When I picture the first advertising posters that were printed, I struggle to imagine how time consuming it must have been. From today’s perspective, it’s ludicrous to think that there were no digital formatting options, no ‘spell-check’, no ‘copy’ or ‘undo’ buttons, no ‘share now’.
Instead, everything was exhaustingly hand-pressed and then posted around big cities and towns. Wooden printing blocks would have to be intricately carved with grinding care and attention in a very short amount of time. It would have been a mammoth task and would not have been taken on lightly.
So imagine, after all that effort and work – hours of hand cramps and blisters, cracked blocks and splinters – the words written on those posters didn’t convey the right message. What if it didn’t get people to do what they had planned?
Copywriting wasn’t around at this point, but I can’t help but think that these pioneers of advertising would have jumped at the chance of hiring a copywriter who fully understood their message and what they wanted to achieve.
Thanks largely to the growing need of advertising, and through the dedication of forward thinking copywriters (such as John E. Powers), the importance of copywriting quickly became an indispensable, fully-established part of the marketing world.
SO, WHAT IS COPYWRITING?
Copywriting is the best way to convey your message to a group of people, so that you get the right action from them. It is one of the most effective ways of creating connections between the people that have something to offer and the people that will benefit the most from it.
The need to be able to connect with customers using the right words is a clear necessity for every business (this isn’t news to you), but it is worth considering how much care and attention should go into the words that reflect your brand and business – especially online. Shouldn’t we put in the same effort and hard work as they once did with the first advertising posters?
IT'S ALL ONLINE NOWADAYS!
Whether we like it or not, we live in a digital world. It’s fast and demanding and requires a strong mix of effective copy and informative content. A good copywriter knows how to write both quickly and to a high standard.
If you're unsure about the difference between copy and content, the best way to distinguish the two is by thinking of COPY as getting an immediate ACTION, and CONTENT as providing detailed INFORMATION.
The power of the internet has forever changed the way businesses reach out to clients and customers. It has given the ability to write and post a marketing piece in under a minute (not that anyone would recommend that). The trouble with this, is that less and less time goes into what is being created. The sad truth is that many businesses forget the importance of quality and focus instead on speed and quantity.
It’s easy to understand why this happens in a digital marketing. Quantity and speed helps keep your SEO score high, it gives your customers more brand impressions and develops your online authority at a much quicker pace. A copywriter knows this. But, they also know the importance of QUALITY. They strive to put in that ‘grinding care and attention’ that is so overlooked in today’s digital world.
Copywriters will always focus on YOU first. They listen intently to what you have to offer and then plan the best way to convey your message to the right people. While keywords and regular posts are all very important, a copywriter gives your business far more credibility and consistency.
5 MORE REASONS WHY YOU NEED A COPYWRITER
- HOW MUCH DOES YOUR BRAND MEAN TO YOU?
This is all about how your brand is seen by customers and clients. How do you want to be seen? Who do you want to be seen by? A good copywriter understands what your business is trying to achieve and will use all the right words to reflect that.
Your brand voice can relate to brand tone, language, relatability and substance. Copy that is rushed and badly written can have a huge impact on what people think of your brand.
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.
- HOW NICHE OF YOU!
All businesses are unique, but some are more unique than others!
Forming a deep understanding of what your business offers takes hard work and dedication. A copywriter needs to understand how to relay exactly what you do in the best possible way, which can be a challenge if you offer complex services or very niche products. A copywriter achieves this through research, and then more research.
It is very common for copywriters to write about hugely different topics in a short amount of time.
- CONTENT IN CONTROL
Everything that is written for your brand has a different purpose and task, but everything should be pointed towards the same goal. A copywriter always has that goal in mind. They offer structure and consistency to your marketing pieces, ultimately achieving more responses from readers.
Your content strategy will benefit hugely from a copywriter that knows the ins and outs of your marketing funnels.
- LET’S GET EMOTIONAL FOR A MOMENT
Copywriters use a perfect mix of emotional and psychological persuasion. They grab attention, tell stories and build trust quickly using proven techniques. From the first heading to the final call to action, a copywriter will always have your goal and your reader’s core interests in mind.
- PICTURES ATTRACT, COPY SELLS
Pictures are highly effective at grabbing attention – there’s no arguing against that. Couple this with a killer headline and you will notice a huge increase in your click rates. Great copy and content can provide all the extra details that a picture can never do. It demonstrates your personality, your promises and commitments, and tells the reasons why your product or service should be bought.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Having a trusted copywriter gives you the perfect edge over the competition. They give your business more structure, credibility and consistency. If you’re still not convinced, give me a call today so that I can change your mind.
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