Here’s a fun fact for you: did you know Facebook has hit 2 billion monthly active users?
With that, there’s no doubt the popular social media platform gives you, an entrepreneur, the opportunity to help your clients reach thousands of their ideal customers located within their community fairly quickly.
But, if I’m being completely honest with you, it’s a seriously congested marketplace with more than 3 million advertisers and counting. I’m not saying that to give you the okay to sit out, however. No, not even close. You can’t afford to do that.
So, how does one break through all that noise—from a sea of posts from family and friends, and even ads—to build awareness, provide more product or service information, and, ultimately, blow through your client’s sales goals?
By knowing the five simple hacks to crush Facebook ad writing.
Yup, that’s right. Lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place. I’m going to share each of those five hacks with you and show you how a small amount of attention-grabbing copy can go a long way.
But, before we get into the good stuff…
Let’s refresh your memory on a few checklist items you need to have marked off before you jump right into the writing process for your client’s Facebook ad.
(By the way, these were pulled from Facebook.com, so you know they must be 100% critical to getting the results you’re hoping for).
✔ Know the goal. What is the purpose of your ad? Does your client want to push out a new product or service to your audience? Drive more foot traffic to their store(s)? Encourage more website views? Whatever it is, identifying the business goal they’re hoping to accomplish before all else will help you build a Facebook ad that has the greatest opportunity to achieve their desired results.
✔ Know the audience. Who does your want to target with the ad? Hone in on the ideal gender, age range, interests, and all that good stuff before you dive into the creative—design and copy. That way, you’ll have a better idea of the design components and words to use to appeal to their intended readers. Plus, you’ll ensure your actual ad targeting is on point when it comes time to select the audience. *Learn more about ad targeting here.
✔ Know the topic. This is where completing the first two checklist items will come in handy. Think about the audience and what would be the most compelling offer for them to receive—something so good (and relevant) they just couldn’t pass up. Is it a new product or service to bring back old customers? An exclusive deal for those who present the coupon in the store? Knowing the subject or theme of the ad will help you tackle everything else that follows in composing a champion campaign.
Easy enough? Now, let’s dig into the simple hacks to crush Facebook ad writing.
1. Write for the click and not for the sale.
What I mean by that is, keep it simple and resist the urge to tell the full story of your jaw-dropping offer in the ad itself. I know, I know. It’s tough stuff, especially when your client’s going to be dishing out some of their hard-earned money to successfully communicate all that they can (and want to).
Ultimately, however, you just need to offer up enough compelling information that’ll get that much-wanted click. And, from there, you can say and do all you want and need to in order to sell your client’s product or service.
So, how exactly do you get the job done? Here are a few ways to keep your ad copy simple, yet effective:
- Create a short, snappy headline that speaks to their ideal customer (aka the target audience for the ad)—consider it the teaser to get them to take action.
- Call attention to the key benefits of your client’s jaw-dropping offer in the text area of the ad—how will it help their ideal customer alleviate their biggest headache? What will they get out of grabbing hold of their offer?
Staying focused on these essentials will, without a doubt, make it easier for you to get the point across in a clear, concise manner. All while keeping the value that your client brings to the table front and center.
2. Match your copy to your compelling image.
Sometimes, going matchy-matchy isn’t always what’ll get your client the attention they want and deserve—especially if we’re talking about business attire. Too much of one color or pattern and you’ll be riding the train of regret, wishing you’d taken a different route.
As for Facebook ads, however, going matchy-matchy is the only route you should take. But, exactly how far should one go? Well, just be sure the creative elements of the advertisement match your messaging.
For example, say you’re a dog lover and you’re looking to add a new furry friend to your family. You come across a Facebook ad from a local shelter, with a super cute picture of a dog. It captures your attention for sure.
Yet, as you jump the gun at the sight of the dog and prematurely click, you realize the ad is actually for cat adoptions.
Oh no. That’s not what you expected.
Thus, that dreaded, illegal clickbait sinks in. And, it’s super easy for that to happen to you in the ad creation process.
