As a business, copywriting is at the heart of your content marketing campaigns, but it’s not as straightforward as you might think.
Most people think they can put some words together to form the basis of their content creation, but in reality, copy must be optimised for search and written with a specific audience in mind.
Professional copywriting services can deliver on these demands consistently, providing content for everything from your website to social media. Even image-led marketing assets require copy, as videos need a script, infographics need stats and photos need captions. In fact, everywhere you look there are words and they need to be the right ones to portray your business in the best possible light.
You can either hire an in-house copywriter or take advantage of professional copy supplied by an agency. This may prove to be an efficient way to work, as an outside supplier will be flexible and able to increase production when needed. Therefore, you won’t need to commit to having a copywriter on the books full time.
A good mix of great content will help you achieve your content marketing aims and can include:
One of the biggest concerns businesses have when thinking about the skills of an SEO copywriter is that the industry they’re in is too niche. Luckily, content creators have experience in writing optimised copy for a variety of markets and are able to carry out research to work for a wide range of markets.
When selecting content writers for a niche market, it’s worth enquiring about the areas where they specialise. If, for example, B2B copywriters will be best suited to your organisation, then make sure they have prior knowledge of this area. While an experienced copywriter will be able to adapt to a new niche, you might want to see similar work they’ve done in the past.
Keeping the audience in mind is one of the most important things an SEO copywriter must do. This doesn’t just mean including facts and information they’ll find appealing, but also getting the tone of voice right and understanding their pain points and motivations. Your content should address search queries and demonstrate how your products and services solve problems or satisfy the desires of your potential customers.
It’s not uncommon for a freelance copywriter to build up expertise in a niche market, but many agencies also have reputations for certain types of clients. Instead of being reliant on just one writer, get your SEO copywriting from a business that has multiple writers who can work on your account. Then, you’ll benefit from all of their experience.
Good copywriting is based on research, which is why professionals can comfortably tackle any niche they’re tasked with. The type of research will depend on the purpose of the content to be created. It may include interviewing experts; reading product specifications, industry reports or articles on recent trends; and content put out by competitors.
Even the best copy in the world will have limited success if it’s not backed up by a range of other assets. If you need full marketing services then you can often obtain them from the same marketing agency that’s supplying your copy. In fact, this approach can be particularly beneficial as you may require several departments to work together to deliver your digital marketing assets.
Copywriting is just one of the elements that should be included in your digital marketing strategy. It’s a crucial one and impacts everything from social media posts to email marketing, but shouldn’t be considered in isolation. The purpose of copywriting is to encourage the reader to take a specific action, such as completing a purchase or signing up to a newsletter.
While this can be achieved through a lengthy how-to guide or informative blog, it can also be just as effective in a short and snappy post on a social channel. It’s vital that all of these marketing assets are working in conjunction with each other and are sending out a consistent message to your audience. That’s where the strategy comes in and it may well be the culmination of several pieces of content that facilitates the buying decision in the end.
Digital marketing agencies employ copywriters and designers, and while the two can work closely with each other, they’re likely to be different individuals. This is something to ask about when selecting an agency to provide services for your business, as you’ll want to be assured you’re getting specialists in both fields. While the writer focuses on the SEO value of your copy, keywords, tone of voice and brand messaging, the graphic designer will take care of the aesthetics.
Part of a comprehensive marketing service should be a system to measure how well your strategy is working and that includes the copy. This part of your marketing journey shouldn’t be an afterthought, but something that has been planned and implemented from the start. In fact, how can you judge the effectiveness of your copy if you haven’t investigated the point you’re starting out from?!
With this in mind, your digital marketing agency should conduct an audit of your website and other content before they start as a benchmark for success. Then, they should decide on the metrics to measure throughout the process based on your organisation’s goals. These should be checked on a regular basis, with tweaks made to ensure you’re moving towards your business aims.
Just as most industries are constantly evolving, so is the digital landscape and your copywriting must reflect this. Marketing success isn’t a destination but a journey and good copy should bring your audience along with you. They should be guided onto the next action and left with the desire to come back again after a positive user experience.
September 2023 saw search engine giant Google tweak its Helpful Content Update, making it now more important than ever to adopt best practice for online success. As the digital landscape continues to shift, what do these changes mean for marketers and how can we make sure we’re maximising our content to be as ‘helpful’ as […]
Well-executed content creation can deliver exceptional results for your business, from amplifying your brand awareness on social media to increasing conversions. However, a poorly implemented content strategy can have the opposite effect by failing to attract your target audience. One of the main concerns for businesses is whether to hire an in-house content strategy team […]