Content marketing and copywriting are not the same, but they complement each other and serve different purposes.

The traditional way to make a sale is with copy. Albert Lasker said it was salesmanship in print. Its goal is to get people to listen.

Everything else is done by content. It attracts an audience, engages their attention, demonstrates your ability to solve their problems, and leads to a purchase.

Copywriting strategies directly from the masters (that work for your content)

Content marketing is the new cool thing in advertising because of the web.

Content marketers know how to steal from their siblings. The old-school elements of persuasion will make your content work better when you learn how to be a writer.

Here are 7 copywriting strategies you can use.

If the headline is weak, the ad won't be seen.

It's the same for your material. If you put a vague headline on the best piece of content the world has ever seen, it won't get read.

Even if you have a large audience, you still need to keep persuading them to keep watching. That can be helped by great headlines.

Content that is thin and weak can't be helped by the best headline writing. It will increase audience engagement for quality content as well as share and links.

#2: Quit being so clever

I understand. You wouldn't be a writer if you didn't like to play with words.

The writer likes puns and in- jokes. They might not be your audience's favorite.

It's a good thing to be a writer. The more you think about language, the clearer it will be. Cleverness can lead to audience confusion.

There is a dash of cleverness here and there that can add seasoning, so if you do use it, use it lightly and never in a headline.

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#3: Develop your copywriting strategies around your Big Idea

I hope you don't write endless pages of dry, factual information that only answer questions.

You are publishing information that entertains and educate your reader, and you are doing it in the framework of a big idea.

Apple has 1000 songs in your pocket. The instant communication of a benefit is what you want. It can be hard to find, but it is how you write better content.

Don't just be a writer who writes about fashion or parenting. It's important to frame your content with a big idea.

#4: Do your research

“The best copywriters are the most tenacious researchers. Like miners, they dig, drill, dynamite, and chip until they have carloads of valuable ore. John Caples advised me once to gather seven times more interesting information than I could possibly use.” – legendary copywriter Gary Bencivenga

You need to know how to write a good post if you want to be an obsessive student of it.

Don't let go of it. You can find out-of-print books on Abe. If they are difficult for the average reader, go to the obscure resources.

There are many things that can be done to dig, drill, and chip. Don't just be an expert, be a dork. You will be able to see the depth and richness.

The best Big ideas for copywriting strategies are usually the result of a lot of research and creativity.

#5: Find your starving crowd (then listen to them)

Gary Halbert told his students that the key to a successful restaurant was not location, great food, or low prices, but the presence of a starving crowd.

It's the same for any business.

“When it comes to direct marketing, the most profitable habit you can cultivate is the habit of constantly being on the lookout for groups of people (markets) who have demonstrated that they are starving (or, at least hungry) for some particular product or service.” – Gary Halbert

The people who are hungry for what you have to say are your audience.

You can build a hungry audience by asking them to find out what they are hungry for.

We can get a lot of knowledge in the online world by listening to what our audience has to say, both on our own sites and in forums.

The perfect product or service can be created if you know what your audience wants by studying the internet. Bill Bernbach said it best.

“Advertising doesn’t create a product advantage. It can only convey it. … No matter how skillful you are, you can’t invent a product advantage that doesn’t exist.” – Bill Bernbach

You will be unstoppable if you pair the product or service with solid persuasion skills.

#6. Know where you’re going

Direct response copy is used for a specific reason. You are writing to make someone do something. You win if you have that behavior. You lose if you don't get it.

You still want to develop an idea of what each piece of content you create is intended to accomplish because of the economics of content marketing.

There are a lot of goals you can accomplish with content, like widening your audience, getting more email subscriptions, and educating your market about an upcoming product.

It's a good idea to drift around and see what happens.

#7: Don’t be boring

“Tell the truth but make truth fascinating. You know, you can’t bore people into buying your product. You can only interest them in buying it.” – David Ogilvy

D.O. was an advocate of education-based marketing.

You have to make that education interesting in order to make it work.

You can use it.

  • Personality
  • Great imagery
  • Your Big Idea
  • Reader-friendly formatting
  • Humor

What are your favorite copywriting strategies?

There are many traditional copywriting tips that we like to apply to content marketing. It is what the website was built on.

Is there a favorite old-style copywriting strategy that works well in the new world of social media? We want to know about them in the comments.