REMEMBER THAT YOUR PAID SEARCH ADS ARE ADS

As a greater percentage of any company's ad spend is going online, I'm going to suggest that the lowly two-line ad regain its status as the hand-me-down assignment of a junior copywriter, a witty intern, or anyone who understands effective communication: Make it an assignment again.

With the money that can be generated by a paid search campaign, the classified ad has been given new life on the web; it's interactive now, and choosing your words carefully is crucial, because ambiguity can really cost you.

Historically, hungry young copywriters proved their worth by demonstrating their aptitude for pithy patter on relatively undesirable tasks like photo captions and classified ads-basically anything that needs to get done without having to waste the key talent. Well, graphic designers and art directors supplanted word smiths in the web food chain-with the visual culture and all-so focus has shifted to using trendy fonts and distressed filters, and almost inexplicably, using shadowy spastic dancers to sell mortgage loans. If this is your approach, you wait until the layout looks ready, and you might say, "I guess we should throw in some words or something... Let's use the vaguest description of what we do." Maybe it has worked for you. Well, with paid search, we can forget about the visual: the ads are short, and they're ugly-so hide your art director-there's nothing he or she can do to spice them up.

CASE STUDY: THOUSAND LOTS OF SAND

I did a not-at-all exhaustive search for a good example of a creative approach to paid text ads. The one to your right is a little out there—and while this is not technically search generated, it made an impression on me. It’s different. I won’t spend any time hypothesizing about the CRT for the sand site—I figure they’re preying on, and paying for a user’s curiosity. It seems to be a “nerdy” conceptual art project. Even with wasted impressions—I did click through, but I’m not buying anything—I’ll remember their approach. And next time I’ll know what they mean if they say, “From the people who brought you overpriced sand...”

Above: A creative approach to paid text ads as seen on BoingBoing.net

Caveat: Be witty and interesting... but not too interesting. It's not an art project. And if you're paying for premium placement on highly competitive keywords, you may want to find a way to limit your audience to potential customers, not just the easily amused (like me). [If you do, Yahoo may just give you an award.]

Make sure you have a balanced, holistic approach to your paid search campaign. As you continue to figure out how to market yourself on the web, there will be growing pains. Stay vigilant. And don't neglect what was once the foundation of an ad-don't forget about what you're saying.

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