Copywriting and content marketing are easy if you do the research first. As a freelance content creator and a branding expert, I want to know everything about your company. Some people think doing a deep dive is reading everything on a website.
The truth is, it's way more than that. Keep reading.
SUCCESSES AND FAILURES
The research component for any content marketing strategy means sharing successes and failures. As a luxury copywriter, I want to see good emails and bad posts. Send me videos and tell me if you love them or hate them and why. I want to hear why your company is changing direction and details about your target market. Is it a brand refresh, pivot or rebrand?
Knowing why you want new content is also important.
COMPETITION
Then I want to know who your top three competitors are. How about a twist? Tell me what you love about a few different websites that are not your competition. This helps me understand what resonates with you and your brand.
BRAND DNA
Before I start creating, my clients fill out my “13 Principles of Brand DNA™” worksheet. Even if I can find everything online, I want to see what you say because it could be different.
FLYING BLIND
Do you have the big picture yet? To create the right content, the creator has to do the research. Otherwise, it's like flying blind.
I will stop the blog right here if you can name one successful writer who did not do any research before writing their book.
Crickets.
Every good writer does their due diligence.
BEWARE
There are plenty of people who say they can create content and write copy without any research. Beware. Without research, that content will have no brand voice and is unoriginal.
DOING THE SLOG
The fast part of content creation is creating the content. The slog is doing the research beforehand. I research the competition, read emails, check websites and social profiles, watch videos, look at images, and peruse blogs and articles.
Notice I said reading. I am not just scanning. I read the content, take notes, and write down ideas, which takes time.
Then, I do organic research. I need to see what comes up when I put your company name into a search engine. I will likely find content that you missed.
Don’t forget that an SEO strategy is also part of the research process to get the best results for your brand.
STYLE SHEET FOR EVERY CLIENT
That’s why I create a Style Sheet for every client. I gather words and phrases related to your brand to help with copywriting. Later, this helps me create brand attributes, value propositions, and more.
BRAND GUIDE
After creating Brand DNA and redoing content, many companies will want a Brand Guide. Clarity and consistency of your brand voice are two key elements for success. The Brand Guide will help your employees write and speak in the same brand voice and tone. It also includes your brand color palette, logo, and fonts.
CREATIVE INSPO
But for me, I don't start creating until I have the Style Guide. The Style Guide feeds my inspiration and becomes a reference tool for the project. I do my research which ensures your content will be accurate, targeted to the right audience, using the right words, and written in your brand voice.
What is important to note is that I only have to do this deep dive research once.
Trust me when I say that if you want to have a successful business, let the experts you hire do the research.
YOU GOTTA HAVE THE RESEARCH.
Until next time,
Keverne Denahan
Luxury Copywriter & Brand Expert
PS: Read my blog about why you should be a Thought Leader.
Copyright © Keverne Denahan 2022