Calling all content connoisseurs and linguistic wizards. ????

Are you ready to dive into the captivating world of creative content and word choice in your social media posts? Well, hold onto your keyboards because we’re about to unleash some seriously important marketing magic!

Picture this: You’re scrolling through your favorite social media platform, looking for something that catches your eye, something that makes you go, “Oh wow, I need to click on this!” What do you think makes you stop mid-scroll and pay attention? You got it—captivating content and the perfect choice of words.

Let’s be real, folks. Social media is a crowded playground filled with countless posts, memes, and videos all vying for attention. So, how do you stand out in this digital jungle? It’s all about the power of words, my friends! A well-crafted post can grab your audience’s attention, make them laugh, spark their curiosity, or even bring a tear to their eye. That’s the kind of influence words have!

But it’s not just about throwing words together like confetti. Nope, nope, nope! It’s about understanding your target audience, speaking their language, and making a genuine connection. You want your audience to feel like you’re their virtual BFF, their confidante, the one who gets them and delivers the goods.

Here’s the secret sauce: relatability and authenticity. When you create content that speaks directly to your audience’s interests, needs, or pain points, you become their go-to source of wisdom. And when you sprinkle it with a dash of your brand’s personality, you create a bond that’s stronger than any online cat video.

Let’s not forget about the almighty algorithms. They’re always lurking in the shadows, determining what content gets seen and what gets lost in the digital abyss. But worry not, for we hold the key to their hearts: engagement! When you craft content that sparks conversation, encourages likes, comments, and shares, those sneaky algorithms can’t help but notice. They’ll shower your posts with love, boosting your visibility and reaching more eyeballs than you can shake a GIF at.

So, how can you nail the art of content and word choice? Here are a few tips to keep in your marketing arsenal:

Know thy audience: Get to know your target market like they’re your favorite sitcom characters. Understand their pain points, desires, and what makes them tick. Then, serve up content that caters to their cravings.

Be a word wizard: Words have power, my friends. Choose them wisely and strategically. Craft headlines that demand attention, use evocative language to create an emotional connection, and sprinkle in a touch of humor to brighten their day.

Keep it concise: In the age of scroll-happy fingers, brevity is your best friend. Grab attention with concise, punchy copy that gets straight to the point. Think of it as a micro-story that leaves your audience craving more.

Embrace multimedia magic: A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. But why stop at just one medium? Combine engaging visuals with clever captions, witty hashtags, and interactive elements to create an immersive experience that makes your audience come back for more.

Remember, dear marketers, every social media post is a chance to leave a lasting impression. So, grab that metaphorical pen, unleash your creativity, and let your words dance across the digital realm. Your audience is waiting to be wowed, and you, my friend, have all the power to make it happen. Happy posting!

We know we’re making it sound a bit easier than it actually is! But “a thousand-mile journey begins with one step,” as the famous philosopher Lao Tsu wrote. Yalo is here to help you shine in the world of content marketing strategy for social media. Our content marketing services are delivered by tried-and-true marketing and branding pros who know how to turn a phrase, and where to turn it. Contact us below using the Contact button and let’s start a conversation – either by phone …. Or by words!

It probably seems easy to get people to read copy. After all, you’re reading this. Here’s another sentence that you’re reading. I could just keep going and going and you’ll just keep reading. And these words don’t even mean anything! I guess I could stop writing now and make my life a lot easier. Ok, later taters.

So what’s the catch? You may be asking yourself.

Here’s another question for you: Sure, you read it. But will you remember it?

Let’s back up for a second. Most people can write copy, provided they can form grammatically correct sentences. It’s not an art, it requires no special talent.

Writing copy is easy. Writing memorable copy is a whole other animal. And while I can’t teach you how to do it in one blog post (if I could I’d be a very rich person and probably not writing this blog), I can convey the importance of good, memorable copy.

What can history teach us, besides just like wars and stuff.

Let’s back up even further for another few seconds. Copy has been around since the dawn of printed advertising.

And though the headline DISPENSE WITH A HORSE kind of rules, these early ads were primarily informative, if not a bit overwritten. It wasn’t until the mid 60’s that writers discovered that they could sober up for like a half second and get clever with copy, using words to make people think instead of just learn.

VW ads* from the 1960’s were a massive disruption to the print ad game, using an interesting headline with supporting copy. While this may seem like a no-brainer today, this strategy (and resulting copy) shook the advertising world to its strait-laced, whiskey-soaked core. Suddenly ads were conceptual. Suddenly copy was clever, not just sales-y. VW ads were created by DDB, who went on to produce such advertising as Uncle O’Grimacey, spokescreature for the Shamrock Shake.

