Writing copy for your PPC ads is not an easy task. You have to deal with limited word count and restricted ad space. Not to mention all the work you have to put in to differentiate yourself from ten other advertisers you’re sharing ad space with.
Talk about pressure, right?
So, how do you do it?
One key point of creating compelling copy is understanding why consumers think and act the way they do. When you understand the psychology behind the way your prospects think, you can help them pick even better.
To help you get started, here are five psychological tricks to jazz up your PPC ad copy.
1. Use Emotions to Trigger Response
Most people believe that the decisions they take are the result of careful, rational analysis. In reality, however, people’s decisions are largely driven by emotions. They decide first based on what they feel, and justify their decision later through logic and reasoning.
To get prospects to click on your PPC ads, you need to establish an emotional connection with them. Identify your customers’ desires, passions, interests, friends and enemies. Then take your brand and look for ways it is related to your customers’ profile.
2. Exploit the Fear of Missing Out
Bizarre as it may sound, FOMO – or Fear of Missing Out – is a very real emotion. Countless people are afraid that somewhere, someone is having more fun and more rewarding experiences than them. The good news is that you can use FOMO to your advantage.
Write your headlines so that it feels to your customers like a loss if they don’t click them. Make them believe that not taking action will be a loss for them. Instill a sense of urgency in your content by using time-sensitive words.
Here are some examples:
- 30% Off Blenders. Sale ends in 2 hours. Ships free in the US. Shop Now!
- Free Download – First 100 Subscribers Only!
- Only Three Seats Left. Buy a Ticket Now!
3. Use Anchoring
Ever wondered why it’s almost impossible to resist a sale? Or why do you continue to return to the same Chinese restaurant to get the $2 noodles?
Most of the times, the reason is anchoring. Anchoring is a cognitive bias that describes people’s tendency to rely on the first piece of information they get.
So, instead of letting people find the anchor themselves, show it to them. Mention the original price of the product, and then show the sale price right next to it.
4. Use Negative Superlatives
Positive superlatives like “best”, “greatest”, “and smarter” can increase the effectiveness of your PPC ad. But, as it turns out, negative superlatives like “worst”, “awful”, “terrible” can be even more powerful than positive ones.
After studying 65,000 titles and comparing positive superlative headlines, negative superlative headlines, and no superlative headlines, Outbrain found that negative words performed 63% better than positive ones.
5. Audience Referencing
Imagine you just bought your first cookbook. Excited, you try one recipe and cook your first batch of cookies. They were OK, but not too impressive. Later that day, you come across the following headline:
“For people who are almost (but not quite) satisfied with their cooking – and can’t figure out what’s missing.”
Don’t you feel like it’s talking directly to you?
That’s audience referencing at its finest.
When you reference your audience in your PPC ad headline, your prospects will instantly feel known and named. By using the word “you”, you are involving your audience directly with your headline, increasing the chances of getting them to click and convert.
With so many of your competitors worrying about things like keywords, demographics and metrics, you now have the ammunition to make your PPC ads really stand out.
That is if you start tweaking your copy today.
So go!