The success of your business depends mainly on the success of your messaging.

Building trust and genuine relationships with your audience is key to growing your business – you can do that through your messaging.

High-converting copy and compelling content can help you stand out among your competitors. It can help increase your brand awareness, position yourself as an expert in your field, build trust, rank higher on search engines, and convert traffic to paying customers.

What is the difference between copywriting and content writing?

Copywriting and content writing are vastly different but often have the same end goal: to build a base of returning customers and boost revenue. You can't have one without the other to be successful. Every piece of content signals a new opportunity to connect with your potential customers. Think email, article, blog, podcast, social post, etc.

Understanding the difference between the two will help you better understand what your business lacks and needs to succeed. It can also help identify where you can capitalize on your strengths and where you should hire a professional.

Examples of Copywriting vs. Content Writing

A copywriter writes to sell a specific product or service. Content writing educates, informs, and/or entertains the audience to provide value and build relationships with the reader.

Copywriting typically includes but is not limited to…

Slogans and Taglines
Website Copy
Sales Page Copy
Email Sequences
Brochures
Social Media Copy
Direct Mail

Content writing includes but is not limited to…

Blogs
Articles
Magazine Features
Whitepapers
E-books
Books
Podcasts

Content writing educates and builds trust, and copywriting drives action.

Research says that your audience must see your message at least seven times before they will buy from you. With the increase in new online businesses, there is much more competition.

How can you position yourself as the expert in your industry? What is your unique selling proposition?

With a clear strategy or plan in place, it can be easier to get your message out to your audience in a clear way that communicates value.

People want to buy from people they know, like, and trust.

Content writing does just that. It seeks to build relationships with your audience by providing valuable, educational, or entertaining information. These relationships lay the foundation for building brand awareness and loyalty. The content that you put out should always reflect your brand tone, voice, and style. Your goal is to positively associate your brand in the reader's mind.

Before you put out your content, ask yourself - Is the story you're telling others about your business…

Clear, compelling, and relevant?
Representative of your brand?
In alignment with your business, purpose, and ideal client?
Providing value?
Something YOU would want to consume?

Content writing will position you as the expert and engage your audience in a way that shows them your ability to solve their problems, paving the way to a sale.

Copywriting, however, drives action. Copywriting is marketing a product or a service with the goal of conversion. It focuses on making a sale, including long and short-form sales pages, results-oriented headlines and sub-headlines, clear calls-to-action, and so much more.

Content writing drives organic traffic to your website, and Copywriting converts that traffic into a lead.

Intentional content writing is key to your business and directly affects how you show up online. Valuable content can drive organic traffic to your website. Once someone lands on your website, your copy will convert them to a paying client.

Content writing is excellent for SEO because it is often longer, which allows you to incorporate keywords, internal and external links, and videos, keeping the audience on your page for longer.

The more keywords you have and the longer someone stays on your page, the higher you will rank on a search engine like Google. There are several online keyword search tools you can use online. One tool I recommend is Keywords Everywhere.

Copywriters want people to take immediate action - download a pdf, signup for a newsletter, or buy now. Copywriters typically use different buying triggers to help engage the audience and drive them to take action. This includes things like creating urgency, scarcity, and invoking emotion.

Exceptional copywriting invokes a powerful emotional response, leading to higher conversions. According to Forbes, research conducted by Harvard University professor Gerald Zaltman, over 9 in 10 consumer purchases are driven by emotion.

With the increase in social media, people are often compelled to buy new products because they see their friends or influencers using them.

Now that you understand the difference between the two, it's time to decide where your strengths are and where you may want to bring in a professional.

Start with your marketing goals and work backward from there. Within each of your dreams, you should be able to make CORE pillar areas of content that are all related to your specific marketing goals. Each piece of content should relate to your goal and help engage the audience the way you want them to.

All your marketing should aim to convey information about your product or service to your audience directly or indirectly.

Both copywriting and content writing require high-quality writing skills and aim to…

Target your ideal client
Convey a specific message to the audience
Create Brand Awareness
Build Trust and Relationships
Provide Value

The story you tell about your brand is the most effective way to move someone from being unaware of your brand to be aware, engaged, and interested. Before you look to hire a copywriter or a content writer, it's crucial that you thoroughly establish your brand voice, tone, and message.

Your message is the story you repeatedly tell about your business. However, once you've taken the time to dive in, you may be telling this story without direction or intention. To make your brand story effective, you must be relatable and inspirational to help your clients imagine how you will help solve their pains.

Your copy AND content should create emotion, provide value for your client, and help you stand out as the expert in your industry.

The most important part to note about this is that to stay relevant, your business needs copy and content that engages your audience and tells your story. It's just a matter of truly understanding your goals and what you need to take your business to the next level.

Does your content educate, inform, and build trust with your customers?
Does it drive organic traffic to your website, eventually leading to a sale?
Is your copy strong enough to drive action and convert?

If you need help figuring out where to go next but know you need help, I am here for you! I will work alongside you to understand your marketing goals and your ideal client and provide messaging that will help bring your business to the next level.

My goal is to be your one-stop shop for all copy and content needs so that your brand maintains a consistent voice across all platforms. I want to help you build a solid customer base, create impact, and reach your goals – revenue included!

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