I could do a deeper dive into history, but there are already tons of books and blogs that do that better and coherently. Instead I’m going to share some famous examples of headlines, the kind that copywriters immediately think of when someone mentions “clever headlines” or say “hey, can you write a blog post about copy?”

The strategy for The Economist campaign was probably something like “The Economist keeps you educated and good at your business job.” But instead of writing a headline like “Read a Magazine That Will Make You Indispensable at Work,” the writer went a step further in defining the impact of being incredible at your job. It’s clever and it appeals to The Economist’s educated audience.

Even if your audience isn’t rife with MBAs, don’t assume they won’t appreciate a smart headline. This line is the probably the result of a strategy that’s something like “Enjoy an Unmatched Sense of Freedom on a Harley.” (Again, just guessing here.) What’s the opposite of feeling free? Being cooped up, like on an airplane.

What do these ads all have in common? They sell an idea, not just a product. They also use a single sentence to make a huge statement—sure, two of them include supporting copy, but even if you just remember “Live Below Your Means” the general idea stays with you. The writers have also taken time and care with the copy, thinking about each word and whether it’s necessary.

Do you have a favorite book or poem? Or maybe even favorite lyrics or television dialogue? Have you taken the time to think about how whoever wrote said piece took time to select each word or phrase or sentence? Not to get all English-section-of-the-SATs on you but writing marketing copy is to writing published material as designing a webpage or ad is to creating visual art. There’s a craft that goes into manipulating the English language to evoke a laugh or some second feeling that I’m sure I’ll learn about someday.

Find your audience. Then, ignore them.

You’ll notice that I haven’t yet included a section on writing for different audiences. That’s because I don’t think the divide between Gen Z and Boomers or whoever is as wide and unpassable as most marketers assume. We’re all human. We all like being entertained, like laughing, most of us cry when things are sad. The best writers know how to write for human beings, not for target demographics.

Technical jargon not withstanding (which may or may not be necessary, depending on the client), trying to use slang to connect with a group of individuals is almost always going to end poorly. Think about how obvious it is when a city-centric ad is written by people who have never set foot in said city. It’s like that, but with age groups. Of course you need to find your audience, but that’s usually a job for strategists and/or the media department.

Think of it this way: If you were to show this year’s Super Bowl spots to a group of individuals aged 18-95, chances are they’re all going to like the same group of five or so ads. That’s because a good concept and good writing is universal.

And finally, in conclusion, we’ve come to the end.

There’s a million more things I could write about writing. And there’s also a good chance I could be wrong about all of them! Like a lot of things in life, marketing can be a fickle thing, and copy is just one small portion of the reason a campaign works or doesn’t work. BUT. If you can make that one small portion great, why wouldn’t you? Like every other journey in life, it’s completed one successful step at a time.

And hey, if you can’t keep the journey interesting, at least keep it brief. (I didn’t.)

See what we did here? Wasn’t this a fun blog post to read? Digital Yalo’s strong Content Marketing and Brand Strategy services can make your messaging and communications outstanding also. We’d love to have a conversation with you – please scroll-down to the Contact button at the bottom of the page to engage. You can also sign-up for our beloved emails below and we’ll send you these great articles a few times a month. Sign, sealed, delivered – they’re yours.

*VW ads were created by DDB, who went on to produce such advertising as Uncle O’Grimacey, spokescreature for the Shamrock Shake.

Let’s get this out of the way early—copy and content aren’t the same thing. They are also the same thing. And also aren’t. They both live in the world of marketing and involve words, but they have distinct uses and places. What are these places? When should I employ a copy vs content writer? Will a chatbot one day murder me and take my place? All these questions and more will be answered in this informative blog post. 

Let’s Start with Content

Content is everywhere and inescapable. As we speak, you are probably being taunted by 20 open tabs full of content. Even before the rise* of ChatGPT and our AI overlords, searching for information on a topic via the internet brought up tens of oddly similar articles, due to content writers a.) trying to please the SEO overlords and b.) probably not knowing tooooo much about the topic and cribbing off other articles. Content writers generally rely on cursory internet searches for most of their research, as they aren’t well-versed in every subject on earth. (This surface-level research is necessary, otherwise nothing would get written as every writer would be busy pursuing postgraduate degrees.) 

Not to crap all over content marketers. This blog right here? This is content. Content—for the purpose of writing because the word content also means a second** thing in the world of marketing—includes things like blog posts, social posts, case studies and white papers. 

