Building Your Brand: Where Does Copywriting Come into It?

Designers are the go-to when it comes to building the design of your brand but what about when it comes to the writing?

Proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling are necessary skills, but when it comes to business writing, the prime purpose is to hook and persuade.

Branding and Copywriting

Branding and copywriting are like eggs and bacon when it comes to nailing a compelling message. The cost of bad copywriting or an overload of yawn-inducing corporate jargon significantly outweighs the value created by concise copy that gets the message across and compels the reader in the process.

It’s got to be punchy. Just like a teacher knows how to simplify complicated topics into something understandable by making them relatable or telling stories, a good copywriter can take your business and sum it up in just a few words. Not just any words, but words that make the person reading think:

“Damn! They’ve nailed that.”

Brand Identity

If you’re a new or growing business eager to compete in your industry with success, you’ll need to define and present yourself clearly and cohesively. Your ethos and brand values need to be communicated with ease and sincerity.

If you’ve done your research right, chances are you already know what to say; you just don’t know how to say it.

That’s where a brand copywriter comes in.

We take your brand values, your mission, your ethos, and your vision and articulate them with clarity, concision and unique character. We take your "whats," your "whys," and your "hows" and turn them into something that spells "you" - something that establishes your brand identity and tells people who you are.

Which comes first?

Copywriting and branding may go together like bacon and eggs, but it’s the classic debate of chicken or egg when it comes to which should go first.

There is an answer.

Branding before copywriting. Every time. Why?

Solid branding is the cornerstone of any successful business. Without establishing your brand first, your copywriter will find themselves more or less clueless when it comes to creating something that works, and you run the risk of having to do it all again in the future, which leads onto my next point.

Know What You’re About

It’s not the job of your copywriter (nor your designer or branding specialist) to figure you out. That part is your job. Before approaching any of the aforementioned, it’s crucial that you have a clear, firm idea of what your business is about. Our job is to take your input and spin it into something that articulates what you’re all about in the very best way possible. We work to organise, structure and express the ideas your brand or business needs to convey. If you’re at a loss as to what your business is all about then so are we. If you give us insufficient information, it’s likely we’ll turn around something that won’t accurately reflect your brand or serve your goals. After all, how can we reflect something that isn’t there? It’s like working with a cracked mirror; we can’t reflect the full picture, and the bad luck will hit you square in the face when you find yourself having to start from scratch and re-brand everything in the future.

Think About What You like to Read

The last website, brochure or advert that had you hooked. What was it about it that grabbed you? Better yet, think about the number of sites, brochures or adverts you’ve skimmed through within the first few seconds because it bored or confused you. Which would you prefer to be?

Good copywriting doesn’t just save the reader time by keeping things concise and captivating; it also saves you time and money. If all you’ve got is poor copy or a few solid lines before skipping to a reel of what effectively looks like a long haul of Latin, then you’re way off the money. That expensive website you forked out for; consider it a waste. Those 30,000 brochures you printed; breakfast for thousands of bins. Unless keeping bins happy is your goal I’d reconsider your aim.

Original Familiarity

People like originality that feels somehow familiar. This is key. Creativity catches the reader’s attention. After all, as humans, we love seeking out novel experiences. We get bored with cliches, overdone storylines, etc. Originality gives us something new to consider. Equally, familiarity makes it feel relatable to the reader. As humans we typically warm to things we understand. Things that reinforce our sense of identity and make us feel whole inside. Good copy will do both of these things and in turn, strengthen the reader’s idea of your brand and what it stands for.

Tell It with Taglines

Just like a familiar brand name needs no further introduction, a well-considered tagline needs no additional information. Get this part of your branding bob on, and the rest becomes just a bonus to the reader. This includes the slogan for your brand as well as the taglines used through the rest of your site for services or products. A few simple lines are usually all you need to get the bulk of the message across so make sure those few simple lines say it right.

It’s Not Just the Ads That Are Important

The written word can and should be wielded as a tool in everything you do.

Too many businesses frequently put all their effort into a snappy, well-worded ad and neglect the rest of their copy. Sure, the ad might hook the reader at first glance and entice them to read on, but if all they’re faced with when they open your leaflet or brochure or click onto your website is a vast conglomeration of overwhelming jargon trying to force-feed information into their brain like a 12 box of donuts, they’d probably sooner throw up (or throw it away) than read it all; a bit like this sentence.

Every page of your website, every product, every brochure, marketing collateral, leaflet, press release or contract can be transformed into something short, sweet and spectacular if sculpted using the right vernacular. Every single thing you produce should reflect your brand seamlessly with pow and personality, as though it’s perpetually on a passionate first date rather than part of a humdrum, timeworn marriage that’s rapidly gravitating toward divorce.

Think Outside the Box

This one sounds like a cliche, but its meaning is inherently anything but.

Similar to originality, it’s also important to think about how your brand can stand out. What sets you apart from your competitors? Why are you different? Good copy will work outside the box in this way too. As noted, good knowledge of grammar is essential, but we hold a conceptual creative license, and occasionally it’s our calling to break the rules. If technically incorrect grammar helps make the message clearer and more concise, then it’s an ingenious copywriting crime worth committing, and I’ll make no apologies. Nor should you.