3 Reasons Why Words Still Matter in a Video Marketing World
Why we believe in a copy-first marketing strategy for small business founders, even in a video-driven world.
Video marketing is all the rage in 2022. So why do most of my clients choose to focus on a copy-first strategy?
As digital tools continue to advance, so do our options for marketing.
Video in particular has come a long way and can be an effective tool for some brands. It is a popular way to connect with audiences, and it often plays a primary marketing role for personal brands, influencers, and the like.
But for most small and micro businesses, a copy-first strategy remains the most affordably effective way to market over the long term.
Quality video marketing requires resources that smaller brands may not want to invest in right now. Plus, video remains inaccessible to some parts of our audience. (Though it will be exciting to see where the video world takes us in a few more years!)
To understand where to focus your marketing efforts right now, it pays to consider your own strengths as a founder, resources as a business, and the way your audience interacts with your brand.
Keep reading to find out if a copy-first strategy makes the most sense for your business right now — and how to make the most of your words even if you’re a video-driven brand.
Check out my Complete Guide to a Copy-First Marketing Strategy here.
Words still matter because almost every connection point with our audience is driven by words.
Even video often needs a well-written script or some quality research behind it to make it an effective marketing tool.
And what about your audience who, like me, prefers audio and written materials to videos? (Because there’s nothing like a good podcast to help power through some household chores.)
Words show up everywhere our customers do. And if they’re written well, our words play a vital role in engaging, attracting, and retaining those customers.
Consider the way you interact with the digital space.
- When you’re scrolling through your social media feed, how do you decide what articles or videos to click on? The words in the headlines, descriptions, or video captions that pique your curiosity.
- When you’re scanning a sales page, what ultimately drives your decision to hit “Buy Now?” The words on the page that answer your questions and allay your fears.
- When you’re interacting with a new webpage, what keeps you scrolling and further engaging with the page? The words that continue to provide value for your needs and desires as a consumer.
Businesses use words to get their message, content, and products in front of their customers. There’s no way around it.
I have very few hard and fast rules for my clients when it comes to digital marketing, and one of them is this:
Good copy is clear on what customers can expect and who your brand is for.
Good copy has a people-first perspective that focuses on the needs and wants of the customer.
Good copy offers compelling value at every step of the customer journey to attract and retain customers.
For small and micro brands, in particular, copy often forms the core of a sustainable, and affordable marketing strategy. It can be used to inform the design and drive user experience — which leads to the next reason why words are so important in this digital age.
Words still matter because bad copy undermines even the best-laid designs.
Spend just a few minutes on Amazon, and it’s clear that even ugly things sell.
Why? Because the copy is there to convince people they need what’s being sold. (And perhaps people need chicken purses for reasons this article does not have the scope to go into.)
But the opposite is not true. When it comes to making a sale, even the most fantastic design can be spoiled by ineffective copy.
Bad copy can look like…
- Inadequate descriptions
- Unclear benefits
- Focus on the seller and not the buyer
- Not addressing pain points
- Content that is too difficult or too boring
- Having too many “asks” (or none at all!)
You may know exactly who your target audience is and how your product or service would benefit them.
And you may have a beautiful website that is technically sound.
But if you’re struggling to get your audience from the point of awareness to the point of sale, it’s likely because your copy isn’t doing its job.
Design is getting easier with tools like Canva and drag-and-drop editors for websites. But every shortcut we’ve seen for copy (like email copy generators) tends to lead to an unclear message and a confused audience.
The power of good copy is that it doesn’t just guide your audience along the customer journey. Used correctly, it also convinces search engine algorithms to introduce your brand to customers who have never even heard of you.
This leads us to the third reason why words still matter in marketing today.
Words still matter because effective search engine marketing relies on the right words in the right places.
Search engine algorithms work by looking for content that is the best match for what people are looking for.
How do the bots know what content to put in front of consumers?
By crawling the words each brand has put into the digital space.
True, there have been some recent advancements in AI bots’ capability to “read” images. But as of 2022, these bots are not always able to tell what an image is in context. Good copy anchors your images and design to help boost your rankings.
Once again, consider the way that you interact with the digital space.
When you type a question into Google (or do a voice search), the algorithm finds results from brands whose copy is written in a way that lets bots know their content is relevant.
Does your copy take SEO into account?
Is it written conversationally, the way people naturally search for answers?
Have you incorporated the most likely keywords into your titles and headlines, product descriptions, image captions, and bios?
There are many ways to approach marketing. And it is essential to take into account the way your audience consumes content.
But when it comes to search engine marketing, good copy still provides the backdrop for the rest of your strategy.
This month I’ll be laying out specific steps you can take to get the most from your copy strategy, whether it’s your primary focus or just plays a supporting role.
I’ll discuss two places where good copy can give you the quickest results (here and here), and how copy and formatting work together for SEO and accessibility. Plus, I’ll be sharing the same checklist our copywriters use to write and format all of our digital content.
Do you and your team use a copy-first marketing strategy?
What steps have you taken to ensure you are using copy effectively?
What resources can you set aside (time, energy, and money if you’re able) to keep your messaging clear, accessible, and compelling?