Here’s an example of one of our favorite content pieces from “How to Spoil Your Chihuahua” on Wikihow. It’s informative, entertaining, and includes the best image on the face of the earth: 

Here’s another example of content, this one somewhat less bonkers. It’s from an IKEA blog about workspaces, featuring IKEA products throughout. The primary purpose is to inform instead of sell: 

Ok, Now It’s Time for Copy

Copy is also everywhere. It’s on billboards, all over digital ads, you hear it on the radio and on television, provided you’re still into listening to the radio and watching television. 

Here’s some copy:

Here’s also some copy:

From the copy-heaviest print ad to a television spot with no copy whatsoever, both involved a copywriter. Sometimes they’ll need to write thousands of words, sometimes they’ll just need to write a few in the form of an idea. Basically, whatever they need to communicate for the consumer to take action. When you read headlines on a billboard, or hear a television commercial, or see a banner ad on a website, those were probably written by copywriters (or overzealous marketing managers depending on how “hands on” the client likes to be.)

Whether it’s buying a product, clicking a link, making a call, or a secret fourth thing, copywriters encourage consumers to do something, whereas content simply informs or entertains or info-tains. 

But What About the Chatbots?

Yep, they can write, too. Right now they sound about as proficient as a high school freshman attempting to write an pop-quiz essay after staying up all night playing video games. Will they get better? Probably. Will marketers attempt to use them? Almost definitely. They’re sure to make the world of content even more repetitive and bloated. And though it may seem like all these new options for communication make getting the word out about your product easier, it’s actually tougher than ever to stand out. But that’s a whole other blog post. Stay tuned!

But Will a Chatbot Kill Me and My Family? 

Maybe? How should we know? We aren’t a robotics company. 

*We assume you’re reading this from an underground bunker as ChatBots roam the earth, scavenging for questions to answer and feedback loops in which to get caught

**Content can also refer to all the stuff on a page, including the words, pictures, charts, etc. It’s confusing, we know. Just wait until you learn that the word content, when pronounced slightly differently, also means “at peace with the world.” We’ll never use that version! 

Digital Yalo creates content and copy, do you copy that? It’s all part of our Content Marketing services, which are used in-service to the branding and marketing work we do for customers all around the country. We’re extremely proud of our wordsmiths – they do a lot to help our clients communicate their value to the world. You can find out for yourself – reach-out to us today and let’s have a discussion about what brand messaging and content can do for your business. Let’s talk – using words!

“Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it FUN to read.” – Leo Burnett

With the constant demand for more quality content and the growing need for effective copywriting – one to attract visitors, the other to convert them to leads and customers – consistently producing powerful, high-quality copy is tough. As writers and content marketers, we are constantly looking for inspiration which is why we keep a swipe file. A swipe file is a collection of emails, ads, and other copy or content that you find memorable or performed well. 

Swipe right for our favorite fun and memorable copywriting examples to add to your file:

Get the cluck out of here! KFC UK’s mea culpa for its 2018 chicken shortage was a simple, genius three letters: FCK

L’Oreal Paris’ print campaign focused on workplace gender equality. The result: Copy that reads, “This is an ad for men. Hire more women in leadership roles. We’re all worth it.”

It’s all downhill from here. Snowbird Ski Resort curated negative reviews and turned them into clever advertisements. Challenge accepted!

Ricola ran a series of ads with examples of how a misplaced cough could ruin the meaning of a sentence (and coughing in public now could ruin your life). Funny and slightly edgy yet simple and relatable.

Fast cars love quick wit. Aspirational and humorous. At first glance, you read it and then you kinda sing it. Corvette is right… they don’t write songs about Volvos.

Hey Rulebreakers… here are 3 rules for creating clear convertible copy:

1. Clarity & Cleverness. First and foremost, you want your audience to understand your copy. It’s fun to be funny, but first, you need to:

• Make people understand 
• Make people curious
• Make people engage

2. Use conventional language. Writing that sounds like a person— especially when you use your customers’ voice — it’s easier to understand and believe.

3. Solve a problem. You can’t offer a solution if you don’t know the problem. Target your customers’ pain points and ease their pain.

• Pain: Clearly lay out your customer’s pain point
• Agitation: Shake it up by making it more emotional
• Solution: Finally introduce the antidote to your customers’ pain

Follow these rules, keep a stacked swipe file, and you’ll be well on your way to creating clever, catchy, and concise copy. And if you hit writers block.. we are just a click away.

See more of what we can do with language and verbiage through Content Marketing. Read stories of our past successes with strategic communications that are far from a tall tale.