Sometimes in advertising you need to think different(ly). In PPC advertising, standing out from the crowd is becoming more difficult as more advertisers join the fray. One way to stand out and attract short attention spans is to use wordplay and humor. We already covered strange attraction using unusual word or character combinations to boost performance. This time in our PPC optimization series we look at wordplay and humor.
The Challenge of PPC Advertising
The primary challenge in crafting PPC ad text is the limited space to make your case. In Call Only ads, Google places a limit of 35 characters for description lines (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: PPC Ad Text Editing
The key is to make your points succinctly and effectively, respecting the 35 character limit. Avoid duplication and be creative. If you are working with a dentist as in this example, don’t be too literal. Saying a smile makeover will makeover your smile won’t cut it, think of how the service will make patients feel: confident, happy, ready for anything. Think benefits, not features.
Injecting Humor and Wordplay
Even better, inject some humor and wordplay into the mix. Some examples:
- Lumineer Your Smile
- Dazzle Your Smile Makeover
- Free Smiles
- Regain Your Smile Mojo
Using words in unexpected combinations (Lumineer Your Smile) can garner higher click-through rates and conversions. Humor, ideally with shorter words, often wins the ad text sweepstakes. Here is an actual example from Dr. Cirka’s PPC campaign (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: PPC Ad Text Humor Example
The use of the word “Mojo”, or casting a magic spell, injects some humor into the mix. The word “Regain” implies the reader had their mojo before, and can get it back with some artful dentistry. The “mojo” ad had higher CTR and conversion rates than similar ads tested.
Conclusion
Humor and wordplay can make your advertising stand out from the crowd. Unexpected word combinations and humor attract valuable attention and can garner higher PPC click-through and conversion rates.
Further Reading
- PhillyDentistry.com
- Dr. Ken Cirka’s website is the subject of this PPC article. A cosmetic dentist in Philadelphia PA, Dr. Cirka has been practicing for many years.
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