“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter — it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” — Mark Twain.
That quote explains everything you really need to know about this contest:
Why do I say that?
Because the difference in performance between these two ads — representing a boost of 63% in Click-Through Rates — comes down to nothing but a few choice words, as there really is no difference between he offerings. Here’s specifically what I mean:
- The writer of the winning ad focused on kids clothing rather than clothing in general — mostly out of a hunch that adults don’t usually search for ladybug-themed clothing for themselves. So what’s the difference between “Ladybug Kids’ Clothes” and “Ladybug T-shirts”? A much better match-up between searcher motivation and ad — leading to a 63% increase in response rate.
- What’s the difference between “Ladybug Design Clothing” and “Ladybug T-Shirts”? Well, the first sounds a whole lot nicer and higher quality than the second phrase, doesn’t it?
- And aren’t “Adorable” and “Cute” exactly the right descriptions for what moms are looking for when shopping for little kids clothing? Notice that the winning ad uses those words, while the losing ad doesn’t.
So what’s the tip you can take away from this and use on your own ads?
The right words (as opposed to almost right words) almost always come from the customers themselves. They’re the words THEY would use to describe what they’re looking and hoping for.
Sure, some of those customer-words get typed into the search engines — and those are obviously super important. But not all of them become search terms and these non Keyword customer terms and including them in your PPC copy can significantly boost performance.
And that’s this week’s Tip From The Boosters.
