When people are presented with these three, they often think that these are generally the same. In a way, you can probably say that, but then again, no, not really. These three are elements that help make a website succeed, and in order for your site to get, keep, and convert traffic, these three have to be well thought-out.
To help you understand how these three are connected and why these should always be present on your site, here are definitions for each.
Content Strategy – this involves the planning of the content that is to go on a site and other elements that will affect it. Included in this is the creation of a content calendar, keyword research, and layout ideas for how the content should look. Content is not only the written word however, but also includes other things like images, videos, and everything else that people will want to check out on your site. When creating a content strategy, content creators and web designers need to work hand-in-hand in order to create optimal pages that look good and have compelling content at the same time.
Content Marketing – people sometimes confuse this with content strategy, and for a good reason. Both need to be planned and both need to be somewhat strategic. Content marketing however is the act of planning, creation and distribution of external content that will compel people to go to your site, while content strategy has something to do with the content on the site itself. The similarities these two have are in the planning and strategizing. You will need to be strategic about what goes on your site and what you post on other channels, and this is in order to maximize on the effects of these two.
Copywriting – this is the act of creating copy for the website and for the content marketing efforts of the site. The content that is created through writing is dictated by a content calendar (which you create while developing your content strategy and content marketing plans), and is often tweaked to carry links that lead to pages within the site, or pages that lead to the site itself. You will need a skilled writer to do this, or a subject matter expert, if your site requires rather technical copy to be written.
So, how do these three belong in the same pod? Yes, they are somewhat different but are somehow the same, and yes these all work for the same website, but each with a different function. In order for each one to do its work however, it has to start with the goals for the website being set and for everyone working on the site to know what these goals are. This will help everyone – writers, web designers, graphic artists – know how to collaborate properly in order to achieve what the site is aiming for. A well thought-out content strategy will help in the creation of an effective content marketing plan and the making of compelling content for both the site and outside portals, which will all serve one thing – the website.
