Localogy Insider invites experts in a field relevant to our community to share practical advice on how to do the business of local better. In this ExpertTake, Tiger Pistol‘s Analissa Moreno explains the elements of a solid social ad.
If your ads are getting unwanted attention for being confusing or misleading, you may be driving away potential customers.
Advertisers shouldn’t let other advertisers have ugly ads. There, I said it.
These days, a beautiful ad – one that really knocks your socks off – shouldn’t be hard to come by, one would think. With the abundance of tips, tricks, and even courses on how to create best practice ads, many fall short and feel like they’re just missing that “thing.”
I think we can all agree that a non-cohesive ad comes off as a hot mess of unrelated imagery, poor copy, and inaccurate or conflicting calls-to-action.
So, why does this happen? In most cases, I’ve found that advertisers want their ads to say something specific. They may want their headline to be their name. Or they may demand their body copy say something about their offer. They may not utilize the link description real estate. Imagery can run the gamut from custom imagery suitable for advertising to cold stock imagery that has nothing to do with the campaign.
Of course, when your hands are tied and an advertiser makes a requirement, the ads you publish on their behalf may not meet your standards. There isn’t much you can do other than provide support where you can. In these cases, it’s best to drive monthly conversations about improvement and change bits of the campaign here and there when you can. Eventually, you’ll get what you want. And they’ll be even happier.
When you are in charge of content creation, be smart. Everything should come together in a harmonious way:
- Copy should reflect the campaign’s offers and business goals. Remember, the headline should hook users in and drive them headfirst into your goal.
- Imagery should accurately reflect the above copy. It’s better to use custom imagery where possible. If there’s text or symbols in your image, make sure it’s in the correct language for your audience.
- Call-to-Action buttons should also reflect the copy. If the button says “Call Now,” users expect a direct dial upon click, not to be sent to a website.
- Bonus: Lead Forms should reflect the ad’s offer. Qualifying questions should ask questions related to the offer and any messaging should tie back to the copy.
Just remember – you wouldn’t leave your house in a mismatched outfit, right? Don’t be that advertiser and think before you publish.
