Copywriting vs Content: Aren’t they the same?

As I have been out networking, I’ve noticed that there is some confusion around the term copywriting. 

What is the difference between content writing and copywriting and conversion copywriting?

I’m going to break it down to make it as easy as possible. And for the record, they all important!

What is Content? (OVERSIMPLIFIED)

You need to have content.

Content is on the outer edge of any good sales funnel. Content is the information that you put out there into the world.

Content allows your potential prospects and search engines to know what it is that you do and how you do it.

Content is how you share your knowledge.

Content is like a flare sent out into the web-iverse saying “Here I am! I am here and kicking!”

Do you know what search engines like to give their users the most?

Relevant and fresh content.

Know what prospects like to see? 

A library of content showing that you are an authority in your field that is relevant to their needs.

If your website only hosts sales copy and that sales copy converts into sales, DON’T change it. That is not an effective SEO strategy.

But search engines and your readers and your prospects need the freshy-fresh words.  

So what are you to do?

You’re going to have to blog. I know. It’s the worst. 

You thought I was going to say something like a post on social media!

But dollar for dollar, hour for hour, your time and effort is better spent on building your authority and your SEO ranking.

Blogging not only will help your search ranking, but it can also serve double duty.

You can pull little gems out of your blogging for social media posts. How great is that?

BUT. The key here is to START. 

I put some handy training wheels in there to make your first blogging efforts seem effortless! Give it a look. 

So then what is Copywriting?

There are copywriting books, courses, blog posts, etc. that go into depth about the techniques of copywriting.  But a simple copywriting definition is words that sell.

It’s the words that come after trust is built with content writing. 

The trouble with straight-up copywriting is that it can become corrupted and unuseful because a lot of copywriters are out there guessing about what your prospects want to see and hear. 

And that means that your team (and the copywriter) can derail effective copywriting with:

Ego

Knee jerk reactions

Brand Voice Deafness

Cherished darlings

Panic 

FOMO, (etc)

And that can distract you from what the customer needs and wants to hear in order to say yes.

What is Conversion Copywriting? (Oversimplified)

Conversion copywriting takes a research approach to writing copy. 

We conduct research on your current clients, prospects, products, competition, voice of customer, and more. All that research is then remixed with copywriting techniques.

When your sales copy reflects the voice of your current customers back at your prospect, you are able to speak directly to the before state and the dream state of your prospect. 

Your copy behaves like a salesperson. It addresses the concerns of the prospect by talking about those concerns,  instead of leaving them unsatisfied.  

And then it persuades the prospect to the sale by showing the solution as the only logical answer to their pain.

So how do you find out EXACTLY what your problem your current clients have and are solving with your solution? 

We ask them. 

Bold move, I know. 

But this is the difference between a copywriting services provider and a conversion copywriting relationship. 

We make the ask. And we keep asking.

Conversion copywriting does it without guessing about what words or methods to use, allowing you to stop wasting time and effort on words and solutions that your ideal client couldn’t care less about. 

We know what they care about because we did the research.

No ego. No best guesses. No opinions, cherished notions, competitor copying, or panic. RESEARCH.

Can a content writer “do a sales copy”?

You can hire a content writer to write sales copy, but you may not get the results that you are looking for.

It is akin to asking if a bookkeeper can prepare your taxes. They could do, but you might end up with a tax penalty. 

That is not to say that a bookkeeper isn’t valuable. They ARE! But they might not know what goes into the complexities of preparing taxes.

Using the right tool for the right job will end up saving you time, money, and most of all effort in the long run.

That is why you need to hire a copywriter for writing sales copy, not a content writer.

Why do you write conversion copy instead of content?

I spent almost a decade working with businesses in both the professional and manufacturing world.

One thing they all had in common was that the copy on their website didn’t sell. Their websites were treated like a business card, not like a member of their sales team.

When I had this same problem that caused catastrophic damage to an educational program my daughter was enrolled in, I knew I had to learn how to fix it.

That is what sold me on the idea that conversion copywriting was what I wanted to do.

I like writing copy that makes a measurable difference in a customer’s bottom line. I like researching their prospects, gathering data, and the voice of customers. I like interviewing business owners about their products or services and how they think they can help the next person. 

Basically, I like contributing to the bottom line and having something to measure against. 

And test against. 

And learn from.

Your Next Steps?

Content writing is important.  How else are people going to know that you exist?

But, if your prospect can’t be lured out of their state of inertia, all that content driving traffic to your site is for naught.

Conversion copywriting eliminates the guessing and puts your ideal client front and center of EVERYTHING. 

Let me know if you are interested in seeing what we can do to wrest more sales out of your traffic!

Book a time to chat about it!