Effective Advertising Copy

…is the process of writing the word content of an advertising copy. The copywriter is a poet and writer that applies principles embedded in fields like psychology, consumer behavior, persuasion, neuro-linguistic programming and communication etc. the art of copywriting is basically eclectic in nature and writing of effective ad copies is dependent on the copywriter’s understanding of the product/service or brand in question and an adequate understanding of the demographics, psychographics, buying behavior and consumer behavior of the target audience..

Most business needs to inform its target market and audiences of its products, promotions, events etc the creation of effective advertising copy (whether done in-house or outsourced to credible advertising agencies) involves certain key points that must be considered.

· Be personal: writing advertising copy that addresses the audience as “you” than “we” or “they” tends to draw their attention more to the content of the copy and get them involved in the advert.

· Be conversational: the advert is a communication tool and is only effective when it engages the target audience and passes the relevant message to them simply. Thus the use of technical jargon in copywriting shows a bit of expertise but reduces the ability of the advert to communicate to its audience.

· Be specific: each advert must maintain a single focus and be specific enough to pass a single message. The message idea may be broad but the hook of the campaign should be based on a single idea. E.g lower price, better quality, timely delivery etc.

· Be original: the world today is currently in a state of conscious and/or unconscious resistance to adverts. This is due to the overwhelming production of advertisement and branding items. Thus gaining and holding the attention of audiences today is dependent o the ad’s creativity, originality ad appeal to the wants and needs of the audiences

· Use imaginative description: the use of imaginative description engages the minds of the target audience and draws them more into the advert, going beyond the mere literal meaning of the advert.

The odds and stakes today are higher for the copywriter as the current consumer’s inherent conscious and unconscious) resistance to adverts means the copywriter has to do more to get their attention and persuade them. For writing effective ad copies copywriters have to provide answers to basic questions from the target audience like “what is in it for me?”, tell a story or appeal to the emotions of people.