When we talk about marketing, we are really talking about one thing. Even the most basic form of marketing brings together a range of different skills, from graphic design to website builders, data analysis, photography and copywriting. Copywriting is one of the core skills in any marketeer’s toolkit, because it weaves into almost every single part of the marketing process. From concept to implementation and analysis, copy plays a vital role. But what it is that copywriting does, and why is it so important?
What is Copywriting Anyway?
Copywriting is one of those terms a lot of people get confused about. So before we go into why it’s important, let’s first look at what copywriting is:
Copywriting is the act of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. Copywriting is creating content that seeks to raise brand awareness and to encourage an individual or community to take a specific action.’ – Wikipedia
Essentially, copywriting is the text portion of your marketing. It’s putting together the content that shapes your message and makes it effective. Whether your aim is to improve brand awareness, increase sales or drive traffic to your website, copywriting is the foundation that helps you get there.
The Different Types of Copywriting
Believe it or not, there are a lot of different types of copywriting, and a business will typically need to use each one in a different place. Understanding what the types of copywriting are is key to their success so that you can use them in the right place and at the right time. Just a few of the main types of copywriting your business will need include:
Ad Copy
Think Mad Men. Ad copy is short, simple and to the point. It often only uses a few words to get the message across and is what you’ll find in adverts, on billboards and in magazines.
Web Copy
Longer form copy which lives on your website, and is focused on selling you as a company. It gives insight into who you are and what you do, shows the reader that you can be trusted, and provides an overview of what it’s like working with you.
Product/ Service Copy
This is a bit more focused than general web copy. This copy is what pushes customers to make a purchasing decision. With pages dedicated to each individual product/service, this is your chance to highlight benefits, features and use cases for your offerings. Having a skilled copywriter help with this copy can maximise your conversions.
Blog Posts
Informative articles that showcase your brand voice and identity. Share knowledge and experience, keep readers engaged and provide added value to anyone who visits your websites. Blog posts need to be written regularly and skilfully to be effective for both conversions and SEO.
Video Scripts
This needs to be relevant to the video and its contents. Video scripts should add impact, use natural language patterns (so that they can be spoken effectively) and provide added information to viewers without being overwhelming.
Social Media
Everything you see a business post on social media is a form of copy. It will have been considered and written in a way that will grab the most attention and have the most impact on an audience that’s already started to scroll away. In this situation, every word counts.
Micro Copy
All of the small areas of copy that are often overlooked, but can be utilised to really showcase your brand values. Think of error messages, instructions, messages to customers and even the packaging of your products. Getting this right can really elevate your brand perception.
Sales Copy
The content that’s included in brochures, sales emails, case studies and more. This copy should be loaded with compelling language, benefits to customers and calls to action.
When you break it down like that, the sheer volume of copy a business uses can seem overwhelming! But it doesn’t need to be, especially if you use a marketing company or copywriter to help you out.
The Benefits of Using a Copywriter
Build Your Brand
Building a successful and recognisable brand is all about the copy. Through copywriting you can conjure a unique image of your product for your customer, weave a narrative about your business and develop awareness and brand loyalty. Copywriters can also help you create a range of marketing and sales materials that reflect your company image, reinforce what sets you apart and helps convince those new to your business to give you a chance.
Help You Target The Right Audience
Marketing is about attracting customers and convincing them to buy from you. That means understanding who your target audience is, what drives them, and generally getting under their skin so that you can promote your services to them more effectively. A good copywriter will be able to use language to grab the attention of new visitors and nurture them into customers, building trust and developing that relationship while pulling them through the sales funnel. Good copy will also be able to do the opposite and repel people who aren’t right for your business or your services. For example, if they don’t have the budget to use you, or fall very far outside your target demographic. This will save you and your sales team a lot of time!
They Understand SEO
If your copy is going to be used online in any way (which most content is these days), then it needs to be written with search engines in mind. This is called SEO, or search engine optimisation, and it’s basically how search engines find, identify and catalogue your website so that they can serve it as a search result. A copywriter will be able to find out which keywords you need to rank for and include them in your copy for you, in the right densities, so that your marketing content ticks all of the boxes for search engines.
Make You Stand Out
Did you know that over 25,000 HR companies are currently operating in the UK? And while they may be spread across the country, all of them will be offering the same services to the same kinds of people. Good copywriting is what helps you stand out from the noise of your industry and showcase what’s special about your business. Why customers should work with you over other companies, and why they should pay attention to your marketing.
At Lion Spirit Media, we understand the value that copywriting brings to the marketing mix, and how to use the skills of copywriters effectively to help you achieve your goals. We work with copywriting experts to create original, compelling text for blog posts, sales materials, web page copy and more. So if you need some help with your copy and don’t know where to start, why not get in touch with us? We can put the ROAR back in your marketing and make sure your message is heard throughout the whole jungle.
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