The world of digital marketing is buzzing about the rise of ad blockers, and for good reason. Internet users are making it clear that they find most online ads to be uninteresting, preachy, and intrusive. Many advertisers seem to accept this as an unavoidable truth, believing that nobody actually enjoys ads.
I disagree.
The truth is, people love ads when they are well-crafted and engaging. Take the Super Bowl, for example. Every year, I eagerly anticipate the Super Bowl—not for the game itself (I barely understand the rules!), but for the commercials. Super Bowl ads are in a league of their own, ranging from shocking and thought-provoking to heartwarming and hilarious. They take viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions, and the very best ones are remembered for years to come (think Larry Bird challenging Michael Jordan for a Big Mac, the E*Trade dancing baby, or Liam Neeson in the Clash of Clans commercial).
I still remember this ad from when I was five years old! Every PPC ad should aspire to be Super Bowl-worthy. Think it’s impossible to achieve that level of creativity in just 95 characters? Think again! Here are five surefire ways to create compelling PPC ads that your target audience will actually enjoy.
#1. Borrow Captivating Headlines from Your Content Team
In today’s fast-paced digital world, attention spans are dwindling. A recent Microsoft study even suggested that goldfish have longer attention spans than the average human! This presents a challenge for PPC advertisers, who must compete with countless other ads and organic results to capture a searcher’s attention.
The most effective way to grab your audience’s attention is with a catchy and enticing headline. However, coming up with these clever phrases isn’t always easy. Instead of starting from scratch, why not leverage the expertise of your content team? They’ve likely already identified successful headlines for webinars, white papers, emails, and blog posts that you can adapt for your PPC campaigns.
If you’re struggling to find inspiration internally, turn to Buzzsumo. This platform reveals which web pages have garnered high social engagement rates—a strong indicator of compelling headlines. Analyze what’s working for others in your industry and put your own unique spin on it for your PPC ads.
#2. Don’t Shy Away from a Little Edginess (Sex Sells)
Earlier this year, our team at nexus-security ran an ad across multiple channels promoting a guide titled 69 Creative Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Business. This ad absolutely exploded—it achieved a 60% higher click-through rate on Facebook alone. While we were thrilled with its performance, we were also quite surprised. The guide was helpful, but it wasn’t our most groundbreaking work.
Then it hit us: the eye-catching element was “SIXTY-NINE.” This completely unintentional, somewhat suggestive reference was driving a ton of clicks!
Now, the concept of using sex appeal in advertising is nothing new. It’s been a successful strategy for decades, dating back to the late 19th century when Pearl Tobacco featured a nude woman on its packaging. This tactic proved so effective that other tobacco companies followed suit, even including trading cards of beautiful, nude women in cigarette packs. It wasn’t long before other industries adopted this approach as well.
That said, suggestive references seem to be underutilized in paid search advertising. We tested this earlier this year with our weight-loss client, Selvera. Instead of sticking with a dull, generic ad, we added a bit of spice:
It’s subtle but undeniably a little provocative. When I read it, the image that pops into my head is:
Compelling, right? Just remember that AdWords has strict policies against overtly sexual content. Stick to playful hints—that’s all it takes to pique your audience’s interest!
#3. Create Urgency with Countdown Ads
I was one of the few children in the ’90s who resisted the Beanie Baby craze. My next-door neighbors, however, were swept up in the frenzy. Their house was overrun with the plush toys: Beanie Babies adorned their car dashboards, filled their toy chests, and the most sought-after, rare collectibles were proudly displayed in glass cases throughout their living room.
For reasons unknown to me, their entire family was obsessed with getting their hands on “#1 the Bear.” It wasn’t the cutest of the Beanie Babies, but its rarity made it highly coveted. Only 250 of these bears were ever produced. Naturally, my neighbors were ecstatic to discover that one of these bears was being auctioned off nearby. Their father even took the day off work to attend. Now, they were relatively sensible people, so the parents agreed beforehand that they wouldn’t bid more than $1,000 for the bear.
