The current marketing landscape is full of innovative technologies and tools that are changing the way marketers work. While those certainly need time and attention, it feels right to remind people about one of the core elements of any successful content marketing strategy — copywriting.
Copywriting is fundamental to content marketing. It grabs attention, creates a connection, and inspires action. In this article, we’ll cover the impact of copywriting on your business and how to find the right copywriter to maximize the impact of your brand’s content.
What is Copywriting?
To put it simply, copywriting is text designed to engage and audience and inspire action.
The most effective copywriting is clear, concise, and grammatically precise. The most well-crafted copy penetrates the mind and evokes a response.
Right now in marketing, authenticity and originality have become the main two copywriting touchstones. Your brand needs to have a distinct tone and style that establishes a unique connection with your target audience.
In the words of a famous ad executive Leo Burnett:
“Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.”
The Benefits of Copywriting
Copywriting helps your brand thrive in a competitive world. Here are four of the best benefits quality copywriting brings to your business:
- Effective communication: Knowing your brand’s mission and values won’t matter if you can’t clearly communicate them. Quality copywriting ensures your audience understands what your brand stands for and why it’s worth their attention.
- Builds trust and authority: The more you consistently communicate, the more you’ll build trust with your audience. Messaging that aligns with your brand establishes a brand identity that is reliable.
- Emotional connection: Creating an emotional bond with your customers is critical. Compelling copywriting will evoke emotions and connect with your audience on a deeper level, leading to long-term loyalty.
- Driving conversions: Copywriting’s ultimate goal is to inspire action. The best copy guides customers through the buyer’s journey and encourages them to take action, leading to more conversions.
The Role of the Copywriter
If you want high-quality copywriting, you’ll need a skilled copywriter.
A marketing copywriter helps develop and reinforce your brand’s voice and tone in all your marketing copy. The copy should resonate with your target audience and show them the benefits of using your products or services while differentiating you from your competitors. Ultimately, the copywriter’s primary goal is to get your audience to take a desired action — from making a purchase to signing up for a newsletter to filling out a form — and boost your business’ revenue.
Marketing copywriter responsibilities go beyond just creating original content. According to a 2023 Semrush study:
- 18.77 percent of copywriter jobs surveyed required writers to collaborate with other teams
- 11.88 percent needed to research new ideas
- 7.47 percent had to understand a company’s marketing plans
Increasing your website’s visibility in online searches is also an important role for a marketing copywriter. Copywriters knowledgeable about SEO principles can incorporate relevant keywords and phrases into their copy, optimizing your content for search engines and making it easier for potential customers to find you online.
Essential Traits of a Marketing Copywriter
Hiring a skilled marketing copywriter means you need to look for several key traits in your candidates, including:
Strong Writing Skills
Your candidate’s writing samples should offer persuasive copy that engages your target audience. Be wary of writing examples demonstrating significant grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, as this could cost you considerable time editing a writer’s copy.
Understanding of Marketing Principles
Does your marketing copywriter candidate understand concepts such as target segmentation? Value propositions? Customer journey mapping? All these marketing principles and strategies will affect the copy they need to craft for your marketing campaigns, so your copywriter needs to understand these concepts.
Creativity and Innovation
Generic copy that reiterates what dozens of other blogs have already shared gets overlooked online. Your copywriter should be able to write articles that answer Internet users’ questions — and other business websites aren’t addressing them. They should be able to highlight the unique selling points of your products or services, differentiating your brand and making your business stand out from the competition.
Excellent Research Skills
Copywriters who spend time researching your industry, target market competitors, and relevant trends gain valuable insights into what’s being covered in marketing materials and what areas still need to be explored. Not only does this allow them to write more accurate copy, but it also lets them know what additional topics they can cover to keep their audience better informed.
Collaboration and Communication Skills
While many marketing copywriters work remotely, they still need to collaborate with other team members, including designers and project managers, to help you meet your business goals. Find candidates with a history of accepting and incorporating feedback into their work.
Where to Find Qualified Marketing Copywriters
So, where can you find marketing copywriters with the right traits for your business? Common sources for qualified marketing copywriters include:
- Freelance Platforms: Websites like Freelancer.com let you browse through profiles, portfolios, and client reviews to find a copywriter who suits your needs.
- Professional Networking: Work colleagues and industry contacts can refer you to qualified professional copywriters.
- Social Media and Online Communities: You can post about your copywriting needs on networking sites like LinkedIn and find copywriters open to work. You can also join online communities such as Facebook writing groups and find professional copywriters there.
- Job Boards: Indeed and LinkedIn Jobs have listings for marketing copywriters where you can post job listings, review resumes, and reach out to potential candidates.
- Copywriting Agencies: Content agencies like ClearVoice provide access to a pool of vetted professional copywriters with different specialties and experience levels.
- Copywriting Associations and Directories: The American Writers & Artists Institute (AWAI) and the Professional Writers’ Alliance both provide resources and directories of copywriters, including the copywriter’s specialties, experience, and contact details.
Building Your Copywriting Team
Copywriting is an area of your content marketing that you can’t cut corners on. But, you can utilize cost-effective solutions that give you access to expert content writers at an affordable price. A content partner like ClearVoice, can help you build customized teams of writers, editors, and designers to help you produce top-tier content without breaking the bank. Talk to content strategist today to get started.