What is a Copywriter and Why Does My Business Need One?

February 7, 2017

I’m so happy to chat with you about copywriting today, one of my favorite subjects!

As a young girl with her journal clutched tight to her chest, writing has always been my first (and most long-lasting) love.

When I introduce myself as a copywriter at networking events, people either (a) say “wait, what’s that?” (b) nod along with eyes glazed over or (c) think I work in copyright law.

After I tell them about what I do and how I help creative entrepreneurs and small businesses primarily in the visual industries, they often say, “Oh my gosh, can I hire you to write all my things?!” #FavoriteReactionEver

The quick answer, yes! Let’s first dig into exactly what us copywriters do, the same explanation I give to new friends I meet at networking events.

Let’s first break down what it actually means to be a copywriter first.

A copywriter is someone who writes custom content primarily for marketing or advertising purposes. They commonly collaborate with other business owners and brands to create any of the following materials:

• website copywriting (Home Page, About Page, Services Page, oh my!)
• blog posts
• business newsletters
• email sequences and email courses
• product descriptions
• social media post copy (hello well-crafted tweets!)
• …and more!

They can also be found copywriting for a vast array of printed marketing materials like brochures, pamphlets, campaign advertisements, client packets, and beyond but today we’ll be talking specifically about online copywriting.

 

4 BIG reasons why you need digital copywriting

Copywriting is the “meat” of your message

Visuals are for pretty. Copywriting is for action. While visuals are often your first impression, copywriting is your lasting impression. In order to dig in and tell the true story behind your brand (aka what every client or consumer wants to know before buying from you), you need words to seal the deal.

Visuals all on their own are not always clear. Can you imagine if, on my services page, all I did was put a photo of me writing on a sheet of paper and expect visitors to understand exactly what I was selling?

Alright, that may be an extreme example, but you see my point in why words are important. A good blend of eye-appealing visuals with informative but enjoyable-to-read copy results in effective online marketing.

Copywriting connects you with your ideal clients and buyers

Your website exists for one reason only: to better connect you with your ideal clients and buyers to increase conversions. While there are many ways to accomplish that goal, every one will include some form of copywriting.

Here are just a few of the ways copywriting helps you connect with your ideal clients:

• You can share personal anecdotes to emotionally connect you with your target audience.
• It helps them feel seen and understood when you offer what they struggle with.
• It explains your mission, core values, and the full “why” behind your brand.
• You share what’s unique about your business and process to separate you from other competitors.

Copywriting boosts your traffic and email list (when its SEO-optimized)

I can’t tell you how many photographer and designer websites I’ve gone to where their entire homepage consists of one simple rotating photo gallery of their work. While the gallery is big, bold, and beyond beautiful, there’s no copy for search engine bots to crawl, analyze, and swoon over.

With all of the open real estate of a homepage, it’s important to put just as much thought into your copywriting as you do your visual imagery. Not only is it a great place to showcase your work but also to highlight your blog, email list, and other helpful freebies.

Now, I’m not saying to ditch the photo galleries altogether, but I am saying you need SEO-optimized and audience-specific words to tell website visitors at a glance who you are, what you do, and who you help.

Copywriting helps visitors know what’s the next step

Let’s use the previous example again of a homepage that only features a single photo gallery. With no copywriting, there’s no intuitive next step for your audience. This is commonly known as your call-to-action (CTA).

The chances of a visitor clicking out of your website then increase because they don’t know where to click next and usually aren’t invested enough to find the answer on their own so they instead find the exit button. Always have their user journey in mind when building your website.

Convinced your business needs a copywriter like yesterday?

let’s work together and bring your brand story to life through website copywriting and content creation!