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Natalie Harpe

Professor Malcom Campbell

WRDS 1104

11 April 2023

Language in Advertising: How Can Effective Language Influence Product Sales?

No one wants to believe that we are oftentimes finding ourselves being suckered into

buying something that we don’t need just because it appears to be cool or amusing. What makes

it seem or interesting? Is it the bright colors used in the advertisement, the big flashy words, or

the way it appears as if we cannot live without it? These components play a role in either making

or breaking the advertisement. If it appears to be unappealing customers are not likely going to

buy it, if it is something that catches their attention and appears to be the best product they could

ever buy…then they’re going to invest in it.

Over the past decade, the production of advertisement has shifted toward social media.

Jonathan Durante, author of “Three Reasons You Should Be Advertising on Social Media in

2021”, emphasizes that by companies shifting away from traditional forms of advertisement and

towards social media, producers can target specific audiences. Being able to reach specific

audiences will aid businesses to stay on top of the marketing trends, increasing sales and

performance. Author Jonathan Durante, says that there are over a billion social media users just

on Instagram. If there are over a billion users on Instagram imagine how many there are on all

social media platforms combined. Durante explains that this way of advertising is much more

effective because brands are then able to hyper-target ideal clients based on their exact
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demographics. Durante also elaborates on how the use of social media can help to build

audiences and gain consumers. But what grabs the audience’s attention? Rarely the actual

product captures the audience’s attention but the catchy phrases and engaging words used in the

advertisement do. Advertisers understand the importance of being able to say a world of things in

just a few short sentences because that’s pretty much what an advertisement consists of. Short

and sweet. Influencers on TikTok, review products and have about thirty seconds to explain why

this product is superior to other products and all the great things about it. According to Georgia

Wells, author of “Advertisers Use Social Media to Promote Brands in Real Time”, published by

the Wall Street Journal, Wells analyzes how many brands are shifting towards social media for

advertising. It has been found to be more effective than traditional styles of advertising and

businesses are greatly benefiting from this. As I stated above the influencers who are chosen to

review these brands have to say a world of words in either a few short sentences or a few short

seconds to describe the product and how consumers will benefit from it. This is where the use of

persuasive language comes into play. Being able to persuade others into buying something is an

extremely important factor when it comes to influencing. Persuasive language helps to attract

new audiences while still using emotions, feelings, and opinions that help draw consumers in.

This could be considered the most crucial factor in advertising.

I think we could all agree that advertising products on social media have become much

more effective than traditional ways of advertising. After all, most individuals check their social

media pages more often than they do their emails. Another positive element that comes from

advertising on social media is product reviews on social media. I would have to agree that

product reviews, are a key component in advertising and sales could either make or break a new

trend. Since everything is shifting towards social media so are the reviews. For instance, TikTok,
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the most commonly used social media platform, has become a place for many individuals to post

reviews of products, whether good or bad. They are able to provide viewers with a few short

sentences about the product and why others should or should not purchase the product. Yubo

Chen, one of the three authors of “The Role of Marketing in Social Media: How Online

Consumer Reviews Evolve,” a peer-reviewed journal article, explains how persuasive language

on social media can have an extremely positive or negative effect on a product. Chen also

elaborates on the importance of word choice used when consumers are reviewing a product. This

article shows how “word-of-mouth” has had a significant influence on the purchase behavior of

individuals across the world. This means when someone verbally hears a good review of a

product then they are more likely to invest in the product. As stated in this article, consumers are

more likely to buy a product if the product has earned good reviews. If there are not many

reviews of the product, it is less likely to be bought by consumers. Since individuals have been

able to post or write reviews of a product, it has helped many companies and small businesses

gain consumers. According to an article, written by Adam Hayes, an economic sociologist,

believes that influencer content has had a significant impact on buying decisions from

consumers. Hayes agrees that markers across the globe are driving the evolution of social media

marketing. A good reason for this is that, individuals can post videos of products and as I stated

above, consumers can review products and why or why not others should purchase the product.

Individuals across the world can verbally hear about new products, which more times than not

leads them into investing in the new products. TikTok for example, one of the most popular

social media platforms at the moment, consists of hundreds of influencers. These influencers are

paid to review products. Companies pay these influencers to review their products and then post

about why people should buy them. With this being said, these influencers are heavily pressured
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to persuade others to buy the product. If you’ve ever watched any of these influencing videos or

TikTok’s then could clearly see that influencers are typically doing a great job of using

persuasive language in their videos. Then before you realize it, you’ll find yourself on the

website of the product, purchasing the product that is being advertised.

There are many important aspects that go into advertising but I would consider the way

you approach an advertisement would be considered the most important component. A journal

article written by Phillip Yaffe, references back to another journal article by John Caple, an

American author whose talents placed him in the history of advertising. Yaffe references back to

one of Caple’s articles that discussed the different aspects that go into making an effective

advertisement. Starting with an appealing headline. This is the first thing that is going to grab an

audience’s attention. It is the first thing the audience see’s so it needs to be something that will

appeal to consumers and influence them into reading more about the product. Another important

factor that goes into creating an effective advertisement is how the producer addresses what

needs to be said. This article shows that the more direct and clearer you are with the message, the

more likely it is to get across to people. Yaffe does a great job of illustrating the importance of

how you address your message. It is important to address your message in an appealing eye-

catching way, while also using persuasive language. This aids in grabbing the audience’s

attention and will likely influence the consumer to either keep reading more about the product or

to purchase the product. A great advertisement more times than not leads to exceeding sales.

Social media marketing has had a significant impact on big businesses as well as small

businesses. It has created an atmosphere for individuals to connect throughout the world. People

can share their experiences with all kinds of products and provide you with their honest opinions.
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Is this what the marketing and advertising world is going to? Are we going to continue to shift

away from the traditional forms of advertising? Is this form of advertising here to stay?
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Works Cited

Chen, Yubo, et al. “The Role of Marketing in Social Media: How Online Consumer Reviews

Evolve.” Journal of Interactive Marketing, vol. 25, no. 2, 10 Mar. 2011, pp. 85–94.,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2011.01.003. Accessed 12 April, 2023.

Durante, Jonathan. “Council Post: Three Reasons You Should Be Advertising on Social Media

in 2021.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 9 Nov. 2022,

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/03/12/three-reasons-you-should-

be-advertising-on-social-media-in-2021/?sh=2cf69b963f52. Accessed 15 April, 2023.

Hayes, Adam. “Social Media Marketing (SMM): What It Is, How It Works, Pros and Cons.”

Social Media Marketing (SMM): What It Is How It Works, Pros and Cons, Investopedia,

12 April, 2023, www.investopedia.com/terms/social-media-marketing-

smm.asp#text=Pros%20of%20Social%Media%20Marketing&text=Social%20media%20pl

atforms%20provide%20relationships%20and%20foster%20customer%20loyalty.

Accessed 19 April 2023.

Wells, Georgia. “How Companies Promote Brands in Real Time with Social Media.” The Wall

Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 28 Mar. 2014,

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303801304579407284034257414.

Accessed 17 April, 2023.

Yaffe Phillip. “What Advertising Can Teach Us About Effective Writing and Speaking.”

Ubiquity – Association for Computing Machinery, vol. 2021, no. Oct, 2021, pp.1-5,

https://doi.org/10.1145/349234. Accessed 14 April, 2023.

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