The best way to improve online ad copy is often simple: stop making broader claims and start using evidence that makes us unique.
Yesterday we looked at the ‘sludge problem’ in online advertising. The antidote is specificity. Weak copy is not usually suffering from a shortage of adjectives. It is suffering from a shortage of details.
Specificity turns a claim into something the reader can picture and remember. “Improve efficiency” is forgettable. “Cut the time your team spends re-keying batch numbers” illustrates the problem. That’s the difference.
In B2B marketing, we often have plenty of useful detail available, but it’s hidden away. It’s there in the subsequent sales calls, in the data sheets and in the training documents. Meanwhile the advert says “helping businesses work smarter”.
Advertising has a way in when it listens to the more practical phrases that come up when someone explains what’s annoying them or costing them money. A number can help if it is meaningful: “reduce installation time by 30%” is stronger than “save time”. But the important thing is that the reader recognises the moment.
A useful test is simple: could a close competitor say the same thing?
If they could, the copy may be too soft.
Tomorrow: Why having a useful point of view helps copy stand out from generic category claims.