What Do Good Social Media Ads Look Like? 5 Practices that Drive Results

Is your small business on social media?

According to recent studies, there are more than two billion active social media users and the average daily time spent on social network increased to 1.72 hours. With data like this, it’s abundantly clear that social media may earn you the biggest returns.

But, with all this noise, it’s becoming more and more difficult for brands, especially for small and local businesses to get noticed. One way to stand out and boost engagement is by writing killer social media ads. Masterful copywriting makes the difference between an ad that converts and one that falls flat, failing to encourage potential customers to take action.

Writing ads for social media can be a thrilling process, especially if you are just starting out. Most likely, there are a lot of questions crossing your mind. “Is this the best headline I can come up with?,” Am I using the right words?,” Is my call-to-action strong enough?”. One of the best things you can learn is that savvy marketers create social media ads with a checklist. They have a list of ingredients and a step-by-step process they follow closely to ensure they are creating profitable ads.

Can you replicate the process? Of course, you can! So, grab a pen and paper and write down the ingredients of a successful social media ad.

What Do Good Social Media Ads Look Like?

Many marketers think that social media ads are just a modern way of interrupting the user’s experience. That might be true, but there’s something less irritating about a sponsored Facebook post than a TV commercial.

People don’t avoid social media ads as much as TV ads, but there’s a trick: it matters less what you say than how you say it.

There are two essential elements that can make or break a social media ad:

• Target the right audience – the more specific your target audience is, the easier it would be to write ads that speak to them;

• Grab their attention – a great ad should make a prospect stop from scrolling and read the copy. But to achieve that, a great headline or CTA is not enough. You need a magnetic image.

How to Write Good Social Media Ads: 5 Practices that Drive Results

1. Write Compelling Headlines

People use social media for a purpose: to unwind. Making them come in contact with your ads, without being disruptive or intrusive is a challenge. So, when your headline looks the same as several competitors, people will ignore them completely.

Without a good headline, no one will even bother to read the rest of the copy. And, if no one reads your copy, no one will take action. That is why the headline is an extremely important element of a social media ad. It is the first thing prospects will see, and it has the power to convert people from readers into potential customers.

2. Use the Right Images

Our brains are wired to process images faster than they process text. That’s because 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. So, it should come as no surprise that images are the most important element of a social media ad. In a medium so fast-changing like the social media networks, people don’t have time to stop and read your text. So, you need compelling images to grab their attention and make them stop from scrolling.

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t use low-quality or generic stock photos. The same goes for random images found on Google or other social media platforms. Don’t use an image that you think looks good. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and choose an image based on what they might like. Also, make sure the image is relevant to the copy contained within the ad.

If you don’t know what type of image you should use, here are a few rules of thumb

• Images of people: Use close-ups of faces that resemble your target audience. Also, use images of people facing to the right side. Users are likely to follow this directional cue and read your ad.

• Typography: You can use text images to support your copy. Just make sure the text in the image is clear and readable. Don’t use flashy colors or weird fonts.

Another important factor you should keep in mind is size. Every social media platform has a clear guideline for the images you share, so make sure you respect it.

3. A Clear and Compelling Message

You’ve been told that storytelling is an essential element of a good ad. But, how can you fit a captivating story into a Facebook ad, for instance, that has a 25 characters limit for the headline and other limits for the body text? It sounds almost impossible.

But, here’s the good news: there numerous copywriting formulas you can use to create compelling ads.

One of the oldest and most commonly used formulas is AIDA – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

Attention: Get the readers’ attention with a great headline;

Interest: Appeal to readers by briefly describing the most important benefit of using your product;

Desire: Create desire for the product with a discount, a coupon or a free limited trial;

Action: Persuade them to take action.

Here’s an example:

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4. Address the Customers’ Emotional Side

Emotions are extremely important, especially in marketing. According to scientists, we feel first and act second. Our brains process sensory information in one fifth of the time our cognitive part takes to assimilate the same information.

But, how can you tap into your customers’ emotional side when your product is highly technical and a little boring, you may ask? Easy: focus on the benefits rather than the features. For example, don’t say you sell “2800mAh of capacity”; say you sell “up to 50% more battery capacity.”

5. Write a Killer Call-to-Action

You’ve come up with the perfect headline; your copy is engaging, and you’ve found the perfect balance between numbers, stories and sales messages. Now, it’s time to close the deal and persuade prospective customers to take action.

For some reason, some small business owners forget to include a call-to-action (CTA) in their Facebook ad copy. Or they don’t want to because it feels nagging to tell people what to do. But, if you don’t tell them what to do next, they will most likely leave without taking action.

When writing your CTA, make sure you keep things simple and straightforward. Don’t make potential customers guess what they should do next – tell it to them in an easy-to-understand language.

Also, do not overwhelm them with choices. Your ad should have one call to action, not three. So, before writing the copy, decide what you would want people to do next – sign up to your newsletter, buy a product, visit your website and so on.

You don’t have to be a world-class online marketing strategist to create a great social media ad. All you have to do is include these five ingredients and then you will be well on your way to creating successful campaigns for your local business.