If you’re an entrepreneur or small to medium business owner, you’ve probably heard the terms copywriter and/or content creator bandied about in connection with marketing materials, website content, landing pages, blog articles, and social media posts. 

And you may be wondering whether there is a difference between these two roles? Do you need one or the other… or both? Can one person do both? And, most importantly, which one will get the best results for your business? 

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these two writing services, how they differ and the important roles they play in growing your brand. 

The short version: Do you need copy, or content, or both?

For those of you who are time poor, we’ll get right to the point here: Most businesses need both copy and content. Why? Because although they both put words on the page or screen, copy and content serve very different purposes. 

Content helps you to stay in touch with your target audience, building brand loyalty and forging strong connections, while copy helps convince people of the benefits of your products/services and compels them to take action.

What is content creation?

Content creators craft engaging written content to entertain and/or inform the reader. Successful content needs to be fresh, captivating, and attractive to the target market, causing them to form an ongoing relationship with the brand. 

Good content also helps to establish your brand as a knowledge leader in its field, which can improve your exposure and push your business higher up in search engine rankings.

Content may cover a range of topics that all relate to the brand in some way. Some content may only mention the products or services that the brand offers in passing, focussing instead on related issues and points of interest for the reader. Examples of content include blog posts, articles, white papers, social media posts or long form captions. 

Content builds brand loyalty & engagement 

Good content will engage, inform, and entertain your prospects and customers. Used properly, it extends your reach, increases brand recognition, and builds brand loyalty. This is achieved by providing your target audience with useful information, entertainment, and opportunities to engage with your brand. 

To achieve the desired effects, your content should be professionally crafted, aligned with your brand values and consistent in its message.

What is copywriting?

Copywriting is more strategic and intentional in its focus than content creation. Copy must speak specifically about the benefits of your products and services, and finish with a clear call to action. 

Copy evokes emotion & drives immediate action 

Successful copy must be creative and powerful enough to evoke strong emotions in the reader which compel them to take action. Professionally crafted copy will generate quality leads, drive sales, and maximise your ROI. 

Sweet synergy: when copy & content converge 

Captivating storytelling is at the heart of both good content creation and copywriting. 

Together they should weave a compelling story about your brand, its products and services. 

The better the story, the more likely prospective clients will be attracted to and trust your brand and the more likely they are to purchase from you. 

As a result, copy and content are vital parts of a successful marketing strategy. These two very different styles of writing work synergistically to develop and deepen the relationship between your target market and your brand. Content increases brand awareness and loyalty, making it easier for the copy to persuade customers to buy your products and services. 

Can one person do both copywriting & content writing? Absolutely. 

Despite the different writing styles required for copywriting versus content writing, some writers do have the versatility to be able to adapt their style as required. 

What are the benefits of hiring a single writer to do both copy & content? 

One of the benefits of hiring a single writer to do both copywriting and content creation is that your brand will have a consistent voice across all your communications. Also, important brand messages remain consistent. This consistency of voice and messaging is vital for instilling trust amongst the members of your target audience. 

What to look for in a copywriter & content creator

A good copywriter and content creator will have the necessary flair for words to evoke emotion and a sound understanding of marketing to ensure the right tone and style are used in the right places. 

Done right, both copy and content are powerful tools to influence and persuade your target audience. Content persuades them to engage with your brand, whereas copy persuades them to sign up to a mailing list or make a purchase. 

Let me help you with engaging content & compelling copy

Talk to me today about the best strategy to leverage the power of both content creation and copywriting. 

My background in public relations and journalism makes it easy for me to write professional content such as feature articles, blog posts, video scripts, social media posts, case studies, press releases, white papers, books and e-books, tutorials, email newsletters, and news articles. 

Likewise, almost 20 years of experience as a copywriter has taught me a thing or two about writing persuasive advertisements, brochures, flyers, direct marketing emails and sales letters, pay-per-click (PPC) landing pages, PPC adverts, social media adverts, product pages, website sales copy and SMS ads. 

I’d love to help you come up with a workable and effective strategy that gets your content connecting with your target audience and your copy converting them into loyal customers. 

Your journey to succes starts with a free 30-minute chat where we’ll unpack your message, your target audience and ways in which I can help you to reach them. Book your free chat today.