Valuable content that meets the needs of users and encourages them to take advantage of the offer – such texts are the basis of activities on the Internet. Their quality largely determines the behavior of the consumer and the extent to which they contribute to generating profits for the brand. That is why it is so important to focus on effective copywriting. However, often the content itself is not enough to be able to reach a much wider group of users. This is where content marketing comes in.

Copywriting – what is it?

Copywriting is nothing but writing texts. However, it is not only about creating “art for art” content, but providing valuable content – one that will convince the recipient, e.g. to perform a specific action.

Effective copywriting should be directed to the needs of modern users – taking into account their behavior. Therefore, the creation of texts should be based on the principles of verbal persuasion. At the same time, the content should be original and inventive – so that it stays in your memory for a long time and does not constitute intrusive advertising. It is worth being aware that consumers are more and more often distancing themselves from standard forms of advertising – those which, in a way, encourage them to take advantage of the offer.

Copywriting includes creating, among others:
– texts for advertising materials, e.g. leaflets,
– advertising slogans, e.g. for flags,
– texts for radio and TV spots,
– texts for company websites,
– thematic articles,
– including blog articles,
– sales (persuasive) texts,
– e-books,
– content for e-mail marketing,
– content for online stores.

All texts – regardless of their purpose – should meet several important features. Among them, the following are mentioned:
– uniqueness and ingenuity,
– reliance on persuasion techniques, e.g. the AIDA model
– application of a call to action (CTA),
– targeting the needs of a potential customer,
– correctness in terms of language, spelling, etc.

SEO copywriting deserves special attention – writing texts that are attractive to the user, and at the same time meet the expectations of Google robots. A skillful combination of both guidelines allows you to get engaging content that helps you achieve higher positions in search results. This is important because Internet users are much more likely to click on links appearing on the first pages of the search engine, completely rejecting the content of links in distant positions.

Texts created in accordance with the principles of SEO copywriting should:
– carry high quality – be substantive and valuable,
– take into account the needs and expectations of recipients,
– be 100% unique – which allows you to avoid the phenomenon of duplicate content,
– be length-optimized,
– contain relevant keywords – maintaining naturalness,
– be properly formatted (headings, bullets) – for better readability and clarity.

The application of the above principles helps to gain higher positions in the Google search engine (however, it is worth being aware that the activities related to positioning have a much wider scope).

What else to remember? Both in the case of classic copywriting and SEO copywriting, there is no room for duplicating content. Copying texts from other websites is not only unethical, but also adversely affects your position in the Google search engine. That is why it is so important to provide original content – tailored to the needs of a specific target group.

Content marketing – what is it?

Content marketing is a wide-ranging activity based on delivering valuable content through various channels. It is an alternative to traditional forms of advertising, which do not fully meet the expectations of a modern consumer. Content marketing activities are in a way a response to the needs of a customer who does not like to be persuaded to buy, but prefers to make an informed and (in his opinion) decision.

The great advantage of content marketing over other forms of advertising is the variety of tools used. This allows for carrying out activities that meet the needs of specific consumer groups very well.

Below we present some of the most popular elements of content marketing.

Articles for external publication
Articles published on external websites help build greater reach. They allow you to reach even more potential customers. The advantage of thematic articles, e.g. sponsored ones, is also the possibility of enhancing the image of an expert.

Company blog
Running a company blog fits perfectly into the content marketing strategy. It helps in generating more traffic to the website and also helps to increase brand awareness.

Infographics
Sometimes images can convey more than words and are remembered more easily. Therefore, as part of content marketing activities, you can also publish infographics, which are also a powerful viral marketing tool.

Webinars
Webinars are nothing more than online conferences and seminars – the perfect solution for modern times. It allows not only to provide relevant information, but also to conduct a dialogue with a potential client.

E-books / Trendbooks etc.
Publication of e-books – available for download, e.g. after logging in or leaving your data – supports content marketing activities and at the same time helps in obtaining leads.

Copywriting and content marketing – the most important difference

Knowing the definition of copywriting and knowing what content marketing is related to, it is easy to identify the differences between them. Generally speaking: writing texts is the basis of conducted activities in the field of content marketing. It can therefore be said that copywriting is a tool that provides valuable content. And content marketing is activities related to the distribution, collection and formation of existing content, but also the generation of new ideas related to content (including graphics).

Important synergy of activities

Effective content marketing cannot exist without good copywriting, which is why synergy of activities plays a key role. Even the best developed strategy will not bring the expected results if it does not take into account the provision of good-quality content – regardless of its form, type and purpose.

