Introduction + Visuals
Video 030101
By now you should already have a pretty good idea of how to write decent ad copy. This stuff is by no means rocket science, and for the most part just comes to understanding human nature and writing in a way that leverages it to move people to buy your stuff.
So, now that you've got a basic understanding of the fundamentals, we can now start applying those with specific examples to your ad copy.
You're likely gonna be running ads on Facebook (via Facebook & Instagram placements) and through Instagram shoutouts via influencers with large followings.
It's important that when constructing your ad copy, that you get in the mind of the potential customer. And this goes back to doing your research. You have to know what resonates with them, what they like, dislike, fear, desire, etc.
Otherwise, none of what I'm about to show you is going to matter.
When it comes to constructing good ad copy, there are 3 basic parts:
(1) The hook
(2) The details
(3) The call-to-action
We're gonna go more into depth on each of these in the following sections, so make sure you pay attention.
But before we do that, and this doesn't necessarily have to do with the copy per say, but it needs to be said.
Your visual is very important.
When it comes to ecom advertising, a lot of the time the copy isn’t what’s doing the heavy lifting.
A lot of the time, it’s the visual.
Your visual really can make or break an advertising campaign, so it's really important you don't skimp on this.
People are scrolling lightning speed through their social media feeds, and will rarely even read your ad copy unless your visual catches their attention. So, your visual (whether it be a picture or a video) needs to do something to catch their eye.
If you can use a video, I'd definitely recommend doing so.
They're just so much more engaging in a world of minuscule attention spans.
(Side note: DON'T swipe a competitor's video verbatim and run it as your own. Facebook will shut you down real fast. If you do swipe something, make sure you modify it in some way).
Regardless of whether or not you use a picture or video, there's one thing that if you can do, will likely make your ad perform WAY better than most.
Demonstration.
Have you ever seen the Flex Seal infomercial where the guy slices a boat in half, then seals it up with Flex Seal, and takes it out on a lake?
(It might be Flex Tape, but you get the drift…)
That was, and still is, one of the highest grossing commercials of all time. You might not have thought anything of it, but there is a very valuable lesson in there for anyone looking to get into marketing.
It's that if you have a product that has some sort of use, some sort of utility, you absolutely should demonstrate how it works and what benefit provides in your video/picture.
This doesn't apply to everything (clothing, accessories, etc. -- things that look cool or something like that, but don't really serve a purpose), but for the things it does, it can be deadly effective.
So, if you're selling a product like that, keep that in mind.
(For some examples of this directly related to dropshipping, search the following products on Facebook:
> “Pet Grooming Glove”
> “Insta Lids”
> “Brush Hero Wheel Brush”
> “Portable Fire Starter”
> “Easy Speed Salad Maker”
I'm not saying to sell these products because they're probably too saturated now, but they're good examples of demonstration).
Anyways, most of the time you won't be using videos, so let's talk about pictures.
If at all possible, you always want your picture to be of someone wearing, using, or doing something with the product. These are called lifestyle pictures, and they generally work better than plain old white background pictures.
This is because it makes it easy for people to get an idea of how the product will look on them, work for them, etc.
(Think about clothing. You’d probably be much less likely to buy something if the website didn’t have pictures of a model wearing it. You want to know how that shirt will look on you, and so does everyone else when it comes to whatever you’re selling).
This is a given I hope, but your pictures must also be VERY high quality and not have any sort of watermark or anything out of place on them. You want them showcasing the product, making it look good as shit, and catching people’s attention.
Thing is, you don't want to make your picture look like an ad, per say. When people see things that look blatantly like ads, they scroll right past them. So, for example, if you're advertising on Instagram, you want your visual to look like a normal post from an account your ideal customer follows.
But, you also want it to be unique and stand out.
It's all about finding that balance between making it look "native" and making it stand out.
So, for example:
One of the products I sell is a fashion accessory.
Something I've done with great success is creating Instagram story ads. To catch people's attention, the image I use has a totally black background. This makes my product look sleek, and also catches attention because most IG stories and ads don't have a black background.
This can get kind of confusing, but there's a sweet spot between making your ad look "native" and making it stand out. This is something that's very difficult to put into words, and kind of just something you figure out along the way as you test more and more things.
So, that's the jist on visuals. Let's get into the actual copy now.