As a copywriter and content writer, it’s an unfortunate but largely accepted part of my job that words don’t always receive the attention they deserve.
Many comms professionals can surely attest: with so many competing priorities in running a business or marketing department, copy often takes a backseat to elements such as visuals and design.
It’s understandable, but skipping the effort on copy means businesses miss opportunities to strengthen their brand story and presence, connect with customers, and at worst, it can land them in hot water.
Here’s two major reasons why words matter, across every touchpoint:
1. Every message is part of the brand
It’s to be expected that every piece of messaging doesn’t receive the same level of attention. But everywhere there’s words, they contribute to customers’ and clients’ overall impression of the business – so they’re deserving of some effort.
Whether a social media profile, a lesser-visited website page, content produced by other departments, or copy produced purely for SEO purposes (FAQs, footer content), every touchpoint should be given a level of care to ensure the brand is showing up the way it should.
Read more: Kelly King on building confident and capable comms teams: Strategies that work
Even if it’s necessary to outsource the bulk of copywriting to AI, business owners, marketing professionals, or those in charge of final approvals should dedicate the proper time to prompts and proofreading to avoid publishing anything that’s irrelevant, contradictory, or out of character for the brand.
2. Wording can make or break trust
It can be tempting to lean into a piece of copy because it sounds beautiful, clever, or compelling – but businesses must ensure they can back up any claims they make. What might seem like just a nice piece of marketing on the surface – or even a harmless mistake – can cause issues if there’s a discrepancy between what a business has said, and what they deliver (or, what they’re allowed to say in terms of compliance).
We’ve seen examples of brands being called out for greenwashing by making incorrect, vague, or unsubstantiated sustainability claims, for overstating the efficacy or use of products, or for misleading customers about offers and discounts; all of which can all get businesses into trouble and cause customer distrust.
While it’s only human to make mistakes now and then, before creating or approving a piece of copy, business owners and managers should ask themselves: is this true and correct? Is it a claim requiring proof, and if so, do we have that?
While reviewing and approving copy can seem like another time-consuming task added to an already overflowing plate, it’s important that it receives the proper level of care to ensure businesses and brands are represented with authenticity, consistency, and accuracy across all touchpoints.
