10 Easy Steps for Writing Powerful Social Media Ads

01

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Maintain a consistant brand voice

The key to an effective brand presence on social media is consistency. A potential customer or client should know what to expect from your business by seeing your current and future work. If your brand voice is always light and carefree, then you want to make sure your social media ad copy reflects that. However, if you’re looking to reach investors for a high-end real estate firm, for example, you’ll want to avoid ad copy that lacks the professional branding that you’ve worked so hard to establish.

02

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Keep things simple

Rewrite the sentence “Remember: you’ve only got a second or two before the user will scroll on and forget your ad even existed. That’s why it’s important to keep your social media ad copy simple. If it’s possible, for example, to take your ad from 5 sentences to 1 and maintain the same message, then do it. “Longer,” in the case of social media copy, most certainly does not mean “better”. Make it more creative:

Social media ads should be “short and sweet” and should do the job quickly, without confusing or boring the reader.

03

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Connect with your audience

We know social media is about more than promotion, which is why your ad copy needs to reflect that. Instead of pushing out promotions, push out engagement. Startup conversations with your followers and get their input on your latest projects. You’ll want to know what they like or dislike about your products, where their feedback might be the most valuable, and how their responses will influence your future design decisions.

Yes, you can still advertise, but don’t forget to converse with your base and prospective customers. No matter how you choose to do it, socializing is much more effective in making human connections than just posting ads.

04

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A picture is worth a thousand words

To go the extra mile on your social media marketing campaign, why not use visuals like intriguing images or videos? The audience on social media prefers imagery to text, so make sure the images or videos you’re using are good! Think about your scrolling habits on platforms like Instagram, for instance. When you’re perusing their platform, does the written copy or the visual image/video catch your eye first? Chances are, you chose the visuals, and chances are, so will your audience.

05

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Proofread, edit then proofread again

Nothing is more of a turn-off than an ad that contains typos. As much as people like to tell themselves that they are the exception, everyone makes mistakes. So don’t feel bad about running your social media ad copy past another set of eyes. You never know when the typo is coming. Trust me: you don’t want your audience to catch it before your team does. After all, your credibility and professionalism are on the line every time you click the “publish” button.

We’re not perfect – and that’s ok! So, you’re working on your campaign and you’re too close to the project. Your colleague might notice inconsistencies with brand voice, and get a different perspective on the tone of your ad. When we’re too close to the project, we can’t see where changes need to be made.

06

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Home in on FOMO

The devil is in the details, or in this case, in the copy. Your ad copy should incorporate an element of urgency, which will help it to stand out. Why should someone read the ad copy if they know they can go back and come back to buy later? This fear of missing out is part of the allure of the FOMO movement.

There needs to be a sense of urgency in your social media ads. If not, then what would stop a potential customer from scrolling past while vowing to themselves to come back later? Adding an element of FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out is a critical part of getting potential customers to click and buy in the moment.

07

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Make emojis work for you

Emojis are the universal language of today. They are frequently used in social media conversations and interactions, and they can be an invaluable tool in helping your business to connect with potential customers.

Don’t be afraid to incorporate these symbols into your ad copy if appropriate for your business’s tone, style, and feel. If your audience isn’t in tune with emojis, then you should probably avoid them. But if you do decide to use them, make sure you’re consistent with which ones you use and how you use them. You can be funny and quirky and engaging if you choose the right emojis.

08

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Your CTA

For your social media marketing to be successful, you have to understand your customer’s goal. That being said, once you’ve determined the goal of your social media ad (whether it’s for your potential customer to learn more, make a purchase, or refer a friend), write a call-to-action that encourages customers to take steps toward that goal. Keep them simple and short, and make sure they deliver on the promise. In other words, if your call-to-action says “learn more,” then be sure that when they click on it, they learn more — avoid making your customers jump through several hoops by clicking on CTAs that don’t deliver.

09

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Align your advertising

Instead of thinking of your social media ad as a stand-alone piece, you’ll want to take a step back and ask yourself how it fits into your strategy as a whole. Make sure that this ad — along with all of your others — is just a piece of a broader message about who you are, how you treat your customers, and what customers can expect from your company.

It can be frustrating when a new company pops up with a fresh idea and more funding than you, but by being more creative and being invested in our customers more than our competition, we have been able to outperform them!

Social media is the natural extension of the one-on-one conversations that people have in their day-to-day lives. Instead of thinking of your social media ad as a stand-alone piece, you’ll want to take a step back and ask yourself how it fits into your strategy as a whole. Make sure that this ad — along with all of your others — is just a piece of a broader message about who you are, how you treat your customers, and what customers can expect from your company.

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Analyze your ad’s performance

As always, in advertising your product or service, there is usually quite a bit of trial and error. As long as you expect that and keep an open mind, you should be able to tweak your ads to reach a wider or more relevant audience. Once your ad goes live, take a look at how well it performs. Analyze the “why” behind its performance, and use this information to make changes to future ads. Then, analyze their performance to see if your tweak worked or if you need to make further changes.

It’s All About Social Media Ads That Perform

Every business wants to produce ads that perform well. That’s why it’s important to assess your current ad copy’s strengths and weaknesses and to incorporate the above tips as you write more. Trying the new and tweaking the old is essential to good copywriting, and you’re sure to see results if you keep pressing forward.