Why? Because it’s a cutthroat world out there trying to beat out your client’s competition with copy or imagery that sticks to get some News Feed “air time.”
So, what harm could a funny or cute image do to take the message to the next level?
The truth is, it can do a lot of harm. That said, don’t relinquish aligning your message with your creative elements—from the image to the page the ad takes clickers to (whether it be an opt-in, homepage, etc.), and more.
3. Use the ultimate power words.
Some Facebook advertisers let their visuals do the talking as their copy goes completely lifeless sitting on the ad. But, when you punch in a few powerful words—ones that leap off the screen—you’ll help your client’s ad score big across News Feeds while competing with people’s friends and families.
Take a look at Asana’s Facebook ad. Not only does it use a few attention-grabbing phrases like “free,” “simple to get started,” and “get results.” But, it also uses the word “powerful” itself. Bingo!
(source)
To make it easy on you, I’m officially handing over my favorite list of 9 persuasive words that will stick. Choose a few below and you can look forward to catching the attention of your client’s audience in no time.
- Believe
- Conquer
- Excited
- Courage
- Fulfill
- Hope
- Jaw-dropping
- Triumph
- Victory
4. Sprinkle in a hint of FOMO.
The best ads give readers a polite nudge with a hint of FOMO—fear of missing out. Reason being, no one wants to be left out of the “cool kids” crowd and lose out on a great deal.
Therefore, make your client’s audience think everyone else is already using their product or service, and they’re the “last” ones to join the club.
To build that excitement, there are many urgency-inducing phrases advertisers use in their headlines and body copy. After all, we’re more likely to act if we know an offer stands for a limited time only.
Just take a look at the following ad from our funnel series. At first glance, you know there are a limited number of appointments available. If you were the target of this ad, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss out on that deal would you? Heck no!
Thus, go ahead and follow our lead, incorporating one of the following statements into the next special offer ad you create:
- LIMITED TIME
- ONLY
- TODAY
- ACT NOW
- LAST CHANCE
- OFFER EXPIRES
- PRICES GOING UP
5. Feature a hyper-specific call to action.
Adding a call to action most likely won’t make your client’s ad get noticed in News Feeds, but what it will do is enhance the overall conversion rate.
Why? Because a hyper-specific call to action decreases friction. Once your client’s audience clicks on the ad, they’ll know exactly what to do next, performing the desired action upon arriving at the destination—a landing page, shop page; you name it.
Obviously, Facebook’s call to action buttons can help you out. But, this element is one worth being reminded of as you should also incorporate it into the ad’s actual copy.
For example, prompt the target audience with a phrase like “Subscribe to our newsletter and receive…” or “Download our free e-book” or “Join now to start your free 7-day trial.”
Take a look at the following ad from our funnel series. It uses one of Facebook’s preset call to action buttons (Learn More). But, it also incorporates additional verbiage into the link description area that inspires action—”Get a copy of SEMO’s affordable homes before they go on our website.”
Following in our footsteps, be sure to use a specific action verb (get, do, try, start, find, learn). A single call-to-action that’s well written, and supports the creative and overall offer, will leave your client’s audience with only one choice to make—to click that button.
6. Test, test, test!
Maybe you feel the ad’s headline was straightforward while still being witty enough to garner attention, but your client’s audience didn’t seem to agree.
There’s no time to get your feelings hurt. Instead, A/B test the Facebook ad’s headlines.
After all, it’s the most important part of the ad. Test a longer headline in Version A, and a shorter one in Version B. Or, add in a power word in Version A, and leave it out in Version B. Utilize scarcity in one, and no scarcity in another.
There are so many options for simple split testing, so take advantage of this capability, tweak the ads, and repeat.
Word to the wise—not every writing tip is 100% bulletproof when it comes to Facebook’s constant flurry of updates and changes, affecting business owners like you. Nevertheless, go ahead and grab hold of these hacks to test out what works for you and your clients.