This is the Ultimate Marketing Skill Everyone Should Learn
Until about a year ago, I never thought of my ability to communicate as anything out of the ordinary, nor anything particularly useful. Since then, however, I’ve realized that the art of articulate communication is something that can (and has!) put money in my pocket.
Why is marketing a thing? Because we want to improve our businesses. And while it’s tempting to think that learning the latest trends or software or analytics is going to help us accomplish those things (they can), I’m here to argue that writing is a skill that is infinitely more useful for a number of reasons.
Writing never becomes outdated. It is universally applicable. It will benefit every area of your business.
Don’t believe me? That’s ok. I didn’t either for the longest time.
I get it: writing, and clear communication in general, is hard. Yeah we can speak English, but I know more people who take pride in being a very casual, frank, direct speaker with poor grammatical skills than I do people who take pride in being English majors.
I am not here to say learning to write well isn’t going to be difficult.
I’m not going to say it won’t take a lot of time (it might). I’m not going to say everyone can do it (I don’t know). But what I am here to say is, for the reasons listed below, it is infinitely useful, and I believe you should seriously consider making this the next big thing you pour your heart and soul into.
Real quick, for clarity’s sake: What is the definition of copywriting?
Copywriting is the written word intended to advertise, market, or sell a product or service.
That’s literally it. It’s just written words with the purpose to sell something. But while there are many branches of copywriting as a profession, when I discuss it as a marketing skill, I am primarily talking about copywriting as the ability to clearly articulate anything.
Fair enough? Ok. Now let’s jump in.
Here are the reasons I think copywriting is the ultimate marketing skill.
1. It is used in a million different applications
Don’t believe me? Here are just a handful of the most prominent ways a business can use copywriting:
Educational social media posts
Social media captions
Blogs (obviously…)
Email marketing
Video scripts
Company newsletters
Product launch copy
Advertising campaign headlines and taglines
Sooooo much more.
If you thought these fell underneath their respective titles, you’re kind of right, but you’re also wrong.
See, chances are, in some form or another, you are already utilizing copywriting to better your business or company. This is great! Now I encourage you to become more intentional about what you’re writing and how it can benefit you thereafter.
2. Both internal & external company benefits
Traditional copywriting, you might be thinking, is more about writing a catchy ad or coming up with a clever tag line. This is true! That’s one of the applications of copywriting.
But the skill that copywriting gives you—being able to clearly articulate your thoughts easily—is a skill that will benefit you as you seek to be a coworker, a peer, a manager, a project leader, or a staff member.
If you can clearly communicate your viewpoint to these people, and allow them to see your belief really quickly and easily, you’re at a great advantage in succeeding together.
3. Copywriting transcends time
I’ve already hinted at this one in this blog but it’s entirely true. Think about it: how many other marketing skills can you learn that aren’t, in some way, dependent on technology or other things beyond your control?
If you’re not super technologically savvy, that’s ok! Copywriting involves little more than a keyboard and your brain. And as the application that you’re using advances, changes, becomes obsolete, your brain and your way of communication won’t.
There will never not be a need for businesses and companies to communicate their message and beliefs clearly. You can be that person and never go out of a job.
4. A great idea poorly communicated is wasted
I want you to imagine a board room full of brilliant people who are batting around ideas for a new marketing campaign for a new product. Much to our pleasure, they end the meeting with something that is honestly just insanely brilliant.
They hand that idea off to marketing to take across the finish line. Know what happens if no one in the department knows how to communicate effectively?
You get tackled, and your competitor takes the idea you tried to bring to life, and runs in the opposite direction with it, scoring the game-winning touch down, winning the Grey Cup, and making out with your girlfriend. Rough night.
I’m exaggerating a little here but the point remains: Things live and die by your words.
A great idea poorly executed is a complete waste. A mediocre idea with excellent execution is more likely to stick.
Again - we’re reaching beyond the things software can give us. The human element of copywriting—all the experience the writer brings to the way they write—is something you can’t fake, and you can’t build in a lab.
5. It is widely adaptable
Let’s imagine for a second that (gasp!) you might not always work your current job. What do you do after it?
Copywriting is one of the few skills I believe is widely adaptable to a variety of different career paths. Can you name a single industry where clear communication (through written word especially, but spoken among peers will do) isn’t vital? Or at the very least a gigantic asset?
Let me make this as abundantly clear as possible: your life will never suffer because you are able to effectively communicate. Period. So why wouldn’t you try to learn that skill?
6. Being articulate makes you a better person
Here’s an unconventional take: if you can clearly communicate, I believe you’re going to:
Get into far fewer personal conflicts,
Be able to resolve quicker the ones you do find yourself in, and
Better learn how to avoid conflicts altogether.
Probably with me so far on that, right? We can follow the bouncing ball here?
I don’t believe that being articulate and well spoken (on their own) are enough to make you a calm or patient person, but I think the ability to understand people better—and make yourself understood better—will bring you a lot closer to empathy with all people.
I think the better you become at speaking your thoughts clearly, the more you recognize how difficult it is for like… 75% of the population. One of two things either happens at that point:
You become more frustrated that more people can’t speak as clearly as you, or
You become more patient in realizing most people can’t speak as clearly as you.
I’m willing to bet you’ll fall into the second one.
In Conclusion:
Recognizing that copywriting is helpful is the easy part.
Learning copywriting—and effective, clear communication—is the difficult part.
I don’t have a resource to teach you how to do that (yet), but I encourage you to take a run at it. Spearhead projects that involve a lot of communication. You might fail a lot, sure, but what a great opportunity to learn! Eventually everyone figures out how to ride a bike, right? Why would copywriting be different?