A well-written text – perfectly matching the needs and expectations of potential customers, and at the same time meeting the SEO principles – is the foundation of modern marketing activities on the Internet. Skillful selection of words that create unobtrusive advertising messages and their proper distribution – it is worth taking care of if you want to reach a wider group of users and achieve your business goals step by step.

Why is it worth to bet on content marketing?

Although copywriting can “live its own life”, it is not worth giving up content marketing. A properly planned strategy helps to achieve huge benefits.

Reaching a wider group of potential customers
By limiting yourself to publishing valuable content on your own website, you are narrowing your reach. Meanwhile, content marketing activities help you reach a much wider audience who may be interested in your offer.

The ability to increase conversion
The systematic publishing of articles on the blog helps to increase the conversion, but not as much as the conducted marketing activities. By distributing content in various channels, you have great chances not only for increased website traffic, but also a real improvement in sales or generating leads.

Increasing customer engagement
A more engaged recipient is a loyal and faithful customer who will keep coming back. Content marketing helps you achieve this goal – by constantly delivering valuable content posted on various channels.

Strengthening brand awareness
Properly conducted content marketing activities make more people know about your company. Their brand associated with specific products or services appears more and more often in their minds. This, in turn, increases the chances of acquiring new customers.

Building the image of an expert
Thanks to content marketing, you strengthen brand awareness and at the same time build the image of an expert. A variety of high-quality content helps in this – blog articles, articles on external industry websites, giving expert statements, organizing webinars, etc. By becoming an expert in the eyes of customers, you increase trust in the company. Thanks to this, more people will want to use your offer.

SEO activities support
Good-quality texts – regardless of their form – are welcomed by Google. Thanks to them, you can reach higher positions in the search results. Therefore, the content distributed as part of content marketing can be used to support SEO activities – especially positioning. The texts are an additional place to insert keywords, they help build a link profile of the domain, etc.

As statistics show, up to 95% of buyers gain trust in the brand thanks to content. Good-quality copywriting combined with content marketing activities help achieve the set goal.

Do you want to take advantage of the possibilities of content marketing? Bet on cooperation with an experienced agency that will develop a strategy that translates into advertising success.

Copywriting: what headlines do we share privately, and which professionally

“Get to know your readers” – this is a tip that very often appears in articles about writing internet headlines. What will attract the attention of one reader will seem uninteresting to another. However, it turns out that the distinction is even more detailed. Other hedalines we like to share privately, and others – professionally.

The first one covered 100 million headlines, which users shared most on Facebook and Twitter. The second concerned 10 million hedalines that achieved the most engagement on Linkedin.

Searches were made for phrases consisting of three words, which most often scroll in the available hedalines. On Facebook, the term „will make you” won (will make / lead you to), eg. This beautiful song will lead you to tears.

Interestingly, this phrase is a typical component of clickbaits, hedalines that force clicks, more about which later in the press section. A survey conducted among Facebook users proved that 80% of them believe that the clickbaits are wasting their time. This research shows, however, that the understatements and over-excited emotions in the hedaline are still going well.

However, a different conclusion resulting from this analysis is much more important. Namely, it’s about the place that the phrase „will make you” in the title – not at the beginning, but inside. Accentuates the start and end of the title, shows the relationship between them and explains why the reader should be interested in the content. It also promises that the article will have an impact on the reader and will arouse emotions.

Other distinguished words confirm that in order to share an article, the reader needs in the hedaline reason to click (why, reason) and expected emotions (tears of happiness, goose bumps, crying, laughter).

Quiz hedalines are also encouraged to share (Only 1 in 50 people can recognize these grammatical mistakes) and headlines that emphasize belonging to a group (17 things that only twins’ mothers will understand). Also the posts containing the word pictures in the title are popular.

Among the articles we share on Facebook prevails the counting format, often two-digit (10 reasons …). Readers on LinkedIn prefer to share single-digit counts, but their greatest interest is generated by “how” titles.

Headlines beginning with “how to stop”, “how to achieve success”, “how to manage”, “how to counteract”, “how to protect” were three times more readily available from the counts.

In the ranking of headlines on Linkedin „will make you” not there at all, and the most popular phrase consisting of three turned out to be the future of, located in the middle of the hedaline, for example. Why podcasts are the future of blogging. Therefore, the conclusion was repeated that readers are convinced by headlines that show the relationship between start and end.

Other titles popular in the world of B2B ease the fear of omitting words: you should know if you need to know, for example, 5 facts about influencer marketing that you should know. The terms in the world, in the year X, which serve the summaries of achievements in the industry, often combined with superlatives, for example the 10 most popular brands in social media in 2018, have also proved useful.

