Why is there such a big difference in conversion effects when they are both advertising channels?

They are both advertising channels , but why are the copywriting contents of ads in Moments and Baidu so different? Baidu's keyword ads always seem so vulgar, while WeChat 's Moments ads are so fancy?

Both are e-commerce platforms, so why are Taobao ’s direct traffic copywriting so concise and clear, while the product copywriting in Xiaohongshu is always so detailed?

What exactly causes these differences?

My answer is: It comes down to the purpose of the copy.

In fact, depending on the purpose to be achieved, Internet advertising can be roughly divided into two types: display advertising and interest-based advertising.

(one)

In the PC Internet era, search is the main entrance to the Internet. Users search for information, search engines provide feedback on search results, and display advertisements at the same time. This business model dominated the Internet advertising circle for many years.

We call this type of advertising "display advertising." In addition, there are Taobao's through train, bidding ranking , etc.

The reason why it is called "display advertising" is because the form of this type of copy is basically based on displaying the selling points of the product, and its main premise is: users need our products.

ah? Why? When doing marketing , shouldn’t you first assume that users don’t care about your product, and then work hard to get them to try and buy it? Why is it the other way around here?

We all know that the standard user decision-making model is this: demand identification - information search - option evaluation - purchase.

But before the search behavior, the "demand identification" link must have been completed - only when there is a certain demand will people take the initiative to search.

Therefore, at this time, the most effective way is to directly inform users of the selling points, rather than doing useless work again to reawaken demand.

This is why almost all Baidu keyword advertisements have the attribute of "self-promotion and self-boasting".

However, when the mobile Internet wave hit, each independent APP became a traffic portal, making search engines no longer the only channel for the public to obtain information.

What this results in is a proliferation of advertisements derived from APP content in a variety of forms. Soft articles, banners, splash screens, patches, native content, etc., to name a few.

This type of advertising can be collectively referred to as "interest-based advertising." The biggest difference between it and "display ads" is that users do not have a clear purchasing purpose before opening an APP.

For example, before browsing Zhihu, you didn’t have any purchase tasks, but while browsing, you suddenly saw this Japanese education advertisement, and you might become interested in learning Japanese.

"It turns out that you can learn Japanese by playing with your phone. Click to see."

This is the huge difference between interest-based advertising and display advertising: the purpose of interest-based advertising is no longer to inform selling points, but to stimulate interest and attract clicks.

So, in order to achieve this goal, the copywriter needs to start from the starting point of the decision-making model (demand identification) and make every effort to stimulate interest in order to arouse purchasing needs.

This also explains why Baidu has been so anxious in recent years - in the PC Internet era, Baidu owned the search engine with the most abundant traffic, but in the mobile Internet era, it had few outstanding apps and was seriously lacking in mobile traffic.

(two)

Once you understand the logic above, it is not difficult to understand the essential difference between search-based e-commerce and content-based e-commerce.

Let me ask you first: When will you open the Tmall APP?

In many cases, there is a clear purpose for purchasing.

For example, if I want to buy a razor, I will open Tmall, type razor in the search bar (information search), and then start comparing the pros and cons of N multiple razors (plan evaluation), and finally choose a suitable one to place an order (purchase).

At the same time, the decision-making model directly skipped the "demand identification" link and became: "information search - solution evaluation - purchase".

On Tmall, because the user's decision-making process starts with "information search", we can classify it as "search-based e-commerce".

This brings us back to the "display ads" we talked about above. You will find that the model of Tmall Direct Express is very similar to that of Baidu's paid ranking . Taobao merchants do not need to reawaken demand (since you have been searched, you must be a customer with demand). They only need to work hard on the two steps of "information search" and "solution evaluation".

For example, merchants will purchase Taobao's through train service and keyword advertising to improve their rankings and make themselves easier to find. In addition, they will also make descriptions of competing products on the details page in an attempt to evaluate the plans on behalf of the users and become the users’ first choice.

Let’s look at content e-commerce (such as What’s Worth Buying , Xiaohongshu, etc.). After comparison, you will find that in content e-commerce, the user's decision-making model starts with "demand identification" - before opening "What's Worth Buying", you don't know what you need at all.

Therefore, the purpose of product copywriting in content e-commerce is no longer just to demonstrate the advantages of the product, but more importantly to create user interest.

(ps: I would like to emphasize here that Taobao is no longer just a search-based e-commerce. With the rise of live streaming and consumer content posts, many people have become accustomed to "browsing" rather than just "searching". Today's Taobao not only displays information, but also creates interest)

(three)

So, having said so much, what inspiration can we as entrepreneurs and marketers get from it? In summary, I have two suggestions:

(1) Avoid pitting the advantages of informing against the interests of creating

In content e-commerce, when introducing the advantages of a pair of NIKE running shoes (such as cushioning, lightness, and intelligence), the copy is actually creating interest.

Similarly, in the copy of a notebook, the low energy consumption and high performance of the notebook are introduced. Although it is still informing the selling points, it has actually created interest.

Therefore, what I want to say is that informing of advantages and creating interest are both goals, not means. There is absolutely no problem if you achieve the goal of creating interest by informing of advantages. vice versa.

(2) Avoid mismatching copy content with distribution channels

The purpose of display advertising is to inform advantages, and the mission of interest-based advertising is to create interest. Put appropriate content on appropriate channels. For example, on Baidu, the focus should be on informing users of product advantages. If on Zhihu, try to create as much user interest as possible.

Similarly, I think you already know how to write copy for channels like elevators, Weibo, Moments, and Xiaohongshu.

Conclusion:

Finally, I couldn’t help but bring out this amazing user decision-making process model again:

"Interest-based advertising" focuses on creating user interest and arousing demand, which improves the efficiency of the "demand identification" link in the model.

"Display ads" emphasize the disclosure of advantageous selling points and pay more attention to "where I am better than others". This is actually helping users improve the efficiency of the "plan evaluation" link;

Put the right copy into the right channel. At the same time, don’t forget that although advertising formats are complex, from the user’s perspective, there is always only one purpose for advertising: to improve the efficiency of the decision-making process and make the purchasing channel smoother.

The author of this article @盐商小欧is compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!

Product promotion services: APP promotion services, advertising platform, Longyou Games