So you’re planning to enter the world of content marketing. Congrats! You are in the right place. In this article, we will discuss the fundamental differences between these two crucial skills and how to leverage one to complement the other. For those of you who are unfamiliar, content marketing essentially entails creating marketing content to attract, engage, and convert customers into paying customers.
Key Takeaways
Let’s start with the basics. What is copywriting, and what is it used for?
Copywriting is the art of crafting words to persuade others to take a particular action or behave in a specific way. While copywriting can seem like an almost effortless task to some, the fact is that it takes a lot of practice to become good at it. Just like any other tool or skill in the marketer’s arsenal, with time and effort, anyone can learn to be a competent copywriter. All you need is a good set of words and a willingness to learn.
Most people think of copywriting when they think of advertising. After all, what is advertising but the promotion of a product or service through the use of persuasive words and compelling content? While this type of advertising is certainly effective, it is certainly not the only type. Words alone can sometimes be enough to persuade someone to take a certain action. For example, take a look at the following pitch:
“With each cup of tea, you will feel more energetic than when you first woke up. That’s what tea is going to do for you. Don’t hesitate to try it. And when you do, we know that you will become one of our regular customers. We want to grow our business and we think that our customers have similar thoughts about our product. So let’s sit down and have a chat about the future of our business. We’re sure that together, we can achieve great things.”
In this example, the advertiser did not present any claims about the effectiveness of the product. They just used a combination of keywords, pleasant language, and convincing structure to catch the reader’s attention and make them want to learn more.
This type of writing is known as persuasive copywriting, and it can be used to promote just about anything. That includes your blog content, your products, and even your services. All you need is a good set of words that you can use to make your point.
This is also one of the most useful things that you can do for your business. Not only does it help you communicate with your audience, but it also shows that you are capable of crafting an argument that is logical, well structured, and highly persuasive. If you can do this with your copy, you can be sure that you are ready to take on the world!
Why should you learn to write compelling copy? There are a few good reasons. To begin with, having a command of persuasive copywriting will make it much easier to write content for your blog, podcast, or other online media channels. Second, being able to write compelling copy for your business’ websites and email campaigns will assist you in the development of online sales opportunities and landing pages for your business.
The Role of a Copywriter
One of the most important things for a copywriter to do is research. Regardless of whether you are trying to persuade someone to buy your product or service or to visit your website or enter into some form of correspondence with you (i.e. email or letter), you are going to need to know what works and what does not work when it comes to getting your point across. In addition to understanding how to write persuasively, you also need to know how to find out what works and what does not in terms of marketing.
What exactly does that entail? Well, you can start by looking at what marketing analytics tools your business or brand uses. These tools can tell you much about the most effective words, phrases, and sentences when used in marketing material. In addition, you can also test subject lines, ad copy, and more to discover what resonates with your target audience and ultimately leads to a successful campaign.
The Importance of Structure
This lesson applies to all writing, but it is particularly relevant for copywriting. When you write a persuasive argument, you need to keep the following three rules in mind:
- It must be a convincing argument
- It must be structured
- It must be concise
What does that mean? Well, simply put, when you follow these rules you will craft an argument that is easy to understand, memorable, and one that will undoubtedly land you the desired results.
For instance, let’s say that you are trying to convince someone to buy your product. If your audience does not know much about your product or service, it can sometimes be difficult to explain exactly what it is that you offer. However, if you structure your argument logically in a short and sweet prose, you will make yourself much easier to understand. Moreover, you will also demonstrate that you have done some serious research about the subject matter and that you are clearly trying to be as impartial as possible. In addition, with concise writing, you will limit the amount of words that the reader must process in order to get the point across. This ensures that your message is not lost in translation.
Knowing What To Include
This is one of the most difficult things for a newbie copywriter to learn. Simply put, you do not want to drown your reader in a sea of words when trying to persuade them to buy your product or service. You want to keep things simple and sweet, using compelling words, phrases, and sentences to paint a picture of your product in the minds of your audience. Moreover, you want to include as little fluff as possible. The more you write, the more you show your hand and the less genuine you sound. A good rule of thumb is, “less is more.” As you get more experienced, you will learn to be more succinct without sacrificing quality.
Key Differences
There are a few key differences between the two. First, whereas copywriting is often used to convince someone to buy a product or service, content marketing is used to build credibility, trust, and brand loyalty. When creating content for your blog, you are not only writing words to persuade someone to buy your product but you are also trying to establish yourself as an authoritative source on the subject matter. In the eyes of your audience, your blog posts are essentially you speaking from experience, offering information that you have researched and verified. As a result, your credibility as an expert is increased and so is the likelihood that they will be inclined to agree with your positions or assertions. When done well, content marketing can be one of the most powerful weapons in your marketing arsenal.
The second difference between content marketing and copywriting is the target audience. When you are writing for someone else (i.e. your boss, a client, or a magazine), you are primarily concerned with convincing them to give you money. With content marketing, you are writing to attract, engage, and retain an audience that is already interested in your product or service. When you are writing for a blog, you want to attract as many people as possible, whether or not they are a part of your target audience. The more people that see your blog post, the greater the likelihood that you will have a positive impact and convince at least some of them to take action.
When To Use Which One
There are various times when you should use one and when you should use the other. Under normal circumstances, you would use copywriting to write an ad for a product that you are trying to sell or to package a new service. For example, you might write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine to get some positive press for an event or campaign. In this case, it would be best to use content marketing to establish your expertise in the field as a whole and then to use copywriting to craft a concise and compelling letter.
However, there are times when you should use content marketing to attract and engage with potential customers. If you are able to do this through effective use of keywords and compelling content, you can be sure that you are harnessing the power of the internet with minimal effort. Just remember that this method will work best for those who have something valuable to offer and are looking to establish themselves as experts in their chosen fields. However, even in this case, you should not neglect your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts to ensure that your blog posts and other pieces of content are discoverable.