It is worth knowing the rankings of popular words, but approach them with caution. It’s not enough to use them in the title to get more shares. A study from a few years ago proved that there are no words-assurance. How, free, new can even lower click-through rates, if outside of them readers will not find anything valuable in the title.

When creating a hedaline, highlight the advantage of clicking and accurately announce what is on the other side of the link. Readers value titles with square brackets in which the type of content is defined, e.g. or [interview]. The titles that offer templates in square brackets are particularly good.

The reader will only be interested in the title if the benefits of clicking exceed the cost of a few seconds of his attention.

SEO: what counts more than matched keyword phrases

The SEO headline represents our text in the search engine. The list of results will display a maximum of 50-60 characters, and words that will not fit in this limit will be dotted.

Sometimes the search engine changes the SEO headline in terms of user’s queries, however, if the headline is formulated precisely, it has a better chance to remain unchanged.

In Google, the headline’s task is to convince the searcher that the article will be consistent with his intention. How to convince the reader that among other articles on a similar topic should he choose ours?

For quite a long time, this question was answered without a second thought: matching key phrases. The presence of keywords in the SEO headline has a small impact on the position in the ranking.

Of course, key phrases are still important because they help to establish a common language with the reader. However, they do not have to sound exactly as our query shows. The business benefits will be faster translated into detailed, several-word phrases from the so-called long tail, e.g. SEO techniques for bloggers or mascots for a two-year-old child.

If you’re developing a niche, specialized topic, long tail phrases, you can use our free program: Paraphrase-Online.com or paid tools.

However, key phrases in the headline of SEO are often not enough to be in the top ten results. What can decide that our title will go to the top? Readers look for specific values in SEO headlines, such as:

• an extensive approach to the subject, which can be confirmed by titles-counting lists, e.g. 20 SEO techniques for bloggers, but also such words as: report, guide, step by step. Analysis of a million search results has shown that longer articles tend to rank higher in the ranking. The average number of characters in the text that goes to the first page of results is 1,890, which is the equivalent of one page of a standardized typescript.
• freshness, important especially for specialists in a given field, e.g. 20 SEO techniques for bloggers for 2019
• possibility of quick application – important for those who are in a hurry, eg. SEO techniques for beginners in 6 simple steps or How to perform a quick SEO audit of your blog

And to increase the clickthrough of the SEO headline, write:

• what you have prepared for the reader, eg 20 how to paraphrase the text
• what problem do you help to solve, eg paraphrase – how to change the text when you have no idea?

In most of the headlines quoted, key phrases are at the beginning, e.g. SEO techniques for beginners in 6 simple steps. In titles-counting, they are preceded only by a number, e.g. 20 SEO techniques for bloggers for 2019.

The key phrase at the beginning of the SEO title attracts attention and helps the reader to filter the content while viewing the results page. It also increases the chance that other authors will place a link to your text on your site, and such links significantly affect the place in the ranking.

Social Media: which categories of clickbaits distinguishes Facebook

Facebook has been struggling with clickbaits for a long time, limiting visibility and coverage in news. In the opinion of the Facebook team, the clickbait is the title which:

• it hides something, that is, omits important details or introduces the reader into error, forcing you to click, so that he can get to know the answer, eg. Recently, she got divorced, and now that’s it.
• exaggerates, i.e. promises a sensational news or a revolutionary benefit, e.g. green tea the secret of eternal youth, How to lose weight 15 kilos in 3 weeks, How to learn a foreign language in 10 days.

Such titles are, according to a neat term, clicky, but not sticky. When a large number of clicks does not translate into long visits to the site or sharing, it signals that the content is not valuable to Facebook users. The headline should not cheat the reader, but help him decide what reading he would like to devote time to.

Of course, curiosesity is worth feeding. To avoid the effect of the clickbait header, you can encourage the reader with a “tasty morsel”, that is, to announce in-depth or detailed content:

• We analyzed 100 million headlines. Here’s what we found
• New picture of Chopin discovered? A mysterious daguerreotype from 1847

Functionality. Why the picture should not compete with the word

A picture worth a thousand words? Are you sure? The eyetracking study conducted by Nielsen Norman Group shows that the word can win the picture in a fight for the reader’s attention. The respondents reviewed pages with offers in which the text and image were parallel, in the form of blocks. Initially, their attention was drawn to the paintings, but soon the eyes began to wander between the image and the text.

If the images only decorated the content and did not convey information, the readers considered it irrelevant and devoted more attention to the text. The picture in the first row played the decisive role. When he did not meet the expectations of users, they ignored the others.

