Copywriting. Isn’t that just putting a bunch of paragraphs together? You can do that right? Maybe you can. But can you do it really well? The importance of good copywriting is something often overlooked by businesses. Copywriting is an art that dates back to the 1860’s (that’s not a typo, that’s over 150 years ago), and it is something that is more technical than one would generally give it credit for.
Maybe you think your company’s writing is as good as it can be. Maybe it is. Maybe it’s a good idea to have a look at it objectively, from your target audience’s point of view. Are you getting your message across in the best possible way? Is there room for improvement?
What is copywriting?
First things first, lets chat about what copywriting actually is.
Copywriting is essentially the first step in the creative process, whether you are producing an ad, a website or a company brochure. It involves conceptualisation of the “big idea” which will drive all elements of a marketing activity – from general tone, to layout and even placement.
From there, it’s a matter of putting that idea into words, and into a structure that will evoke an action, emotion or reaction to your message. Unlike news or editorial writing, copywriting is all about getting the reader to do something, whether that is buying your product, engaging with your brand, seeing the benefit of using your service over a competitors or simply requesting more information.
The importance of good copy
There are many reasons to ensure the copy you put out into the market is of high quality and is focused on achieving the objective of the material you are producing. I have put a couple together below.
An important note to remember is that copy doesn’t necessarily translate across all platforms. Just copying and pasting your corporate brochure into various pages of a website won’t always make sense. Elements can be used, and the tone will remain the same, but the structure and your objectives will change.
Also, there is a significant technical aspect to writing copy for websites that needs to be taken into account to ensure Google likes (and understands) the content of your website and thus will see the value in ranking your website, as well as making sure that you are writing about what your web visitors are looking for, in a way that makes sense.