Published:
08/19/2011 02:42pm
Your Strategy For Crafting Compelling Copy Depends on Placement & Message
Where is your message going to be seen or heard? This is an important question to consider BEFORE writing a single word. Consider the medium or channel of placement and this will help you create a content strategy to support your overall marketing goals.
Will you reach your audience via radio or television broadcasts, viral video marketing, billboards, online marketing via blogs or websites, direct response mailings, email, trade publications, newspaper ads, press releases, social media or some other method?
Knowing your delivery method is crucial to deciding the length of copy.
-Do you need a long sales letter to speak to already qualified leads?
-Is a short, pithy ad in order?
-Or, is this a campaign requiring a skillful balance of long and short copy?
-Perhaps you need social media posts that pack a big punch with just a few words?
-Have you considered that length, placement and deliver matter?
The bottom line is — what works in print might not always work in broadcast or online. That’s why it’s important to understand your delivery options and educate yourself on what is effective and what is not. If you don’t want to take on this task yourself, the key is finding a crafty copywriter with experience spanning the mediums so your message is carefully tailored to work with the delivery vehicle of choice.
While you must cleverly craft copy in accordance to your content strategy plan, you must also realize the importance of creating messages that are a fit for each particular medium. For example – copy you create for your social media status updates probably isn’t completely appropriate for your print ads for various publication.
Once you’ve determined where you’ll place your message, you’ll also need to educate yourself on what type of copy really works for that particular medium. For example: hard sell tactics (generally never a great idea) are especially ineffective on social media platforms. Take the time to do your homework — know your ideal client, know your deliver method and know how to craft compelling copy that connects with your ideal client no matter what medium you use.
Take Action Challenge:
1. Before you write a single word of copy, consider your medium.
2. Are you ready for a new approach with your marketing materials?
3. Jot down your general ideas and then match your idea with the appropriate medium.