For example, on the site offering a box diet, readers have responded positively to images depicting products in a box. The looks followed several times from the picture to the text and back. The readers completed the information, using the image once, once with the text. Although the fixation tracks, documenting the study, seemingly seem like a nervous struggle, in essence result from planned action.

However, if on the same page, in the first row there would be a picture of “ornate”, showing flower pots with spices, the eyes would stop for a moment and then hastily turned to the text. The next pictures on this page were skipped by obstacles. Such chaotic browsing can affect how the viewer perceives the offer.

The e-reader focuses on completing the task. The reader wants to spend a minimum of time on achieving maximum results. As soon as he realizes that the pictures do not help in completing the task, he begins to disregard them.

But, beware, with similar reluctance, users treat images that are overly saturated with information, for example, complicated screenshots. They overlook them and look for a clear explanation in the adjacent text.

Users like to look at images that increase information value and make a visual story. They help to understand the offer. So let’s avoid fillers, let every photo have a purpose. Well-chosen images are not those that compete with the text, but complement it.

SEO: What’s new in 2019

SEO relieves itself of key words.  To achieve high ranking, the site must gain trust among readers. Google checks how the user interacts with the site and how quickly you can find the answer. The quality and insight of content have become more important than the precise selection of phrases.

The search engine begins to recognize the links between user queries. Algorithms can understand the context and try to identify the intent behind the query. Google groups phrases thematically. For example, for “SEO 2019” they will be: “seo strategy” or “seo trends”. However, for “Paraphrasing tool” they will be “Paraphrase tool” or “Article spinner”

Before writing an internet text, it’s a good idea to get to know these diverse contexts.
Tools such as Paraphrase Online will be helpful. They provide thematically related phrases that are not necessarily based on one “native” word.

Also note the mixed results that appear in the query response above the traditional list of results on Google. They suggest what aspect of your content is most interesting to readers. Is it a picture row or a collection of the latest articles? Suppose you enter the query: “men’s shoes for the winter.” Above the list of results is displayed a row of promoted offers with pictures of shoes, their prices and links to stores.

This means that users entering the query are guided primarily by the desire to buy. So if you do not run a shoe store, but you want to write an article about winter men’s shoes, you have to change the context, so for example, make a comparison or ranking. Otherwise your text will disappear in a flood of commercial results and, more importantly, will not meet the expectations of most readers.

In turn, below the list of results you will find another helpful tool that helps to put your topic in context. This is “similar searches“, i.e. popular related queries.

Do not just stop reviewing them, but click on selected ones to see the results and other similar searches displayed under them.

What else helps a search engine to discover links between your article and related topics? Links to external sources and other texts on your site, which additionally increase the position in the search engine.

And what about the main phrases? The most effective are those from the category, so-called long tail, i.e. niche, precise and several words, i.e. “how to write posts on Facebook library”. For such phrases, your text may turn out to be unrivaled. However, this is not just a question of words, but – above all – a good idea for fresh text.

Copywriting. Are there words that always sell?

New, free, still, because, you. What connects these words? They belong to the players who supposedly always work well in advertising texts. Can you believe the letters that they sell? Although instant copywriting seems tempting, the reactions of readers to words can be complicated and surprising.

The WiderFunnel team investigated the effectiveness of three calls to operate on a button that encourages subscriptions. They were: Submit, Become a maven, I want in. It was assumed that the boring Submit would fall out the least. The second option (Become a maven) promised that the recipient would become a specem, and the word maven as often used among potential recipients would sound appealing. In the third version (I want in) the first person of the singular was to increase identification with the message and encourage quick decision making. It turns out that the Become a maven option noted a drop in interest in the subscription at 6.5%, while I want in was 0.5% weaker than the winner, ie Submit.

Does this mean that the words on the buttons should be predictable? When the eye of the reader rushes around the screen, certain terms such as Subscribe, Join, Buy now function as road signs. They begin to be associated with a given activity, and their synonyms cause consternation.

Maybe the reason is different. Perhaps the words that most increase the conversion on the page tell us something more about our group of recipients. Another study, tested the popularity of three calls for action in the gaming community. These were: Subscribe, Join Now and Select Your Plan. This time, Join Now won. You could actually stop at this, but the team tried to figure out what the reason was behind this choice. Perhaps the audience motivates the willingness to be part of the community to act, and this means that they should be addressed by a “social language“. So they also changed the text above the button to Join 110,023 Geek + Gamers Just Like YOU !, which increased the conversion by 14%.

Sometimes the intentions behind the choice of inconspicuous formulation can tell us a lot about the needs of readers. In copywriting, therefore, it is better not to assume anything and instead of making lists of words believe the tests.