E53: Choosing A Copy-First Digital Strategy in a Video World

Renia Carsillo

Small Stage, Big Impact

Small Stage, Big Impact

Are you tired of bro marketing, manipulative algorithms, and sales funnels that encourage you to ‘trip’ a prospect to make her buy more? Then you’re in the right place.

On Small Stage, Big Impact veteran digital strategist, Renia Carsillo, combines solo teaching episodes with interviews to help you learn how to build a sustainable, people-first digital strategy that works for your business. Along the way, she speaks to digital activists, upstart developers, badass content creators, brave community leaders, and other behind-the-scenes folx you probably haven’t heard on a podcast before. To help you answer one important question:

How do we do better digital (#DoBetterDigital) so we can be better humans?

Are you underinvesting in the most critical piece of your digital strategy?

In today’s episode, we discuss why a copy-first digital marketing strategy makes the most sense, even in a video world.

Copy is the words you use to market your brand and sell your product. It’s the number one thing that connects you to your audience and convinces them to take the action you want them to take. Without good copy, your digital strategy has no foundation to stand on.

You’re probably thinking, “What about design? And a good-looking website? And all the technical stuff?”

While those things are important, without good copy, none of that matters. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes on the internet to see that even ugly things sell. But bad copy undermines even the best-laid designs.

Today we talk about how to create good copy and where to pay attention to it in your strategy.

Copywriting is not the same as creative writing. Copy is a conversation between you and your clients, and it must follow some general formulas to be effective.

I’ve said before that I only have a few hard rules when it comes to digital marketing. One of them is this:

Marketers need to either learn how to write good copy or hire someone who does.

Many of our clients do a mix of both.

A great copywriter is an investment, and you often get what you pay for. If you’re not at a place where you can hire a full-time copywriter, you’ll need to learn a few things about writing at least some of it yourself. Today I’ll be giving you tips on how to get the most out of either route.

And for those who’ve got this copy thing down, you’ll still want to check out today’s episode for all the unexpected places where the words you choose matter. Have you considered:

Voice search?
Video tags?
The FAQ page?
SRT files?

In values-driven marketing, we put people first. That means thinking through every connection point between you and your audience.

Are you offering value every step of the way?

Is your message clear and accessible?

I’ve packed a lot into today’s episode, so we’re sharing a free checklist to help you keep things straight. We use this checklist with our own projects to make sure the copy aligns with our values and standards.

Get your Free Copy and Formatting Checklist here.

Are you ready to #DoBetterDigital with accessible, compelling copy?

Listen to episode 53 now!

In episode 53 of Small Stage, Big Impact we discuss:

[7:31] Tips for choosing a great copywriter who will get results
[12:56] Tips for writing effective copy that will move people to act
[18:19] Why video content still needs effective copy
[22:30] How to make the most out of voice search with a copy-first strategy
[26:10] Why FAQs and question-based headlines are essential for optimal search rankings
[28:04] Why you should get comfortable with Schema to mark up your content
[30:50] How mobile-first, local-centric copy can increase visibility and traffic
[32:08] How formatting for styling can hurt your digital strategy and how to fix it

Resources mentioned by Renia in the episode:

Are you underinvesting in the most critical piece of your digital strategy?

In today’s episode, we discuss why a copy-first digital marketing strategy makes the most sense, even in a video world.

Copy is the words you use to market your brand and sell your product. It’s the number one thing that connects you to your audience and convinces them to take the action you want them to take. Without good copy, your digital strategy has no foundation to stand on.

You’re probably thinking, “What about design? And a good-looking website? And all the technical stuff?”

While those things are important, without good copy, none of that matters. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes on the internet to see that even ugly things sell. But bad copy undermines even the best-laid designs.

Today we talk about how to create good copy and where to pay attention to it in your strategy.

Copywriting is not the same as creative writing. Copy is a conversation between you and your clients, and it must follow some general formulas to be effective.

I’ve said before that I only have a few hard rules when it comes to digital marketing. One of them is this:

Marketers need to either learn how to write good copy or hire someone who does.

Many of our clients do a mix of both.

A great copywriter is an investment, and you often get what you pay for. If you’re not at a place where you can hire a full-time copywriter, you’ll need to learn a few things about writing at least some of it yourself. Today I’ll be giving you tips on how to get the most out of either route.

And for those who’ve got this copy thing down, you’ll still want to check out today’s episode for all the unexpected places where the words you choose matter. Have you considered:

Voice search?
Video tags?
The FAQ page?
SRT files?

In values-driven marketing, we put people first. That means thinking through every connection point between you and your audience.

Are you offering value every step of the way?

Is your message clear and accessible?

I’ve packed a lot into today’s episode, so we’re sharing a free checklist to help you keep things straight. We use this checklist with our own projects to make sure the copy aligns with our values and standards.

Get your Free Copy and Formatting Checklist here.

Are you ready to #DoBetterDigital with accessible, compelling copy?

Listen to episode 53 now!

Also Available on YouTube with Custom Captions for Non-Hearing

Episode 53 Recap

[7:31] Tips for choosing a great copywriter who will get results
[12:56] Tips for writing effective copy that will move people to act
[18:19] Why video content still needs effective copy
[22:30] How to make the most out of voice search with a copy-first strategy
[26:10] Why FAQs and question-based headlines are essential for optimal search rankings
[28:04] Why you should get comfortable with Schema to mark up your content
[30:50] How mobile-first, local-centric copy can increase visibility and traffic
[32:08] How formatting for styling can hurt your digital strategy and how to fix it

Resources Mentioned in Episode 53

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Small Stage, Big Impact is hosted by Renia Carsillo (that’s me!). I am hardcore passionate and committed to bringing the systems and strategies that give big brands an unfair advantage to local businesses. For that reason, I created the Local Rock Star Intensive, where I help local business owners use their small stage to have a BIG impact. Thank you for being here and reading this far!

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