A cup of coffee with milk added is a macchiato; frothed milk with the addition of coffee is a cappuccino. In the same way, content marketing and copywriting are two marketing activities with very similar ingredients, but with different procedures and doses. These two activities are often confused, but they are both fundamental and complementary parts of a correct marketing strategy.
To understand what the recipe for good content marketing is, let’s take a closer look at the definitions, contexts, and differences between content marketing and copywriting.
Content marketing
Content marketing is a strategy of creating valuable content to attract and retain a specific audience. The long-term goal is to build a relationship of trust with the target audience, generating interest in the brand. Content marketing is therefore used to make a new brand or service known. Or to increase notoriety within a specific market and the authority of an existing and consolidated one.
The metrics to evaluate the success of a content marketing activity are views and engagement. These indicate the brand’s exposure through specific content and how much the audience has interacted with it. In the long run, it can also be useful to consider the growth of the audience (e.g. new users on Google Analytics or new followers on social media) and the overall reach of the various channels.
A content marketing strategy can involve several channels within a shared storytelling. For example, it can attract traffic through a blog SEO article that answers users’ questions or a YouTube video. Or it can involve social media with an emotional reel on Instagram or TikTok. Or it can entertain with a podcast.
Copywriting
Copywriting is a technique of writing persuasive copy to influence the actions of a specific audience. The short and medium-term goal is to generate an action, which can be the purchase of a product or service, a subscription. Or any other action of value and measurable. Copywriting is therefore used to generate sales, leads and conversions.
The fundamental metric for evaluating the success of a copywriting activity is the one related to the specific CTA (call to action). Of course, a conversion tracking system must be set up. It can therefore be useful to measure each stage of the customer journey, to make the message more effective.
The content for which copywriting is used most decisively is ads, for example on Google and social media. Or sales DEMs and marketing automation mechanisms, which intercept very specific customer segments or potential customers to propose targeted actions.
How to integrate content marketing and copywriting
Content marketing and copywriting often coexist within a marketing campaign. The first is a strategy linked to brand awareness and authenticity; the second is a persuasive writing technique that closes with the sale. Content marketing is like the midfielder who make the play and assists copywriting. This is like the relentless penalty area striker who kicks the ball and scores.
Content writing and copywriting can also coexist within the same content, with different weights from time to time. The best example to explain this cohesion is an affiliate marketing article. Here, through SEO and storytelling I capture the user, entertain him and answer his questions (content marketing). In the meantime, I seduce him, I convince him of my authority and the quality of a product or service. Then I push him to action which, for example, can be buying on Amazon (copywriting).
Catch and strike. It’s rare to find a content marketing strategy without copywriting (even a simple “follow me for upcoming updates” CTA). It’s impossible to find a good copywriting example without a modicum of content marketing.
