Marketers often see copywriters and copywriting in general as just a part of their advertising. Something or someone they need to sell their products and services. But copywriting can do more than that for your business.
Copywriting is marketing. And if you have followed my thoughts over the years, you know that have adopted Harry Beckwith’s mindset “Marketing is not a department – it is your business”.
Look at some of the best sales letters and advertisements of all time:
The One-Legged Golfer by John Carlton
Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor
The Oxford Club’s Emerging Trends
They certainly aren’t going “BUY! BUY! BUY!!!” for the duration of them. Those letters and ads tell compelling stories, solve problems, or reveal valuable information to the would-be buyer. Those pieces do more than selling; they tell the audience who they are and what they stand for. And that’s the mark of excellent copywriting.
Copywriting is more than selling – copywriting is marketing. And about to give you three valuable reasons why.
3 Reasons Why Copywriting Is Marketing
Before you get the three reasons why copywriting is marketing, I’d like to present two articles that helped me in developing this blog post.
First, we go to HubSpot and their article “Copywriting 101: 6 Traits of Excellent Copy Readers Will Remember”. This article, written by Meghan Keaney Anderson, goes over six traits of good copywriting – including making connections, listening to prospects, and dealing with excess wording. The report also goes over the importance of what you say in your marketing.
Julia McCoy wrote the second article for the Business 2 Community website. The article “What is Copywriting and Why Is It Not Content Marketing?” answers several questions regarding marketing and copywriting. Including what is copywriting and what you get when you hire a copywriter.
Now, drawing from the information on those two articles, as well as my experience as a financial services copywriter, here are three reasons why copywriting is marketing.
Positioning Your Offers
One of the things that usually goes under the radar when it comes to copywriting is the hand it plays in positioning your company within your industry.
When you solve a problem, reveal information, or tell a story within your marketing campaigns, you are highlighting your company’s ability to the world. You let them know exactly what your level of knowledge is, and how you’re willing to use it for the benefit of the market.
Take the Emerging Trends Trader Letter for instance. The Oxford Club used this campaign to not only promoted their (then) new editor Mathew Carr – they also presented Mr. Carr as someone trustworthy. By presenting “magic investment” strategies to their readers, The Oxford managed to earn the trust of their audience for Matthew Carr.
When you produce excellent copy, you’ll be able to position your offer as a practical option for your market. Turning your company into an industry and community leader in the process.
Brand Awareness
One of the main goals of your marketing is to bring awareness to your (company) brand. Something that an excellent copywriter can do with ease.
Excellent copywriting doesn’t focus on making your brand seem cool – at least not for no plain reason. Instead, excellent copywriting focuses on helping the market – whether it’s via education or inspiration.
Throughout the years, copywriters have managed to bring the limelight to unknown brands by presenting as problem solvers. Copywriters presented those items as things that you need to get achieve to achieve a certain level of success. One of my favorite examples is the American Express’ Quite Frankly Letter – a letter AXP sent out for over 12 years straight.
Quite Frankly had a simple structure, with the copywriter making a big promise and jumping right into the benefits of the AE card. It was an invitation to join an elite club – an invitation that generated well over a billion dollars in membership.
The job of your marketing is not to just say “we’re here”; it is to say, “we’re here… and we’ll do this for you”. That is how a brand earns the attention of a market. Which is what excellent copywriting does when it’s in place.
Audience Expansion
Thanks to the internet and social media, it’s easier than ever for brands to expand their audiences to global levels. Yet, without targeted, professional copywriting, social media campaigns can easily backfire.
When addressing a market online, you must make it worth their time. Posting some funny video or photo might get some people to engage… but are these the people that will buy from you? Chances are not.
To expand your audience online, you need to present content that your audience can go back repeatedly and use to their advantage. When you educate or inspire your market, not only do you get likes and shares, but you also get people who want others to know about you.
Because you’ve helped them be smarter, faster, or stronger. You’ve made their lives better, so now your prospects will tell other people – looking to make their lives better – about your offerings. Thus, expanding your audience.
You have an amazing tool with the internet and social media. Make the most of it with excellent copywriting that helps you show a brand and expand your audience.
Copywriting Is Marketing
Starting today, you must realize that your copywriting does more for your business than sell offers. Your sales and marketing copy helps in the positioning and branding of your products and services. And, just as important, copywriting plays a significant role in the expansion of your audience – up to a global scale.
Do you agree or disagree with my assessment that “copywriting is marketing”? Leave a comment explaining your side of things. And if you think this article could be useful to someone you know, feel free to share it with them!
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