Last week, I kicked off what I hope will become an on-going series about the basics of affiliate marketing. I consider the basics to be those building blocks we use to create a strong foundational base for our marketing endeavors – good copywriting skills, a working understanding of the principles behind SEO, choosing niches wisely, etc – which, in turn, sets us up to be more successful when we branch out into the more complicated areas of affiliate marketing. Even if you’ve been at it and making money for years, I think it’s easy for seasoned pros to lose sight of the basics as it is for newbies not to be aware of them at all, so this is stuff that everyone can find useful. Last time, we talked a bit about good ad writing, but I wanted to touch on that a little more today, as well. If you haven’t read the first piece, go do that now and come back.

So! We already know that good copy is clear, easy to understand, concise copy. We know good copy is spelled properly, punctuated properly, and features proper grammar (unless you have a good reason not to – it could be appropriate in certain instances, if your particular network will let you get away with it, such as using “txt speak” if you’re advertising something related to text messaging, or something), and we also know good copy sells benefits, not features. But you’re not done yet. Here are some more copywriting tips for building a better marketer (by which I mean YOU):

• Ask questions. This is particularly effective in PPC ad headlines. Ask the question in the headline, and see about answering it in the body of the ad. For example, “Looking to Lose Weight?” as your headline, followed up with, “Download our effective weight loss guide today!” If your ad asks someone if they’d like to do something awesome – make a million dollars, lose 30 pounds, win a free basket of baby pet dragons, whatever – and you immediately follow it up by telling them you’ve got what they’re looking for, then you’re golden.

• Use “instructional” language. People looking to buy things are looking to solve a problem. Show them whatever you’re selling will solve it, like “Cure PC Viruses in 3 Easy Steps” or “Protect Your PC with Software X.” Other good instructional phrases include “how to,” “learn to,” “guide,” and “step by step.”

• Use strong generic keywords. Certain phrases do brilliant things for your ads, and the good news is that they’ll work for pretty much any product or niche. Use them in conjunction with the keywords specific to your product or niche, and they’ll be a gimme – effective keywords that won’t cost you more. Good gimme keywords include things like “secrets,” “guaranteed,” “unbelievable,” “in depth,” “breakthrough,” and “instant,” and they can fit any campaign, like so: “Unlock Affiliate Marketing Secrets,” “The Secrets to Writing Good Copy,” “Top Money Making Secrets,” or “How to Lose Weight – Guaranteed,” “Learn to Make Money – Guaranteed,” or “Guaranteed Results in as little as 3 days!”

• Sound authoritative. The more you sound like you know what you’re talking about, the more people will be willing to part with their hard earned cash by giving it to you. Words like “expert,” “leading” (as in “leading industry expert” or similar), “innovative,” and “proven techniques” lend your ad an air of expertise. After all, if you’ve got “proven techniques,” then they’re proven to work, so you know what you’re doing. If something is “innovative,” then you’re good enough at whatever it is to make it even better.

• Harness the power of the ellipsis. This is an oldie, but a goodie. Adding an ellipsis to the body of your ad piques curiosity (“ellipsis” is the technical term for that series of three periods, “…”). So, say something like, “Unlock Weight Loss Success!” for your headline, and in the body, “Find out how to keep it off for good…” It makes you sound like you’ve got more to share and urges them to click.

Again, as with the other tips I’ve already given, keeping these in the back of your mind as you craft your copy will not only make you a better writer, but also make your ads more profitable. Good luck!