A story well told is a powerful instrument. It can trigger the curiosity of potential buyers and move them down the sales funnel. But, how can you fit a captivating story into a body text that is only 140 characters long, the limit of a Google AdWords ad?

It might seem tricky, but it can be done.

Although there are plenty of tips and tricks that can help you create effective PPC campaigns, there is one element that plays a major role in the success of your marketing efforts: the human brain.

Without further ado, here are five psychological tricks that will help you write great PPC adds.

1) Trigger emotions

We praise ourselves for being logical, rational beings. But, in reality, you feel first and act second. A lot of our actions and decisions revolve around our emotions and not our rational outlooks.

Figure out your audience’s needs, passions, and desires. Find out what keeps them up at night and offer a solution to their problems in your ad copy. Be careful, though. While emotions come in a wide range, not all of them are of equal value. At least not in respect to the impact they have on human behaviour. Determine what type of emotions trigger the most action and try to implement them in your PPC ads in a way that suits your brand.

2) Exploit their fear of missing out

Although it might sound as something invented by comedians, FOMO is a real emotion. A lot of people are afraid that somewhere, someone is having more fun than them. This is clearly visible in the digital age, where users go to great lengths trying to stay as connected as possible.

So, how can you use FOMO to your advantage?

Offer exclusivity: If you are trying to sell a product or service, limit its availability. For example, offer free demos, but limit downloads. Advertise this fact in your PPC ad copy to make prospects feel as if they will miss out on something valuable if they are not taking action. You can even create a “waiting list” to highlight the limited availability of their content.

Urge Them to Action: When writing your PPC copy, state it in such a way that it feels like a loss not to click on it. Use time-sensitive words to induce a sense of urgency, such as "sale ends today” or "only three copies left.” Consider implementing ad customiser countdowns, as well.

3) Embrace your quirkiness

"The Bizarreness Effect” can be one of your biggest PPC strengths. Unusual and bizarre content is way easier to remember than a common, boring one. A very effective recipe for PPC ads would be to include bizarre nouns among more common words. In other words, go for some quirky words that are part of a fairly easy and intuitive structure.

Not only will it make your copy unforgettable, but customers might relate best to your brand if you prove to be just as flawed as they are.

4) Use persuasive words

Savvy marketers know how language influences emotions and persuades action. Certain words can boost response and increase traffic and conversion rates.

Copyblogger’s Gregory Ciotti wrote an excellent article in which he researched the five most persuasive words in the English language.

Here is his list:

  • “You”: This power word adds a bit of personal touch to your copy. Keep prospects engage by addressing them like you are having a conversation with them.
  • “Free”: Humans have an evolutionary instinct to go after the “low-hanging fruit, so the word “free” is almost irresistible to them.
  • “Because”: By using this word, you give people a reason to do something. “Because” is a persuasive word that can trigger action.
  • “Instantly”: Words like “instant,” “immediately” and “fast” work as triggers that enhance the activity in our mid-brain.
  • “New”: Novelty plays an important role in activating our brain’s reward centres.
5) Use rhymes

The human brain loves synchronicities, and rhymes might just be the most musical of them all. Rhymes are also one of the easiest ways to memorise new information because it makes it catchier.
 
Use rhymes if you want your prospective customers to remember you and get your message into their brains. If you get a good rhyme going, it will get stuck in their heads. So before dismissing rhymes as being too infantile, remember: we’re all little poets deep down inside.
 
Telling a captivating story in your PPC ads can be challenging. These tips will help you craft well-written copy with all the right elements of an ad worth clicking on it.
 
Which of these tips do you use when crafting your PPC ads?

 

By Charles Dearing, digital marketing blogger

PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.

comments powered by Disqus