Why Copywriting Gets Overlooked

A few weeks ago, I was reading a post over at Men With Pens.  In it, James shared a letter from a reader that spoke of his frustration with his team at work because they were privileging design over copy.  This led to the question, which is more important, design or copy?

My purpose in this post is not to determine which is more important, design or copy, but rather to highlight the importance of not neglecting one or the other.  Specifically, I have found that in working with a lot of businesses, the emphasis is often put on design while copy is neglected.

That’s a mistake.

Why Design Gets More Attention

I see it all the time, especially on the web.  Businesses decide they need an online presence, so they hire a web designer.  They might even hire a graphic designer.  If they hire good ones, the end result is they get a website that looks beautiful.  The business owner is happy because now he’s got a shiny new site.  What does the site say?  He’s not sure because his web guy asked him to provide some copy, so he banged something out in fifteen minutes and the web guy stuck it in there.

Then the business realizes they need to get traffic to the site. So they start advertising, or SEO’ing, or doing whatever it is they do to get people going to the site.  Something’s wrong though.  People are showing up at the pretty site and nothing’s happening.  All these leads are not converting.

That’s because the copy sucks.

So, how did the copy get missed in all of the above?  Most entrepreneurs can’t design a website, so they have to hire someone to do it for them.  Most aren’t great graphic artists, so they need to hire someone to make a logo for them.  Most will look for help in advertising their site.  However, all of them know how to write.  Copy is nothing more than words on a page, right?  That means that everyone who can write can produce copy, right? That means that it doesn’t matter who writes your copy, right? Wrong.

Entrepreneurs overlook copy because they assume that anyone can produce copy.  And if anyone can produce it, then it can’t be as important as something that you need a specialized skill set to produce.

It’s true that anyone who can write can produce copy.  The issue is that most people don’t know how to produce good copy.  Copywriting is a profession with a low barrier to entry.  Anyone with a word processor can label himself a copywriter.  Compare that to a graphic artist who needs to have skill with certain software, as well as an artistic eye before he can produce something that clients won’t laugh at.

Because there are a lot of people out there who started hammering at a keyboard and calling themselves copywriters, it’s easy to assume that copywriters are a dime a dozen and it doesn’t require a whole lot of skill to be one.

However, if the entrepreneur is paying attention to his conversion rates (and he should be), he’ll notice that’s not the case.

Why Copy is Just As Important

The problem with letting just anyone write your copy is that you end up a with piece that’s all style and no substance.

Good copy builds trust.

Good copy guides customers through the buying process.

Good copy helps the customer choose.

Good copy sells.

Sure, just about anyone can write.  But can just anyone write something that does all of the above?

One argument for privileging design over copy is that, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  I don’t doubt that, but which thousand words is it saying?  The trouble with relying on a visual message is that people interpret visuals differently, and so it’s impossible to be hyper-specific with an image.  An image gives the customer a vague sense of what you want her to see, feel and do.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but if I only have one shot to get my point across, I’d rather use a thousand written words to make sure there is no mistaking what I’m saying.

Does that mean that you should go fire your graphic designer, strip down your website and post a text-only version instead?  Of course not.  Design is also important.  Design can do a lot to set the emotional triggers needed to encourage the purchasing process.  Not to mention that design is what creates the first impression.  When walking into a store in the mall, the first thing you notice is the decor and the layout.  The store could be selling the greatest product in the world, but more than half the people that walk in won’t stay long enough to actually appreciate it if it’s not well decorated.

My goal is not to shift focus away from design.  It is to ensure that the design exists to complement solid copy.

Copy is the most important part of your marketing.  Don’t be so naive as to think you can get away without giving it as much attention as you do your design.

What’s your take?  What’s your process for creating marketing campaigns?  Do you start with a design and then insert the copy?  Do you do it the other way around?  Am I overstating the importance of copy?  Let me know in the comments.