Should you do Content Marketing or Copywriting?

Actually, you need to do both!

If you’ve only recently started exploring social media marketing tools to promote your business online, the terms ‘Content Marketing’ and ‘Copywriting’ may not mean a lot. They could just be terms you’ve heard of or read about. The aim of today’s post is to define what they are and suggest how to use them both to get better results from your online marketing.

And if you’ve been blogging and networking online for a while, there may be still be tweaks you can apply and benefit from.

Sam and I recently gave a short talk to the Chichester Chamber Breakfast Group where we shared an overview of the importance of Content Marketing, what it is and suggested quite a few different ways to create it.

Our definition of Content Marketing is this: it means moving way beyond having a brochure or other way of offering information about your products & services. It means delivering best practices, case studies, success stories, thought leadership – anything that will help you become a trusted resource for your customers and prospective customers. 

Content marketing will help you build credibility – as someone who knows what they’re talking about; build trust – as you share tips and successes; build your brand reputation – as you’re seen to be a part of the online networks and communicating with other respected persons.

Content marketing will help you generate leads for your business and nurture them until the point of conversion. But only if the content you provide is of high quality and useful to your prospective clients.

So where does Copywriting come in?

My definition of Copywriting is that it’s the way you put together your content in order to encourage the consumer to take the action you want them to. This means that online Copywriting can apply not only to webpages and blog posts, but also to podcasts and videos. After all, you still need to put together the words to record.

Professional Copywriters command very high fees because their copy is so effective. They’re the people who write the sales pages you read on websites – the ones that have you reaching for your credit card – and taking exactly the action they want!

But most content should not be a blatant sales pitch! If it is you will quickly feel the cold draught of people leaving your blog, unsubscribing from your newsletter, unfollowing and defriending you. That’s yet another skill of a great copywriter – their copy is very subtle indeed.

However most of us can’t afford to hire a professional copywriter. So we need to learn how to write (create) the content ourselves, in such a way that we get good results too. Copywriting areas to pay particular attention to include:

Headlines – these are possibly the most important part of copywriting to learn to do well, and we’ll be devoting a new post to this topic very soon.

Structure and readability – you want to guide your reader and present content in a way that is easy for them to understand. Doing this will encourage blog visitors to stay on your site for longer.

Relevant Content – Give your newsletter readers and blog visitors the kind of good quality content they’re looking for and keep them happy!

Rapport Building – Your online articles and updates may be the only way you connect with some prospective clients, so the tone of your copy is an important part of forming a relationship with them.

Call to Action – This is the part of copywriting so many people either forget or get wrong. What do you want your reader or visitor to do next?

If you found this post interesting, don’t forget to get your free copy of our Content Marketing Guide (and 10 part E-Course) by clicking here.

 Further Reading:

What’s the Difference Between Content Marketing and Copywriting?

Copywriting vs. Content Writing: What’s the Difference?

About Louise

Louise Barnes-Johnston has been working in social media marketing since 2007 after realising that it was a powerful marketing tool which would enable her clients to raise the profile of their businesses on the internet, even when working to a limited budget. Her specialism is in researching social media practices; trying out the most effective online tools and then sharing the best of them with her clients.