.
2. Image or video
The images you place in your ad are critical because they are the first element a user notices when scrolling through the feed , and they must have the ability to immediately grab the attention of your target audience, encouraging them to read the headline and text of your ad.
Your Facebook ADS images must be:
- consistent with the message you convey,
- relevant to the target audience, the offer, and the goal of your communication effort,
- Coordinated with your marketing strategy and brand visuals.
Facebook also advises us to not to include too much text within the image , but to maintain a proportion of about 20%, we will also elaborate on this topic a little later.
3. Headline
The headline can be a maximum of 40 characters and normally contains a benefit of your product or service.
In these few characters you must capture your readers’ attention by clearly and accurately communicating a key aspect of your product or service.
For example, if you offer a discount, don’t just put it in the copy but also in the headline.
4. Link description:
This is the “least important” part of an ad, as it is not included in some placements. His task is to go into further detail about the content of the title, the promise of the offer, and what is the benefit you are offering.
For example, if one of your strengths is having made-in-Italy products, you can include that here.
5. Display link:
It is the link to your website or product page to which you want to link through the ad.
6. CTA:
You’ve reached the end, you need to choose the CTA, the “call to action” to include in your ad.
You can find several, which you can select based on your goal: Learn more, Buy now, Contact me etc.
The important thing is that it is consistent with your message-if you want them to buy your product, the CTA will probably be buy now.
Tips for writing copy that works
The first thing to keep in mind is that
your communication cannot be the same at all stages of the journey
in which the customer you want to win over is located.
What am I talking about?
Of the classic stages of the sales funnel!
1. Differentiate your communication:
If you want to communicate to people who do not know that your brand exists (cold audience-tofu), it is essential that you communicate in as precise and detailed a manner as possible what you offer so that you are known and part of the user’s consideration set.
2. Focus on vocabulary:
Vocabulary that is clear, relevant, researched and inherent to your target industry is the first condition for copy that works.
Tailor your vocabulary to your target audience so they feel understood.
3. Generate curiosity:
Fundamental then is to generate curiosity in those who read your ad. You can begin your copy, for example, with a rhetorical question so as to invite reflection.
4. Call to action in a clear way:
The request you make to the user should be as clear, simple and effective as possible.
What is crucial, then, is that the user perceives early on what added value he or she will be able to count on after taking that particular action.
The benefit attached to the action must be clearly and unmistakably perceptible.
5. Leverage social proof (especially in the higher stages of the funnel):
The review rating system is one of the systems that everyone relies on online. Amazon and Booking, for example, are just a few of the sites that leverage this tool the most.
That is why they show comments, ratings, and reviews that help other customers or the prospect navigate their purchasing choices, because we are all naturally more likely to find behaviors or choices that are made by a wide range of people to be more valid.
Here, you also need to do the same!
For example, if you want to sell a T-shirt, don’t write
“Buy the best cotton T-shirt on the market,” no one will believe you!
Rather write
“Buy this cotton t – shirt and join the over 200 people who have already chosen it!”
How to create scroll-stopping creativity
Coming to the creatives, to communicate more effectively with users it is necessary to get their emotions and feelings stirred, and the most effective way to do this is by using visual and metaphorical elements rather than excessive use of text.
As I mentioned above, putting too much text over your image, thinking it will help the consumer understand it better, instead has the opposite effect.
This is an excellent example of how the text in the image was exploited effectively.
One of the most defining elements of a creative’s success and its effectiveness in stopping users from scrolling by attracting them is the choice of colors; in the Ad you see below, the colors are used excellently.
Then remember that the attention span of users scrolling through their feed is very limited, creating creative with too many elements might just create confusion in the heads of people interacting with it.
Your product should therefore always be highly visible and in the foreground so that users can always understand what you are offering them.
Finally, remember not to leave the creatives “anonymous” and include specific identifying elements that can link them back to your brand (such as the brand name or logo), otherwise the user will not remember you among the many Ads they see.
Conclusions
After reading this article you finally possess the basics to be able to make effective copy and creative for your Facebook Ads, follow these tips and you will see that your campaigns will do better.
If you have any questions or need any more guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us by filling out the form below.
Our team will certainly be able to help you!
