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I’ve been in the ad business for two decades, and in that time, I’ve seen the growth of technology facilitate the rise of digital media and its subsequent conquest over traditional media. When I first began my career, copywriting was something ad creatives did and content was something tv networks did.
But the rules have changed. Now, any company or individual can write copy and create a piece of content, and digital marketing has allowed businesses of any size, around the world, to compete with established brands, regardless of their advertising budget.
It’s a complicated game, though. Across the internet you’ll see acronyms such as PPC, CTR, CTA, SEM, and SEO thrown around as if everyone know what they are, but it can become confusing if you’re new to the business. “Content marketing” and “copywriting” are also two important tools in the democratization of digital marketing, and are incredibly powerful when done right.
We know digital marketing is a great investment. With the right content, tools, and strategy, you can scale your business in new directions and turn potential prospects into paying customers that keep coming back. And as a marketer or business owner, you’ve no doubt heard copywriting and content marketing come up a lot, from bloggers to sales gurus to SEO experts. But while you may be assume these words are interchangeable, they serve uniquely different purposes and benefit your digital marketing strategy differently.
We’re here to walk you through everything you need to know about copywriting and content marketing so you can use both to your advantage and successfully build your online presence. From calls to action to the value of words, here’s what you need to know about the difference between copywriting and content marketing, so you can fine-tune your marketing strategy.
What is Copywriting?
Let’s first distinguish that we’re not talking about the act of “writing copy,” which is, simply, writing words. We are talking about the advertising and marketing tactic of “copywriting,” which is specifically, in this usage, creating (brainstorming, writing, editing, and revising) the copy on your website, promotional marketing materials, and different digital marketing channels.
This copy is found on your “About Us” web page where you introduce your team, and on the corporate blogs you write to inform customers about changes or updates. It’s on product page descriptions, welcome email customer journeys, and how-to tutorials.
Anything on your website that uses copy is considered copywriting, as well as in a sales pitch. This copy typically has a persuasive purpose and a call to action somewhere on the page. It’s written to help sway a prospect to take a specific action almost immediately.
So whether it’s to click the contact us button, or add a product to their cart, copywriting generally has a goal to help you increase your conversion rate among potential customers.
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing, on the other hand, is a specific digital tactic that is related to copywriting, but is not the same thing. This tactic is where you plan and create (again: brainstorm, write, edit, and revise) the content you create for attracting new customers and building trust with current ones. Good content is created to add value to your customer’s day and help you connect with customers who are actively seeking your products or services.
A strong content marketing strategy requires a lot of thought on behalf of content writers, well before any pen is put to paper or fingers touch the keyboard. It’s there to be the driving force behind your big-picture ideas and allows you to showcase your brand in an enticing way that drives engagement with prospective leads, as well as keeps current customers coming back.
Content writing can take different shapes and forms. Whether you’re putting together a video explainer about your newest data product, explain new a pricing model, or looking to give an inside look at your brand’s mission statement, everything is written to increase brand awareness and influence a purchasing decision, rather than drive them to convert right away.
Content marketing can take many forms, such as:
· Videos
· Podcasts
· White papers
· Blogs
· Articles
· Social media posts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and more
· Photos on Instagram
· Infographics
· Email marketing
· Ebooks
· Case studies
And that just skims the surface of the different types of content marketing businesses are using. With the right content writing, you can fill your sales funnel with viable leads and outrank your competitors on search engines. In fact, studies suggest that content marketing generates 3 times as many leads as any of your other outbound marketing initiatives.
The best part? With the right content marketing team in place, this strategy can actually be a lower-cost solution than paid media, that yields higher results.
So when you’re building out a strategy for content writing, you’ll want to consider your target audience, goals, and what you hope to get from the content you create.
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Copywriting Vs. Content Marketing: What’s The Difference?
Put simply, content writing is more informational than copywriting. It serves a different purpose on your website and aims to build a relationship with your audience, rather than to drive an immediate action. A content writer can be a copywriter, and vice versa, but the final product will be different.
Let’s dive into some key differences:
The Value of Words
Both writing styles are designed to add value and have a purpose. Copywriting aims to “sell, sell, sell,” while content marketing typically aims to build.
In one case, you might sell an individual with the copywriting on a specific product, while you will build a long-term relationship with them through curated content creation with a purpose. The valuable content they receive in their inbox on your monthly content marketing email newsletters will show them your brand is more than the product they added to their cart. It helps you build a community and inspire others to share your story with their friends, family, and coworkers.
For example, let’s consider Patagonia. This popular outdoor apparel company utilizes valuable content in innovative ways to build a loyal community. They have a purpose-driven marketing strategy that focuses on their values and goals. They use their brand to give back to the world around them and expertly create great content that has an anti-consumerism feel.
Instead of selling buyers on their products, they create repair guides and videos that focus on their mission. With the help of content writing, their marketing campaign stays true to their brand’s mission and values, which allows their products to sell themselves.
Different Call to Action
Most copywriting is looking for individuals to take immediate action on your website. For example, a product description is designed to give shoppers the information they need to make an informed purchase. It goes over the nitty gritty details like size, color, and directions. All this content is there to help persuade an individual to add to cart and complete the purchase.
Content marketing brings this call to action one step further. While much of the end goal is to turn prospects into paying customers, content marketing also focuses on building a sustainable relationship with the customer.
For example, you can create valuable content about a particular product. Let’s say you utilize user-generated content in a video or go over the details of how to use it on a podcast. You could use an infographic to talk about the sustainable features or do a how-to social post to help individuals use your brand at home.
These content types are designed to become integral to the shopping experience. They keep your customers coming back for more and wanting to learn more.
Why is this important? A returning customer spends around 33% more than a one-time purchaser. If your content is focused on building sustainable relationships with your buyers and turning one-time purchases into returning customers, the metrics show you can increase the lifetime value of each customer.
Writing Style
Most copywriting is straight to the point and focuses solely on the call to action. Whether it’s copy on a landing page for a product launch, or on the About Us page to tell a brand’s story, copywriting has a purpose. Stylistically, this means the fluff is eliminated so the words focus on the call to action, and strong active verbs such as “click,” “buy,” “shop,” and “contact” are used on sales pages.
With high-quality content marketing, you want to try to sit down with a clearly defined audience and have a conversation with them. You want your brand’s tone, messaging, and voice to be clear, concise, and relatable. Whether it’s a video on the creation process of your newest product or a podcast with a guest speaker discussing valuable information for your customers, the writing style won’t constantly have the salesy tone of the rest of your site. It can be more conversational, nuanced, and casual.
Why Your Brand Needs Both
Neither copywriting nor content marketing is “better” than the other. In fact, every brand or small business needs to invest in both types of high-quality content, which is why companies often hire in-house writers, marketing agencies, strategists, and freelancers. With a healthy mix of sales copywriting and purposeful content marketing, you can build a community that loves and appreciates your brand. You can connect with your target audience and maintain your brand’s image while pushing viable leads to the top of your sales funnel.
Everything you write works together to help you see results. As you consider your overall goal and start to work on establishing your brand’s tone and messaging in your website copy, always be on the lookout for new opportunities to keep your brand top of mind and your audience engaged.