Making Cents Out Of Your Ad Copy

by Jason D. Huhtala www.TargetBlaster.com

Through my experiences working with various companies I have found that many make big mistakes with their ad copy. Many businesses are willing to spend thousands of dollars to have their ad copy displayed to web site visitors, just to convey a faulty and ineffective message. I have seen hundreds of different problems that people have made in their copy and decided to write about some of the ones that I seem to see the most often.

Don't be a used car salesman (no offense).

As tempting as it may be, please stay away from exclamation points. If you find that it is absolutely necessary, one is more then plenty. Also stay away from all caps in your ad copy. I certainly don't like to be yelled at and potential customers don't either.

People Are Wary

Many times making an "I can't believe it" offer in your ad copy will attract less potential customers then just a "very good" offer. The Internet is a scary place and everyone has either been burned on the Internet or knows someone who has been. If you see an offer that says "YOU JUST WON'T BELIEVE IT!!!", I'd imagine you don't click through to see more. I don't know anyone who would. On the other hand when I read about a good deal, I am much more likely to investigate further.

Be Professional

I have talked about making your whole site professional looking in the past. Think of your advertisement copy as an extension to your website. You want visitors to feel comfortable with your products and/or services, and the same rules apply to ad design as to site design. Here are a few rules you should try to follow:

1. Make the information clear and concise.

2. Avoid bright colors especially in your text.

3. Make sure that you don't have any misspelled words and that your grammar is correct.

4. Try to leave some white space in your ad if you can spare any.

Avoid Information Overload

Remember, that advertisements should be designed to give visitors enough information that they want to know more, not educate them about everything you offer. It should not be an essay but a brief statement of what your product or service is about. It should be designed to get them to click through to get all the details.