My Creative Process: Social Media Ads

As more B2B companies slowly realize the value of social media, more social media advertising has followed.

I’m on record with my thoughts about social media, but it can be useful for B2B companies. For a writer, social media advertising can be a tough balancing act:

• Finding a more conversational tone while staying professional.  
• Coming up with a concise message that maximizes impact.

With that in mind, here are a few thoughts on writing copy for a social media ad: 

Half the Battle Is Not on the Page: Target the Right People and Align It with a Business Goal

The significance of your role in targeting the audience may depend on the size and structure of your agency.

However, targeting the right people (ex: job titles, companies) is critical. And as a writer, you must understand the audience the post is going after. That’s important because …

Find One Problem/Pain Point and Stick to It

You won’t have a lot of copy breathing room, so focus on a single problem (downtime, inefficiency, short product lifespan, etc.). Ideally, don’t lead with the product. Introduce the problem and then explain how the product can help.

That’s because you want the first thing somebody sees in the copy to be a problem they’re actively trying to solve.

If you cram too much about features and benefits in the short copy, you’ll run out of character count runway and not speak strongly to anybody.

Don’t Use the Company’s Name in the Body Copy

I notice people use the company name and product name in the post – “…the new Widget 3000 by Company A…” or “…Company A’s new Widget 3000…”

I understand this urge, but you are wasting precious character count by calling out the company name. Remember, the company’s name is listed as the page posting it. People will realize it’s Company A’s product, so use those letters elsewhere.

Let the Image Do Some Heavy Lifting

Use text-on-image to highlight your best arguments – ideally proof statements, if you have them. The audience can quickly see the legitimacy of your product or service.

However, use restraint. Don’t flood your image with a ton of text, which makes it busy and loud.

Social media is already busy and loud. Some minimalism will make whatever text you use more powerful.

(I won’t provide a specific number because social media is always changing, but a certain percentage of the image can have text. I believe LinkedIn lets you put as much as you want.)

Promote Case Studies If You Have Them

Unless there’s already an agreed upon CTA, I lean more toward promoting case studies in social media ads. Case studies put your best foot forward and give an avatar for your targeted audience to see themselves through.

Tell the Audience a Story, Even If They Keep Scrolling

I sympathize with the desire to tease and be cryptic – I want to pique their interest to get them to click! However, most people won’t click. Like, the VAST majority won’t click.

The combination of the copy and image should tell a semi-complete story. If the person stops (even briefly) to look at your post, you just planted a seed. That is success.

Besides, if it’s a pay-per-click campaign, you got your message across without paying a dime.

My Creative Process:

Landing Pages

Prints Ads

Blogs