In today’s digital age, content marketing is an essential component of any successful marketing strategy.
There’s a huge amount of content published online these days. On WordPress alone, there were more than 70 million blog posts published every month in the first quarter of 2022.
With the vast amount of information available online, it is crucial to create high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your target audience and drives traffic to your website. While some businesses may consider in-house writing or using AI tools to create marketing content, hiring an experienced marketing copywriter is often the best option.
In this article, we will explore the benefits of hiring a professional copywriter for your business. We’ll also cover the skills required for successful marketing copywriting, the pitfalls of using inexperienced employees (and AI) for content creation, and the importance of nailing SEO optimisation.
What is copywriting?
Copywriting is not just writing.
It is the art and science of creating persuasive and compelling marketing and advertising materials. These materials aim to persuade or influence a target audience to take a specific action, such as purchasing a product or service, signing up for a newsletter or downloading a free guide.
The goal of copywriting is to communicate the unique value and benefits of a product or service in a way that resonates with the reader, inspires action and ultimately generates sales or conversions.
Why hire a professional copywriter?
Working with a professional copywriter can supercharge your marketing collateral.
They can draw on their expertise and experience to create a piece of content that really hits the mark and clicks with your target audience. They can find just the right angle, and the right words, to showcase what really makes what you sell great, and give readers a well-judged nudge to get them to act.
And if you’re a little unsure about the kind of tone or encouragement you want to include, a dedicated copywriter can breathe life into your brief to create the perfect piece of content.
Someone who does this as a profession will also ensure that your content has a consistent brand tone and voice, as well as creating pieces of content that are error-free. They’ll have a fantastic knowledge of SEO too, so that you can be confident that your new content will be picked up by eagle-eyed search bots.
With the right person on board, you can save precious time and resources as the copywriter can handle the content creation process from start to finish, giving you time and energy to focus on other things.
Editorial and marketing skills: What can a copywriter do?
Copywriting in marketing requires a range of skills to create compelling, persuasive, and effective content that makes an impact with your customers. Some of the key skills include:
Marketing knowledge
A copywriter has a solid understanding of marketing principles, including target audience analysis, brand positioning and call-to-action strategies. They are also in the know when it comes to the latest marketing trends.
Understanding of the target audience
A talented copywriter should be able to quickly get to grips with your target audience’s wants and needs, their preferred communication style and what motivates them to take action.
Writing and editing
Good copywriters have excellent writing skills, including top-notch grammar, spelling and punctuation. They should also be able to write in a variety of tones and styles, and have strong editing skills to review and refine the copy to ensure it is error-free and conveys the right message.
Research
A strong copywriter is a first class researcher, which allows them to gather information about the product or service being marketed, as well as the target audience, to create content that really packs a punch.
SEO knowledge
Digital copywriters have a solid understanding of search engine optimisation (SEO) principles. This enables them to create content that is optimised for search engines and capable of driving traffic to your website.
Collaboration skills
Good copywriters collaborate with other team members too, such as designers, marketers and project managers, to ensure the content aligns with your organisation’s overall marketing strategy.
What time and resources are needed for content creation?
Creating spot-on content takes time and effort. This is because it involves a lot of research, planning and expertise.
Research
Marketing editors and copywriters need to have a deep understanding of the target audience, the product or service being marketed, and the industry as a whole. They will therefore spend a considerable amount of time researching the competition, analysing customer behaviour and preferences, and staying up to date with industry trends.
Planning
Once the research is done and dusted, marketing editors and copywriters will start planning the content. This will probably include creating an outline or storyboard for the copy, which will help them to decide on the messaging and structure of the piece.
Writing
After all the research and planning, copywriters can knuckle down to what they do best. They will use their skills in writing and storytelling to create a piece of content that meets the brief while also bringing your product or service to life. This involves crafting headlines, taglines and body copy that is both informative and persuasive.
Editing
A copywriter’s job doesn’t end when the copy is drafted out. They will then ensure that the content is error-free, follows your brand guidelines and is consistent with the messaging across all of your marketing channels. They will also make sure that it is optimised for search to give your rankings a boost.
Collaboration
As we said earlier, marketing editors and copywriters are collaborative creatures, and will often work alongside graphic designers, social media managers, salespeople and project managers. This ensures that the content is tied in with the overall marketing strategy and that all marketing channels work together seamlessly.
Why is high-quality content important for brands?
When your brand produces top drawer, outstanding content, it shows your audience that you know and understand their needs. This builds trust, which is crucial for long-term customer loyalty.
It also establishes you as authorities in your respective industries. This means that customers and prospects are more likely to look to you for guidance and expertise.
Plus, it can improve your brand’s search engine rankings, which can result in more traffic to your website. This can lead to more leads and sales.
But if you fail to get the content right, it can seriously backfire.
Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and typos can make your brand appear unprofessional and careless. It can also cause confusion and detract from the overall message. Using overly technical language or jargon can lead to customers seeking information elsewhere, too.
Not pitching the tone just right can also be off-putting. Not only can this make your customers feel disengaged, but it could also make your content feel generic and impersonal.
What are some of the pitfalls of using AI for marketing copywriting?
Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for several months, you’re sure to have heard about the ongoing march of AI-generated content.
However, while the latest technology certainly marks a huge step forward in its development, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still hiccups with what it produces.
At their core, AI tools are designed to generate content based on existing data and patterns. This can result in generic and uninspiring content that fails to capture the unique voice and personality of your brand. Experienced copywriters, on the other hand, can inject flair and originality into their work, making your brand stand out by a country mile from the competition.
This reliance on data also means that AI may not be able to think strategically about your brand’s goals and objectives, unlike a copywriter. It also lacks the emotional intelligence and human touch of, well, an actual human.
AI tools can also make mistakes in grammar, spelling and punctuation, and may produce content that is inconsistent with your brand’s messaging and tone of voice. There tends to be a bias towards American English too.
Experienced copywriters, however, have honed their skills in this area. They have the skills you need to ensure accuracy and consistency, which is critical for building brand trust and credibility.
Finally, caution must be applied when using AI-created content because there is a risk that it may inadvertently infringe on copyright laws, violate intellectual property rights or contain inaccurate information. Unlike AI, human copywriters will be able to show you their sources so that you can determine the origin of the information, and check that it is unique.
Talk to us about professional copywriting
If you’d like to find out more about how a copywriter can give your brand a boost, get in touch with us today!
We provide valuable content creation and copywriting services designed to put your product or services front and centre with your target audience.
To learn more, drop us a line at hello@methodmarketing.org or give us a call on 0330 0430736.