What is brand copywriting, and how is that different from ‘normal’ copywriting? 

There are many areas of crossover between a copywriter and a brand copywriter, and the fundamental principles of great copywriting apply to both. When you choose a brand writer for your business, you’re still getting excellent writing (obvs), but there’s a lot more strategic thinking involved and a focus on brand personality (aka identity). Brand copywriting is all about getting the words at the heart of your brand right, and then using them to their full potential, so that they’re always working in your favour.

Think of the word ‘copywriter’ as an umbrella term, under which lots of different word specialists sit, e.g., advertising copywriter, SEO copywriter, direct response copywriter, and brand copywriter. A brand writer is tuned into capturing and amplifying your brand personality (which is what makes people engage and connect with a brand), often playing a key role in developing your brand guidelines.

Sometimes, brand writing is all about developing and refining these core words that form the strategic direction of your brand, and there’s a fair amount of brand strategy expertise needed in these cases, too. That’s what I’m focusing on in this article, but sometimes companies might hire a brand copywriter simply because they have the skills needed to write fluently in their brand’s tone of voice.

Why use a brand copywriter?

Brand copywriting helps ensure you always have an answer to the dreaded, “So, what do you do?”.

If you aren’t crystal clear on who you are as a brand, what makes you special, what the benefits of your offer are and what you stand for (and you’d be amazed at how many brands aren’t clear on all this), then there is a strong risk of being forgettable. Brand copywriting can help you out of this fix.

Your verbal brand is just as important as your visual brand – and they should complement and reinforce each other. If your current messages just aren’t landing, you need to understand why, so any new copy that’s developed without taking a step back will just cost you money and perpetuate the problem.

What does a brand copywriter do?

It’s the job of a brand copywriter to give you a ‘toolkit’ of the words you need to hit your goals. They’ll start with the words right at the heart of your brand, they’ll look at brand values, voice and messaging and make sure you’re saying the right things to the right people.

They will need to to understand where you’re currently at in the evolution and development of your brand. They’ll want to see your brand strategy (if it exists, and if not, they’ll help you develop it) and look carefully at the words that are being used. That can include reviewing, developing and refining your brand voice, house style, key messaging, and your internal brand messaging like your value proposition, key differentiator/s, vision, mission, purpose and brand values.

They’ll dig into who your target audience is, what their pain points or buying triggers are, and what they might need to hear to be moved closer to a taking the next step. They’ll review the words used at every brand touchpoint (blogs, social media, website copy, etc.) along with proposals, pitch decks and brochures. They’ll ask you which brands and competitors you look up to, and what your business goals are in the immediate, medium and long term. They will run workshops with you to tease out what makes your brand special, and may even ask to speak to some of your employees/customers to test brand perceptions from other points of view.

What are the benefits of brand copywriting?
A brand copywriter will help you:

• Get clear on who you are as a brand, and what you stand for.
• Set solid foundations on which to build your brand.
• Maintain consistency wherever your brand appears.
• Reinforce a confident, authoritative brand identity.
• Raise written standards across your brand.
• Support multiple writers in writing in one brand voice.
• Subconsciously reassure your target audience that they know who you are as a brand.
• Drive growth, sales, leads and revenue.
  
  

What comes next?

Once you’ve pinned down your verbal identity, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it becomes to write (and even speak) on behalf of your brand. The clarity you gain from the process will stand you in good stead for the next phase of your brand’s evolution. Your brand copywriter will be expertly placed to create new content that’s beautifully on brand and on message, and they can train your team to do the same, too.

I specialise in strategic brand copywriting because I know that good copywriting deserves equally good thinking behind it. If you’re a business owner/founder or marketing lead and you need a hand getting your verbal branding foundations sorted, a brand copywriter can help. I also partner with design and branding agencies on collaborative branding projects.

No matter what stage you’re at, I’d love to help. Get in touch and let’s explore how that might look for you.