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There are many ‘M’ words for copywriting. The most obvious one has to be Marketing as that’s what copywriting is all about.
Not forgetting Advertising, of course, where we see some of the cleverest copywriting. Think Nike’s Just Do It, L’Oreal’s Because You’re Worth It, KFC’s Finger lickin’ good, or Nestle’s Have a break… Have a Kit Kat.
To be accurate, ‘content writing’ is more appropriate to digital marketing than ‘copywriting.’ There’s a fine line between the two, though, and you’ll even find writers who focus on one more than the other. If you’re not sure of the difference between copywriting and content writing, have a read of this.
Unwise Words to Use in Marketing and Advertising
Miracle and Magic are two 'marvellous' words that were used a lot in the past. But you'd be hard-pressed to use them now. In fact, I would advise you not to!
Why? Well, much like the word ‘Unique’, the only way you can get away with using them is if your product really is a miracle, unique or magic. And unless you’ve just invented a flash new Quidditch broomstick, the like of which Harry Potter would kill for, it's unlikely that your product or service is any of these things.
As always, though, there are a few ‘Miracle’ exceptions:
The gardening brand ‘Miracle Gro’ gets away with its gardening ads very well for obvious reasons.
WestJet’s ‘Christmas Miracle’ campaign was a huge viral success. Setting up a Santa Booth in the departure airport, they asked children and parents what they wanted for Christmas. WestJet then bought what they asked for, gift-wrapped and labelled them, for the families to find on the luggage carousel at their destination. What a heart-warming thing to do!
I giggled over the ‘Mulberry Miracle’ Christmas ad, even if it did spark complaints about it being blasphemous because of its 'nativity scene' with the Mulberry handbag as a baby Jesus replacement. Thankfully, the watchdog ruled that the ad was more humorous than offensive.
Sadly, the word ‘Miracle’ is still dangerously used in ads for medicinal, health or slimming products. The ads usually proclaim ‘unbelievable results’ that, unbelievably, people believe (excuse the deliberate repetition). It’s surprising how many people fall for these ads, not to mention the ever-growing number of scams around.
By the way, if you do happen to see a misleading or dangerous ad, do report it to the Advertising Standards Authority here.
Money, Money, Money!
Money – what an emotive M-word! Money is essential to us all, of course. Many people consider it crass to talk about money. But negotiating contracts and deals must be done.
I often get asked whether you should include prices in your marketing. My answer is: “It depends, but not usually.” Prices are more acceptable in advertising, being more geared to selling. But even then, ads usually say ‘Costing from…’.
Ideally, you want to attract people to your website, shop or location, or ask them to get in touch, through a compelling CTA (Call to Action). So, refer to a ‘bargain’, ‘special offer’, or ‘limited availability’. Then include a link to your website for more information. And voila! There is the real cost in your bold CTA alongside the discounted cost, showing how good and irresistible your special offer cost is. Or something like that!
If you’re already known for providing an excellent social media course, say, or locally produced, organic skin products, then feel free to mention actual prices in your ‘special offer’ marketing. Especially if you're targeting a specific audience.
And if your business is based solely on providing a service rather than tangible products, then you definitely want people to get in touch and talk to you about the cost of your service. Particularly if it can be adapted to suit the client's needs. You could say, 'Costs start from...' in your marketing, but it's better to not mention cost at all. Instead, encourage people to get in touch.
How to Write Your Content Marketing
As I’ve written about how to write your Marketing content before in various blogs, I won't wax lyrical again here. Instead, this one is a good start – it links to other blogs that will also help. It’s called Digital Content Marketing Types and How to Write Them, so do have a read of it here. Or bookmark it to read later.
I've included a good mix of copywriting M-words here. But I must quickly mention Measure because it’s important to keep track of how your marketing is doing. That way, you can see what works and what doesn’t, changing your strategy accordingly.
And finally, Momentum is another great word. Meaning to keep the flow of your writing and the rate of delivery going well.
That’s it for now. Next time, N-words will include ‘Niche’, ‘Newsletters’ and ‘Notes’. Until then, if you need any copywriting or content writing help, do get in touch.