In this digital age, people are bombarded by advertising everywhere they turn.  Leaving most of us blind to the majority of all the sales ads that are thrown at us.

We have all seen ads that grab our attention straight away.  But we have also seen ads that leave us shrugging our shoulders wondering what exactly the advertiser was attempting to convey.

So how can you create text and banner ads that not only attract your target audience, but get them to take that next step and click?

Great ads are more than just pretty colors, words, and bold images.  Great ads give the viewer a taste of a bigger picture, a taste so good and tantalizing that they have to read more.

The following factors can help you to create ads that are more clickable.

1. Walk in their shoes

Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash

One of the main keys to drafting successful ads is to put yourself in the viewer’s shoes.  Take a step back from your surroundings and life and imagine how they are feeling in that moment. Feel their pain, understand their frustrations, and get why it is that put them with their mouse or finger hovering over your ad.

Once you are able to get into their heads, you can then write ads that will grab their attention instantly and make them need to learn more about your product/service.

2.  Features, Benefits, and Call to Action

At the end of the day, the most effective ads will have the following three components:

– Tell the features of the product or service being advertised
– Sell the viewer on the benefits of the product or service
– Have a clear concise call to action

No amount of keyword stuffing or other tricks will get you as many conversions as an ad that is strong on the product or service’s compelling features and benefits.  You are implying that they will benefit in some way that may give them an advantage to addressing their problem, want, or need.

As for the call to action, go for the button.   The CTA is so important, so essential, and so downright indispensable that you should not attempt to make it anything more than a plain button.  One that pops, one that is familiar to what we as consumers know to be a button.

CTAs are not the place to unleash your creativity or attempt to establish something new in the world of online marketing.

We have become so accustomed to the online experience that it’s drilled into our very being what a button does and what it is used for.  Go with that!

3.  Pull their heart strings

It’s a fact of nature, people respond to certain words, images, and thoughts that trigger an emotion.  The write words will have people compelled to click on your ads and take action.

– Amazing
– Incredible
– Superb
– Excellent
– Free
– Easy
– Get

We have all heard these and other emotion triggering words on each and every late night infomercial.  “This amazing new formula will have you feeling incredible in no time flat!” Who wouldn’t want to buy that product?    Although, don’t throw caution to the wind here. Make sure that any claims you put out there can be backed up with scientific proof.

Don’t panic though or beat your head on your desk trying to come up with something mind-blowing.  Go with your gut, do your research, and go with what you know works.

4.  Reasonable Expectations

Going back to what was said previously, don’t over promise or boost the viewer’s expectations over and above what you are actually selling.  You can’t promise that they will grow a head full of flowing red locks or that your new app will get them all the dates that they can handle unless you can actually guarantee the results.

You need to be able to provide the customer exactly what you are promising in the headline.

What techniques have worked best for you?  We would love to hear about it in the comments below.

Photo by Cleo Vermij on Unsplash