Marketing Monday: What do copywriters even do?

Last week I discovered the article I'm about to share just after a conversation where I'd spoken with someone about what I do: it was a very confusing conversation until I realized that she'd heard "copyright" instead of "copywrite".

It's nice to know that I'm in good company.

It's also nice to know that I'm not alone in struggling to explain exactly what a copywriter does. I generally say (perhaps not entirely helpfully) that everything you see in writing from a business - whether it's a menu, billboard, description of an item in a catalog, tweet, blog post, or something in long form like a press release or white paper - has to be written by someone. That's the business I'm in. It's an inelegant and incomplete description (SEO! General marketing concepts! Best practices! Analytics!) but seems to get the point across.

"Ironically, one of the big problems in communicating what copywriters do is a lack of clarity around the definition of the word itself. Turns out, like a doctor that smokes, copywriters aren’t very good at communicating the nuances of their role."

At any rate, this article breaks it down nicely.

Photo from mashable.com
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Marketing Monday: Resources

I have had a few conversations recently about staying plugged in to the world of content, marketing, and social, and how various people do that. As a content builder and marketer, I am always looking for recommendations for good sources, and am happy to share my own.

To that end, here are a few of my favorites, which are also captured in my Twitter Marketing list.

Mashable - Always a good resource for staying on top of everything from news to trends to tech. For instance, I was surprised to see today that Peeple (the 'Yelp for people') is back. Thanks for that depressing news, Mashable.

AdWeek - Often entertaining, always informative. Today what caught my interest was this article on Brawny's new campaign, and this one about new offline sales tracking tools for use in conjunction with Facebook ads (smart for everyone involved).

Hootsuite - Often tweets links to its content, which is often about content, to complement their app - which helps you get your content to your people and beyond. Did you get all that? Recently this article caught my eye: things brands should pay attention to about protecting their brand on social media. Not necessarily a new take, but always a good reminder.

BuzzFeed - Say what you will about listicles and quizzes regarding which Harry Potter house you'd be in (Gryffindor, Slytherin, or Hufflepuff, depending on which Sorting Hat I ask): Following BuzzFeed is an absolute must for keeping your finger on the pulse of world news, entertainment, and culture. It's a good way to get a sense of what's trending, what's hot, and what's in focus. Plus I really dig their Publisher and what she has to say about the intersection of data and content. I respect a person who respects both the data and its context.

HubSpot - Cannot overlook this one. This article is a great resource for anyone starting out in social media marketing.

And of course, Google. If ever I'm curious about a topic or an issue Google almost always has the answer. Recently I've been researching and reading up on SEO, a topic that I'm unfortunately not terribly well-versed in.

What's caught your eye lately, and what are your marketing resource go-tos?

Marketing, yo!

Friday Find: Marketing Chitchat

I have several half-written posts languishing in the drafts folder. I had all the best intentions this week, but you know how some weeks are.
One such post involved touching on a few recent marketing tidbits I'd discovered, including conversation around a marketing event that was basically over as fast as it began. But the thing is, I never tire of talking about marketing. I always enjoy reading/hearing others' perspectives, and if there's something to learn then it's never too late to discuss. I spend a lot of time reading about this type of thing, and while I do share some of it over on Twitter, there's always more to discuss and I've been meaning to bring more of that to this space.

So first, are you up on the Beyoncé/Red Lobster brouhaha? In a nutshell, Beyoncé released a song just before the Super Bowl that was, as always, perfectly timed. It sailed through pop culture on a wave of Beyoncé hype just before the Super Bowl. There was mention of Red Lobster being used as a reward for, let's say, good behavior. It was vulgar (listen, Google it. We're all adults, but I'm trying to keep things at least PG-13), but it was certainly a golden opportunity to be capitalized on by a nimble, agile, on-the-ball Red Lobster marketing team. Unfortunately for them, social media moves at lightning speed, and if you don't respond in kind, you get left behind. As social media was blowing up with jokes and mentions of Red Lobster & Bey, Red Lobster took an excruciating 8 hours to reply; and so instead of also being lifted up by that hype wave and riding it victoriously to shore, their misjudgement in timing caused them to instead be crushed by said wave.

When Red Lobset did finally arrive with a joke about Cheddar Bey biscuits, the response was swift and cutting. From what I saw, the general consensus was that it was kind of lame on its own, but could've been mostly-sort-of okay if it were to have been tweeted out immediately.

At any rate, here's a breakdown of it all that I enjoyed.

One of the highlights for me is this quote: ""If there was a template, everyone would do it," says Hofstetter. "That’s why the Oreo tweet won and so many others failed trying. It’s critical to take into consideration both content and context, the author and what their POV represents, and whether or not that’s part of your brand’s belief system.""

Which reminded me of another great discovery this week: this interview with BuzzFeed's publisher, about where data and content meet. There are so many gems in it that I'd essentially like to just quote the entire thing, which is why I recommend you read it. I particularly love what she has to say about what data can and can't tell you, and the importance of intuition, team work, and other factors in determining what will/won't/currently does work. I love everything about this piece. Fascinating.

Have a great weekend, folks!