Use Qualifiers in Your Ad Text: 4 Ways to Catch the BEST Leads, Not the MOST Leads

Lead generation is one of the tougher challenges among paid search advertising. An even bigger challenge lies within generating qualified leads. This tends to be a problem within PPC because we know the more traffic we drive to our clients’ sites, typically the greater our chances are of obtaining leads. But obtaining the most leads isn’t worth spending money; generating qualified leads is. One way to qualify customers to your site lies within your ad text. By first qualifying people to your site through your ad text this increases the chances that someone that does turn into a lead is a qualified lead.
Below I’ve listed 4 ways to make your ad text qualify customers to your site.

1. Tell people what you want them to do. If you have a form you want a user to complete then say so. If you want them to download a pdf or whitepaper, then say so. If someone doesn’t want to download a whitepaper or fill out a request form, they won’t click on your ad. Don’t make these actions the main focus of your ad text, however, be sure to give benefits first and foremost. You can keep your action requests to a minimum, and say Request Info Here, SignUp Today, Download Whitepaper, etc.
2. Include Price Points: Another way to qualify your customers is by adding price points into your ad text. I usually will add these in the last line of my text or if I have room, in my ad text title. If someone is looking for a gift for Christmas and only wants to spend $50, and your item is $200, perhaps think about putting that price point in your ad. Of course you’ll get fewer clicks - but the clicks you do get should be people who are willing to pay $200.
3. Announce Your Target: If you’re a B2B (business-to-business) or a B2C (business-to-customer) then say so in your ad text! Many times I put in my ads that ‘we work with large companies’ or ‘customized solutions for companies’ so that smaller companies don’t click-through my ad. If your client sells or buys something and works mainly with customers, say something like, “We Buy Artist Paintings” or “We Sell Artist Paintings.” Be clear, concise and to the point.
4. Avoid ‘Disqualifying’ People: Don’t get in the mode where you’re taking up most of your ad text trying to disqualify customers. For one of my clients, I could easily say, we work with large companies, no job seekers please (since we tend to get job seekers fill out our forms). But adding ‘no job seekers’ takes up too much space in your ad text and doesn’t allow enough room to engage the potential customer about your business/service.

I’m not sure there is a client out there that can’t somehow use these qualifiers in their ads to weed out non-qualified traffic. Think about your target audience, and think about the people you don’t want to your site. Try to avoid sending mixed messages to customers or business’ about your services or products. Don’t be afraid to highlight exactly what you’re looking for in your ad text.