 |
| Image courtesy of Just2Shutter freedigitalphotos.net |
For better or worse the glamorous days of the cocktail
swilling, designer suit wearing, fast talking Madison Avenue copywriters are
behind us. Copywriters, in the classic sense, are a dying breed. The position
of the traditional copywriter is being eclipsed by a newer, more technical
model with all sorts of bells and whistles.
The term “Copywriter” doesn’t cover the simple definition it
used to. It is now used as a blanket term that covers writers inhabiting a wide
range of specialties and skills.
Types of
copywriter job titles include:
Online Article Copywriting, SEO Copywriting, Website Copywriting, Copywriting
for Publishers, Agency Copywriter, and Freelance Copywriter
Let’s talk about the different breeds that exist today:
Traditional Copywriter
-includes Copywriting for Publishers, Agency Copywriter
-includes Copywriting for Publishers, Agency Copywriter
The traditional copywriters of today are an updated version
of that Mad Men creature we love. They usually work for creative agencies in a
collaborative environment, attending client and strategy meetings, coming out
with a creative brief and working closely with art directors and other creatives. Brainstorming, scribbling furiously, writing,
rewriting, “killing your darlings” and writing again - a typical day for a
traditional copywriter. They are coming up with ingenious slogans, copy for
print ads, radio, television, and increasingly digital and interactive media.
Today’s traditional copywriters are using a lot more analytical and market
research to reach their audience. Cocktails may still occasionally be on the
menu, but hashing out ideas over a quick coffee is more the order of the day.
SEO Copywriter (or Content Writer)
-Often employed in-house or contracted out directly for businesses
-Includes Website Copywriting, often Freelance
-Often employed in-house or contracted out directly for businesses
-Includes Website Copywriting, often Freelance
Digital, mobile, social media, web, all of these shiny
new(ish) elements of marketing strategy involve a hefty amount of Search Engine
Optimization. SEO has become so relevant and important to the success of online
marketing that possessing that skill set has skyrocketed in demand. SEO
copywriters have the ability to create content so engaging that people want to
share it, promote it and link to it. This has become vital in search engine
ranking, driving traffic to websites, and ultimately establishing trust and
reputation with potential clients. SEO copywriters are the new whiz kids and
there is an element of what they do permeating every form of copywriting. You
may recognize them sitting in a dark corner of a coffee shop muttering about “keyword
density”, “adwords”, “gizmos” , “indexing”, “linking”, “spiders”, “splogs” and
“widgets”….etc
Content Strategist
-Shiny new term for do-it-all
copywriters, often employed by agencies or in-house directly for businesses
-includes elements of SEO Copywriting, Website Copywriting, Online Article Copywriting and Traditional Copywriting
-includes elements of SEO Copywriting, Website Copywriting, Online Article Copywriting and Traditional Copywriting
Strangely enough, this type of copywriter doesn’t
necessarily do that much writing. While many content strategists do produce
their own copy, the main facet of a content strategist
position is that of strategist. Surprise!
They come up with the action plan for the copy being produced for a project.
They do keyword searches, set key phrases and linking, and may then hand that
over to a copywriter to do the actual writing. Often they come from a
copywriting background and have a track record of expertise in crafting
compelling, shareable content packed with well-researched keywords. These
experts are in demand.
The Need for Words
Just like the advertising/marketing world itself, the role
of copywriters is ever evolving. The value of strategic, creative, well-written
copy will never be lost in obscurity. It will continue to be relevant as long
as the written word is a key form of human communication. But the position of a
copywriter will morph and adapt to the new media as it comes. Today’s
copywriters have the ability and the necessity to be more hands on with the
strategy, using analytic research more than ever and applying the principles of
good SEO. Fear not! Copywriters will continue to be an integral part of
marketing world for many, many years to come.
1 comments:
I would say that when it comes to a copywriter online then copywriter doesn’t necessarily do that much writing. While many content strategists do produce their own copy, the main facet of a content strategist position is that of strategist.
Post a Comment