What is content marketing & Why Combine it with Copywriting?

How is content marketing different from copywriting?

Copywriting and content marketing aren’t synonymous with one another, but they’re often used in the same context, which makes the terms highly confusing.

Simply put, content marketing means creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers. The type of content you share is closely related to what you sell / the services you provide. The purpose is to inform, educate and solve your audience problems.

On the other hand, copywriting is what’s written to the reader to make them take action, whether it’s buying a product, following a company’s social media profile or visiting the store/website. The purpose is to generate action. Copywriting is used for landing pages, direct e-mail campaigns, sales pages… etc.

Why & How should Content Marketing be combined with copywriting?

Before discussing the importance of combining content marketing with copywriting, one should understand the four steps of the buying cycle:

1. Awareness. Prior to awareness a customer may have a need, but they are not aware there is a solution.

2. Research. Once a customer is aware there is a solution, they will perform research to educate themselves. For example, a car buyer will try to find out what different types of cars exist, and which one will fit their needs.

3. Consideration. At this point the customer starts comparing different products from different vendors to make sure they’re getting a high quality product at a fair price.

4. Buy. Finally, the customer makes their decision and moves forward with the transaction.

Traditional advertising and marketing are great when it comes to the second two steps. Content marketing taps into the first two stages of the buying process by raising awareness of solutions and educating consumers about a product they may have never considered before.

Content marketing uses blogs, podcasts, video, and social media sites as a vehicle. Copywriters write magnetic headlines, persuasive landing pages, and conversion-driven emails.

In any smart online marketing strategy, they work together.

But it's important to focus on the right aspects, and to understand what your target audience is looking for. You have to put the audience's informational needs first, as opposed to simply broadcasting the message you would like to communicate – keeping in mind that:

• People don’t want advertising when making purchasing decisions; they want valuable information — content.

• It’s content that spreads via social networks, generating powerful word-of-mouth exposure for savvy content marketers.

• It’s content that people desire and seek out, and it’s great content that Google wants to rank well in the search results so those people can find your business.

• Content is the best way to achieve what advertising is supposed to achieve.

So, your focus should be placed on educating people so that they know, like, and trust you enough to do business with you.

It’s also important to know that not all content is good content. If content is good, it provides valuable information that benefits readers. But in addition to educating and solving problems, it should be enjoyable and easy to read.

Even if content marketing should never directly sell a product / service, your content marketing campaign can benefit in a big way from the smart use of tried and true copywriting techniques.

Combining content marketing with copywriting enables you to:

1. Make your content easier and more pleasant to read (i.e. more appealing to your readers)

2. Market your content more effectively.

When you utilize proven copywriting techniques to create and market your online content, you’ll find readers will:

• Engage with and subscribe to your content.

• Share it and tell others about it.

Repeat this many times over and you’ll have a loyal audience for your digital business.

There’s a big audience out there for almost every topic under the sun. But there’s an equal amount of companies and brands competing for them. You need the right formula to stand out, stay on top, and keep growing your base.

Let Voila craft and polish the optimal combination of copywriting and content for your business.

As a world-class digital and B2B lead generation agency in The Middle East, Voila has extensive expertise in creating the best possible combination of content marketing and copywriting that talks, walks, attracts more audience to your brand and, ultimately, sells for your business.

All you need to do is simply fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you ASAP.