Is copywriting the same as marketing?

Copywriting IS marketing

Not instantly, but your well on your way... When it comes to Internet Marketing, there are two basic components. You have traffic generation, and conversion. Conversion, is 100% about Copywriting, whereas traffic-generation, is maybe about 50-80% about Copywriting.

SO obviously, as far as conversion goes, there's really not much left to say, Copywriting is Conversion, Conversion is Copywriting...

However, when it comes to traffic-generation, you have different ways to generate traffic. Obviously, there's things like SEO, and PPV, where copywriting takes NO real role in how much traffic is generated, and at what cost. SEO, because it's based on keywords on the page, and a given Search Engine's algorithm, and PPV, because your paying for views that go directly to your page (ad copy is not involved).

On the other hand, on MOST types of traffic generation (Search/Content network PPC, Ad Networks, Media Buys, etc... Basically any time there's some sort of ad involved, whether it be a text ad or a banner ad, your ad copy is the most important thing, here's why:

Your ad copy determines your CTR, and of course, your CTR, determines, 1) How many impressions you get (if your paying on a CPC basis, not a CPM), 2) How many clicks you get, and 3) How much you pay per click (regardless of whether your actually doing CPM or CPC).

This is because your always rewarded with more clicks, and at a lower cost if you have a higher CTR, more than your rewarded for anything else by far...

So, in closing, I would say that Copywriting is (IMO) roughly about 75% of the battle...

Thank you guys this remind me one sentence that many successful online marketers use to employ:

"Making money online just requires two skills, the ability to get traffic, and the ability to turn this traffic into money" so as you Cam said, "traffic and conversion" or "Copywriting and Marketing"

They are different, but linked together...the yin and the yang...

Thanks guys I'm gonna sleep better now since I know where to focus!

Best regards.

You'll never find an agreement here as everyone has a different interpretation.

In my opinion a copywriter should be a great marketer to be the best copywriter they can be. But no, not the same. And driving traffic is def not synonymous with copywriting (although you can argue writing ads is involved).

Copywriting is important.
Marketing is important.

If you're a great copywriter you MIGHT be a great marketer but maybe not.
If you're a great marketer you MIGHT be a great copywriter but maybe not.

Someone could be a great writer but have absolutely know idea how to create and run a marketing campaign.
Lots of great marketers haven't a clue about copywriting. That's why, if they're good at what they do, they know how to leverage their talents in order to get a great copywriter on their team.

In my experience.

Regards,
Will Roarke

You'll find a lot of complaints about poor offers, poor products, and so on. That's the job of marketing.

Marketing is the arena copywriters work in. Marketing starts before copy is written, insures a copywriter has something to write about, and continues on past this sale to the upsell, the cross sell, and the lifetime value of the customer and refferals.

Marketing will say "no" to the product features a sales person or copywriter might ask for. This would be done to insure the long term lifetime value of the customer trumps the immediate sale -- at any cost.

For example the feature which would turn the product or service into a commodity and slash profits. Marketing might look for to zig when all your competitors zag. And that's how you get a Unique Selling Proposition, later.

Copywriters, by and large, are like sales people. They'll try to get the sale, even if they lose the customer. Marketing shows its value by always concentrating on the next sale, not just this one. Profits, not merely volume. Refferals and word-of-mouth, not returns and refunds.

Marketing has degenerated of late. It's where people who don't like to sell go. That's wrong.

Marketing turbocharges copywriting. Marketing is about knowing the customer, the competition, and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the company and its products or services. Copy without marketing devolves into gimmicks and tricks, techniques without customer insights.

In addition to copy a marketer would have a say in design, merchandising, pricing, and product development. The stuff out of which a superior offer is developed.

A marketing driven company would put the marketer in charge of how the invoices look and how the phones are answered.

That is a pure case. A good copywriter should understand their market. A good marketer should be able to make the sale in copy.

Below is a copy of the message I sent out to my subscribers:

I received a query for a sales letter rewrite from a well-respected online
marketer. He is having poor conversion from his website. I took a
quick glance at the website and saw right away why the sales were
doing poorly.
And it wasn't:

• the salescopy -- that was fairly good
• the product -- it's in demand
• the layout - I would change the background color but it's fairly clean
• the product owners - they have been in business for many years with a lot of great products

So what was the HUGE problem as I saw it?
It was a POOR SALES STRATEGY.


A few of my coaching members asked me if they should learn internet

marketing and my answer was a BIG YES!!


There is no such thing as a pure copywriter. I mean, someone who
just writes great copy and sell products. In the final analysis,
great copywriters are really great SALES PEOPLE!
I've often heard many people comment that the late great Gary
Halbert wasn't that great at writing copy but he knew how to
SELL.
I have a huge respect for Gary, but I must agree. Gary was a
great salesman. Mind you, his copy was great but not "out of
this world" better than any other copywriter out there.
I've read many of his letters and he himself would tell you that
it's selling strategies that really made him the sought-after
copywriter he was.
The point of all this is that if you intend to write great copy,
along with learning how to write you must LEARN HOW TO SELL. Read
books on selling.


You can write GREAT COPY and still stink in your sales because
your marketing strategy or selling technique was poor.
I know a couple mediocre copywriters who are masters at selling
and they do very well for themselves online. They would sell you
the shirt on your back-not through words but through STRATEGY.
So the bottom line is that if you want to be a better copywriter
you must also learn how to sell.

Examples:


1. "Take the puppy home for the weekend and if you don't like
him you can return it on Monday" -that's selling! Who will
return a puppy?


2. If you are selling software give away a FREE TRIAL that last
for 30 days. Once the use learns how to use the software and get
accustomed to using it they would have literally sold
themselves!


You don't need a lot of words to sell software-just give it a
away and ask them to 'return the puppy' on Monday.


3. If you are selling an "unbelievably good" product -- use a
TON LOAD of testimonials. Now you may say that every copywriter
knows that but some products need MORE TESTIMONIALS than others.
Do you know which ones?? -- then that's selling.


4. Give away INFORMATION and sell the service. That's what
copywriters and other service providers do. That's why you have
to write articles, build a blog, give free critiques etc., these
are all INFORMATION but when they need copy they will seek you
out. That's selling.


So while you improve your WRITING skills, learn how to market
online as well. If you intend to write copy for your clients they
would expect this from you.


And you can charge more because you are a MARKETER, not just a
copywriter.

Makes sense?

-Ray Edwards

Marketing is built into a product - when done correctly.

For instance, when I am creating a new product I start out with a survey of my target market.

I use the survey responses to guide my product creation.

Then as I build the product I take note of how each bit helps my market.

I use all that to write my copy at the end when I'm ready to sell.

Hope that makes sense.

True writers know how to sell. They paint a portrait with their own words that entices people to make the conversion that's desired. Marketing is a part of writing just as writing is a part of marketing.

Copywriting is WHY to BUY it -

Marketing is HOW to SELL it.

(It's a symbiotic relationship - individual but interdependent.)






(Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.)

Copywriting is one aspect of marketing...marketing is any activity undertaken to move a product from a seller's hands to a buyer's hands. Copywriting is meant to pursuade buyers to buy a product, so it is one activity in marketing. BUT getting people to SEE the copy is also marketing...one needs both. Lots of traffic to poor copy is not highly profitable nor is great copy that no one sees.