The Father of Modern Advertising says there are 2 kinds of copywriters. Which one are you? [Tuesdays: “Write with the Pen of the Masters”]
Claude Hopkins, the author of the “Scientific Advertising” book, believes there are two kinds of copywriters:
An average copywriter and a strategic copywriter.
The difference between these two lies in their approaches to servicing their clients and writing for a specific brand.
For example:
When an average copywriter is asked to write 10 emails, one sales page, and one sales letter, he or she will do exactly as told―no questions asked.
Meanwhile, when a strategic copywriter is asked to do the same, he or she won’t say yes right away.
Why?
A strategic copywriter knows that good and effective copywriting is more than just words!
Before putting pen to paper, this writer will first ask clients what their desired outcomes are, how much money they want to make, what their marketing and business strategies are, and why they are using those strategies.
In other words…
Strategic copywriters want to know the bigger picture first. This enables them to focus on delivering positive results and providing optimum service for their clients.
What can you do to be a strategic copywriter?
- Research about your client, your client’s brand or business, target market, niche, and competitors.
- Know and understand your client’s current marketing and business strategies (or lack of them).
- Make your written messages clear.
- Test your copy before publishing it.
- Monitor and track the results of your copy.
- Make adjustments on areas that need improvement and fine-tune some elements of your copy for better performance and results.
- Look for ways to generate more sales, gain more customers, boost website traffic, etc.
Remember: As a strategic copywriter, your job isn’t just writing copies for your clients. You must also have an appropriate strategy to achieve your and your client’s goals. This could be in the form of compelling headlines, unique selling propositions (USPs), a strong risk reversal strategy, and others.
Below are a few more things Hopkins mentioned in his book when it comes to being a strategic copywriter:
- Strategic copywriters have a “war room” in their office. They arm themselves with all the tools, resources, and strategies they need to create powerful and high-converting copies.
- Strategic copywriters are like detectives. They analyze the big picture then work on small-but-important details and facts to build a strong message or proposition.
- Strategic copywriters study consistently. They don’t simply settle for what they currently know. Instead, they leave room for improvement and keep on learning to achieve mastery over their craft.
- Strategic copywriters are readers. They know reading makes them a better thinker, strategist, marketer, and writer.
- Strategic copywriters sit in a café for a clear purpose other than just drinking coffee and eating a slice of cake. They do that as part of their observation and note-taking time. Being in a different environment in general enables them to be more creative and to immerse themselves with their client’s target market.
- Strategic copywriters do not just spend all their time working with their computer or laptop. They are also seen writing by hand as this creates more activity in the sensorimotor parts of the brain, enabling them to learn more and remember things better.
- Strategic copywriters do not follow the crowd. They know what works and what doesn’t based on their writing experiences and knowledge about the business and marketing landscape.
- Strategic copywriters work with fewer clients at a time. Instead of working for a lot of clients all at once, these writers focus on delivering great results for those who understand the concept of value exchange.
[Value Exchange: This means building products or services that serve as vehicles for value delivery.]
According to Hopkins, copywriting is like a war… and you, as a copywriter, are usually out to “capture others’ citadels or garner others’ trade.”
That’s why it’s important that you have the right skills and knowledge…
… training and experience…
… and even tools and resources.
These will enable you to secure positive outcomes for your clients and get paid according to a genuine value exchange.
Be a strategic copywriter by applying the tips mentioned above!
Let Hopkins’ guidelines help you create powerful, compelling, engaging, and high-converting copies for your clients and/or brand.
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Tuesdays: Write with the Pen of the Masters”
Who doesn’t find content writing to be a skill that requires a lot of practice and effort?
In fact, many people may even find copywriting very intimidating.
However, you can be a good writer as long as you have the right tools. You won’t always get things right the first time, but with enough time and practice, you’ll get the hang of it!
When you write a copy for any brand or for your company, your aim is to make an impact and…
…to get people to remember.
Getting people to remember means getting consumers to buy your product or to avail of your service.
And when you get your content to deliver the results you want, THAT is a great copy!
Every Tuesday, we publish content based on tips and insights from the masters of content writing, copywriting, and storytelling.
Become more familiar with ways to write great copy that helps you gain ROI from your efforts, drive profitability, and achieve your business goals.
Learn time-tested tactics that better capture the attention of your target audience, and maximize the benefits of great copywriting.
Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s “Write with the Pen of the Masters!”
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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