"UnPublished Secret #24" - Beating AdWords With Junk Mail Copy

As you probably know, one of the keys to being successful with Google AdWords is “relevancy”. But I find that many small business owners are only trying to outbid others while writing “cute” ads with the hopes that someone will click on their link. When surfing past my various competitors, I am constantly amazed with the poor copy writing skills and the money they are wasting with AdWords. One of my most important tricks to being so successful with AdWords is that I write my ads like the junk mail I receive every day.

Direct marketing copywriting is much more different than brand copywriting or general business advertising. In direct marketing, you have things like “calls to action” to persuade the reader to take some sort of action step (i.e. click on your AdWords ad). Most ads that I review on AdWords are either missing a call to action or are written in the traditional brand advertising method. What do I mean by this? While using the word “you” and “your” makes sense in most advertising, the user experience while surfing the internet is totally different than any other media. I believe this experience is so personal and interactive that the computer actually becomes an extension of the individual.

When people read content on websites, I am convinced that the individual and computer join together. Thus, when information is presented in a “you” or “your” fashion, it is not as well recognized with the user’s subconscious mind as “I” and “me”. When considering whether or not to respond to an AdWords ad, a person will better relate if the headline and body copy contain these aforementioned personalized words "I" or "Me". Why? Because the ad is talking to them and not someone else (i.e. "you" or "your").

In direct mail or junk mail copywriting, it’s called the response devise portion of the mailing. The headline and copy are written in the first person so the reader relates to the information and says “yes” to the offer. A call to action is important as well as the key benefit which best relates to your customers. This key benefit should also include your keyword and thus help satisfy Google’s desire for relevancy.

So, what’s the best way to learn how to write better AdWords ads? Read your junk mail. Especially review the portion which you fill-out, tear-off, and send back to the company. This is called the reply devise. The headline and body copy will most likely include things like “Yes! Sign Me Up” or “Send Me More Information”. As you read more and more junk mail, you’ll get good ideas and start to write better AdWords ads. And as you continue to write better ads and test which ones pull better, you can eventually lower your cost per click because your quality score will improved. And this, my friends, is the holy grail for AdWords advertisers.