As you might have guessed, the competition was fierce, and they were quickly outbid. However, the father was so captivated by the bear’s rarity and terrified of never finding another #1 that his “firm limit” of $1,000 escalated to $1,200, $1,400, $1,600… until he ultimately won the bear with a bid of $2,800.
While most would agree that’s an absurd price to pay for a small, red bear, it’s easy to empathize with his behavior. When you believe there’s a limited supply of something you desire, you’re more likely to make a purchase when the opportunity arises.
Incorporating a sense of urgency into your PPC ads can be incredibly effective. When searchers realize that a product is selling out fast or a limited-time offer is about to expire, they’re more likely to click on your ad (and ultimately make a purchase!). The simplest way to create this urgency is by using countdown timers in your ad copy.
If the thought of manually updating these countdown timers sounds tedious, I have a solution for you! Ad customizers can automate this process. By inserting a small piece of code, you can feed Google the necessary information to dynamically update the countdown timer in your ad.
#4. Evoke Emotions to Spark Action
Did you know that our brains are wired to feel emotions before we consciously process information? According to Courtney Seiter of Buffer, the emotional centers of our brains process sensory input much faster than the cognitive areas responsible for rational thought. This means you can gain a significant advantage by appealing to emotions in your marketing materials. We’ve seen click-through rates increase by over 48% using this strategy.
When I’m aiming to craft ads that evoke emotion, I often turn to Perry Marshall’s’s brilliant “Swiss Army Knife” brainstorming technique. This method involves creating a list that includes your customer, their best friend, their worst enemy, something they love, and something they hate. As you examine the relationships between these elements, a compelling narrative for your ad will begin to emerge.
For example, our team manages an account for a disability claims lawyer. Instead of settling for a generic approach, we decided to try Perry’s brainstorming hack. We mapped out the key details: Who is the searcher’s best friend? Their family! Who is their worst enemy? The government! What do they love? Money! What do they hate? Being denied! This exercise inspired us to write the following ad, which achieved an impressive 28% CTR:
This ad undoubtedly resonates with frustrated disability applicants and stands out amidst a sea of dull lawyer advertisements.
#5. Personalize Ads with Demographic Targeting
Humans are inherently self-centered. When we encounter ad copy, our initial reaction is to ask ourselves, “What’s in it for me?” The more personalized your ad copy is, the more likely people are to click. Unfortunately, many advertisers are unaware that they can tailor ad copy for Search Network campaigns. While Google and Bing’s search targeting options aren’t as granular as Facebook’s, there are still a few tricks you can use to create more customized ads.
Let’s start with the basics: age, gender, and location. Did you know that Bing allows you to target your ads based on demographics? It’s true! You can set ad group-level bid modifiers based on a searcher’s gender and/or age, allowing you to craft ad copy that resonates with these specific groups. While Google has yet to offer a similar feature, it’s definitely worth taking advantage of for your Bing campaigns!
Customizing ads based on a searcher’s location can also be incredibly powerful. According to Google, 4 out of 5 consumers prefer search ads that are tailored to their city, zip code, or immediate surroundings. Experiment with Geo Ad Customizers to personalize your ad’s location references based on a searcher’s physical location or a location they’re interested in.
You can implement even more advanced ad customizations using Customer Match campaigns. This relatively new AdWords feature is Google’s version of identity-based targeting. Essentially, you can upload lists of your prospects’ and customers’ email addresses and create specific ad targeting criteria for those individuals. The more segmented your lists are, the more detailed your ad customization can be.
For example, if you know you’re serving ads to someone who hasn’t made a purchase yet, you might highlight a “10% discount for new customers” offer. Alternatively, if you’re targeting an existing customer, you could promote products that complement their previous purchases.
Don’t Settle for Bland Ads
PPC advertisers are expected to be skilled data analysts, mathematicians, and wordsmiths—a challenging combination! With so many responsibilities, ad copy creation often gets pushed aside, resulting in uninspired text ads. Hopefully, these simple tips will motivate you to elevate your ad copy game and create captivating, imaginative ads!