“Content marketing strategist and writer” – Sometimes I get asked about my (self-appointed) job title and why I don’t just call myself either a marketing consultant or a copywriter.
First of all, because I’m a bit of both, but secondly, because I feel that neither quite nails what I offer as a content marketing strategist and writer.
When explaining it from a Marketing angle, conversations seem to quickly become focused on sales and on traditional marketing, where some incentives or promotions get pushed out to your target audience, either via leaflet flyers, advertisements or other direct mail type of marketing. And of course, in today’s day and age, websites, email campaigns and e-newsletters get mentioned, too.
On the other hand when trying to approach this from the Copywriting side of things, the main attributes that copywriting seems to be associated with is some sort of ueber-original and creative artistry and, again, rather commercially focused tactics such as advertisements, sales collateral and email campaigns. So in a way quite similar.
It gets a little bit easier when I distinguish between traditional and content marketing. The first being the old style of image projecting, outbound and push marketing, and content marketing being the new way of attracting (pulling) audiences towards you through relevant, valuable and honest content.
Even pointing out that my work is solely focused on written content – rather than for example video and audio, which are both also firm part of the content marketing family – seems do-able and not causing too many question marks. However, it always gets tricky when I am asked about the difference between writing copy vs. content.
A Google search** (for copy vs content) reveals quickly that I’m not the only one that went on a mission to formulate the differences – or perhaps similarities – between these two often interchangeably used terms.
Copy and content: opposite sides of the same coin
Strictly speaking copy and content are of course not opposites. Both use words as their main vehicle to carry their messages and both ultimately have the same goals: to generate leads that convert into happy and well paying customers.
Having attempted to lay out some characteristics for both in the below table, one of my conclusions is that it is their focus and their way and means of getting there that sets them apart.
Copy |
Content |
| Technical excellence (styling, grammar, call to actions, magnetic strap and headlines) | Strategic purpose and value adding focus (solutions, benefits, insights) |
| Landing pages, sales pages and collateral, advertising, direct mail, campaigns – both print and digital (and TV and radio) | Blog content, website content such as ‘about us‘ pages, whitepapers, e-books, infographics, video, audio |
| Short pieces and short shelf-life content (eg. emails get deleted, ads get blocked, brochures end up in the bin) | Evergreen long-form content (educational and thought leadership pieces) |
| Outbound, interruption marketing, advertising | Inbound, attracting, organic marketing |
| One-way, direction (call to action) | Dialogue, connection (nurturing to conversion) |
| Portraying, positioning, manufacturing (easier to outsource) | Being (real, authentic, honest, ‘you-nique’)(outsourcing requires close relationship to really convey personality) |
| Self-centred | Audience-centred |
| Emotional | Intellectual |
| Selling, persuasive, artful, pushing | Telling, explaining, compelling, inspiring |
Copy and content: nothing without each other
Things may not be as black and white as the table suggests, the lines are definitely blurred, and it can sure be argued that some of the aspects compare traditional and content marketing rather than just copy and content. However, overall there are quite a few obvious differences.
So if the old notion that “opposites attract” holds true, I wanted to know what happens when copy and content meet.
To come straight to the point: they go hand in hand. Copy and content are nothing without each other.
Think about it.
To develop your audience you need to attract it and build trust (according to the table this is where the content comes in) whereas to direct and encourage the sale you need to interrupt and call to the action so to speak (this is the copy’s work).
For example, a long thought leadership piece (perhaps an e-book or white paper), as relevant and popular as the topic may be, will not attract any interest if it has no structure, no styling, is wordy with errors, and most of all contains no call to action!
On the other hand, a super stylish, visually enticing and grammatically flawless email with that big eye catching ‘buy now’ button is likely to be completely worthless if behind that button and portrayed image there is no strong and trustworthy brand, or indeed a product that meets your customers’ needs.
“Copy makes content sellable and content makes copy valuable.” ~@BforBirgit #contentmarketing Tweet this
In Sonia Simone’s words: “if you do a brilliant job packaging and marketing crap, all you do is efficiently get the word out about how bad your crap is. Not the result you’re looking for”, and on the other hand, content without the copywriting art doesn’t convert as headlines might be dull, call to actions not clear or missing altogether. “Content without copywriting is a waste of good content”, she says.
Or, as Ann Handley puts it:
“You can be a great writer without being a great marketer but you can’t be a great marketer without being a great writer.” ~Ann Handley
As for my job title and work, my post really helped me bring to light not just some crucial differences between writing copy and content, but also clearly showed me how these two opposites complement each other and only together attract and convert customers.
What are your thoughts? Does this distinction make sense? Is it necessary?
Credits
**Whilst to the best of my knowledge, I have not cited any content from the following articles, I have taken lots of inspiration and therefore would like to give credit to
- Copy vs. Content: A Difference You Can Feel! By Becky Tumidolsky
- Content writing style: Isn’t it called copy writing? By Elizabeth Campbell
- Content VS Copy: The Difference, and Why it Matters – by Alan Blose
- Copywriting vs content writing – by Gordon Graham
- Copy vs. Content Writing: What’s the Difference? By Emma Siemasko
Need help with your brand, marketing and website words?
I combine brand and content strategy, content writing and copy editing, and particular website expertise as well as a general passion for content quality – whether online or offline – to make brand propositions and stories, web pages and blogs, marketing and print materials, business documents and everything and anything that relies on words to connect, engage and win over an audience, more powerful. If your words need more power, please get in touch!
Power-Words 