Copywriting: What is it and why is it important for your business?
When I first decided to start CCC, I was running around telling my friends and family (naturally) about my next big idea. Shouting out to everyone I knew about how I was going to start a small copywriting and graphic design firm right here in beautiful Columbus, Ohio. I quickly realized that most people didn’t have a clue what I was talking about, and thought that I had officially lost it. Sure they’d heard of copyrights; but not copywriting. A great place to start here is to say, the two are completely unrelated… just wanted to clear that up!
SO what is Copywriting?
Not to get all Miriam Webster on you, but: Copywriting is the writing and producing of promotional or marketing materials. Copy is a text that informs you about a product or service or company and inspires you to take action. Essentially, any published text from a business entity that you’ve engaged with in your entire life was composed by a copywriter. Successful copywriting is copy that makes you feel an intended way or provokes an intentional action or response. Copy can be anything from a press release, to simple product description, to a “follow us on instagram” button at the bottom of a web page. Copy is part of your everyday life, but good copywriting is essential to your business.
If you’re interested in getting the copyright to your new invention, you’ve come to the wrong place.
Now you know.
Types of Copy
Copywriting shows up anytime a business is looking to appeal to a particular audience. Copy shows up in many different forms. I would say it’s easier to describe types of copywriting based on where in your life you have engaged with it, so that’s what I’m gonna do.
Online: This is where the majority of our lives exist nowadays, so figure it’s a good place to start. Types of online copy includes (but is not limited to): Web content, blogs, social media, email newsletters, banner advertisements, pop-ups, etc.
In print: News papers, magazines, direct mail campaigns, leaflets, brochures
Quite literally anywhere else: Billboards, posters, sides of cars, buildings, radio, tv, speeches, those weird things on the back of bathroom stalls.
It’s all copy and likely was written by a copywriter like myself.
How businesses use copywriting to increase sales:
Now onto the important stuff, why you and your business need to click over to our contact page and get yourself some copy immediately.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization. In my humble opinion, SEO is the single most important thing you can do for your business in today’s weird internet world where everything we need to know exists at our fingertips. SEO pertains to the text found on your website that allows you to be easily located via search engines, aka modern mans’ best friend. This is extremely valuable in bringing in new customers, your future customers are asking google questions right now that could be luring them right into your arms, if only you had the SEO to be there for them. The higher up you land on search engines, the more likely you are to be found. What’s the best way increase SEO you ask? Content! Blogs! And who writes those for you in a way that is guaranteed to generate more traffic to your site? We do, your local copywriters.
Connect With Your Customers: So you’ve got some customers, that’s great. The next most important thing that a good copywriter is going to do for your small business is to connect emotionally with your customers. The content they write isn’t just there to get the traffic to the site, but to get them to stay there, hangout, feel welcomed, and eventually trust you to provide them with the product or service that they were originally looking for. Same thing with copy not linked to your website; whether it be a press release, a direct mail advertisement, or a radio ad. A good copywriter is going to take the time to research and understand your customer base and target audience, and tug on those heart (or brain) strings until they feel compelled to give you their hard earned money.
Brand Consistency: Brand consistency is key in running a successful small business. Consumers don’t want to engage with a seemingly different business from one day to the next, better yet from one platform to the next. They want to feel close to the local brands they support and feel as if they know you on a personal level. It’s important to have the same recognizable voice across all platforms to maintain this relationship. With consistent copy your customers trust your voice and remain loyal to your brand, let a copywriting team help you discover what that voice is.
Perspective: While the list of reasons in favor of hiring a professional copywriter goes on, I’ll leave you with this one final point (for now). Hiring a copywriter, as opposed to attempting to write your copy yourself, or having someone in house write your copy for you, offers you invaluable insight and a fresh perspective on your business. Having an outsider write on behalf of your business assures you that your copy makes sense and resonates with the audience you are looking to reach.
Stay tuned to our blog for more information on how copywriting can accelerate your growth!
