Webtek digital marketing is a Salt Lake City company that offers a complete menu of SEO and digital marketing services. One of their services is content creation. Another is copywriting. Did you know that the two disciplines are not the same? They differ on many levels. However, the #1 difference between them is intent.

It goes without saying that content creation and copywriting sometimes overlap. For example, it is not unusual for longer pieces of content to include copywriting elements. Likewise, copywriting is a very specific form of content in and of itself. That takes us back to intent.

Copywriting Is Designed to Sell

Copywriting’s primary purpose is to sell something. A copywriter wants you to purchase a product or service based on their efforts. With that in mind, competent copywriting is an important part of e-commerce SEO. As for what it actually looks like, it takes many forms.

Short product descriptions on e-commerce sites are examples of copywriting. So are short Facebook posts and sales-related tweets. Even the meta-descriptions that appear under search results on Google constitute copywriting.

If you are still confused, think about what marketing used to be like before the internet. Back in those days, content marketing wasn’t a thing. Marketers relied on TV and radio ads, print ads, direct mail advertising, and the Yellow Pages. Marketing messages had to be quick, short, and concise to get the job done.

Digital marketers apply the same copywriting techniques to modern marketing. They utilize skilled copywriters capable of producing short, concise messages that are effective in one specific way: they sell.

Content Creation Informs and Educates

Moving on, the primary goal of content creation is to inform and educate. Despite copywriting being a very specific form of content creation, most digital marketers are referring to blog posts, guest posts, videos, infographics, etc. when discussing content creation. Pieces are longer and more detailed by nature. They seek to inform and educate rather than sell a particular product.

This post is an example of content creation. Its goal is not to sell you on the services of a particular digital marketing provider. This, despite the fact that Webtek Digital Marketing was mentioned in the introduction. The goal is to provide useful information so that you walk away understanding the main difference between copywriting and content creation.

Marketing with Content

If content is not designed to sell, what does it do for marketers? It gives them the opportunity to market through education and information. By educating and informing consumers, marketers build brand loyalty. They establish their clients as authorities in their particular industries. Content creation is a way to encourage consumers to keep coming back so that the brand stays fresh in their minds.

The beauty of content creation is that well-conceived and developed content lends itself very well to effective copywriting. For example, a call to action is a common element in most forms of content. It is also a form of copywriting. That call to action is designed to sell.

Likewise, strong content that invites visitors to continue coming back sets them up to simultaneously consume copywriting every time they visit. One visit might send them to a landing page while another introduces them to content that links to the company’s products or services. Either way, copywriting tends to be more productive when it is aimed at loyal consumers who visit frequently.

Copywriting and content creation are two separate disciplines that sometimes overlap. They also work together to encourage brand loyalty. That’s why a strategy combining both disciplines is the best way to go.