A great story is meant to be told

The salesperson explained enthusiastically that the t-shirt’s graphic is the logo of the brand, Topo Ranch, that was founded by folks whose ancestors were survivors of the Donner Party. And that their family did actually own land called ‘Topo Ranch’ from the 1800s until they lost it to the Great Depression. The store’s mission is to continue the legacy of their predecessors–supplying quality goods–and someday buy back the 20,000-acre ranch. And so they named their brand after the property, chose the ranch’s namesake for their logo, and gave it wings to symbolize their dream taking flight.

As a history buff and marketer, I was completely intrigued. Not only was the t-shirt soft and high quality; the graphics meant something that held value. It was an authentic story of pioneering spirit and endurance. Needless to say, I bought the t-shirt.

Turn your customers into storytellers

A compelling brand story is one of the vital components of a great brand, be it t-shirts, video games or technology. Your brand’s story gives your brand a why and a what. A reason to exist and a core essence that set it apart from your competitors. It intrigues your customer, creates an emotional and visceral connection with your product, working its way into their consciousness, to be accessed and passed on again and again. The important thing is that your customer (your free brand ambassador) knows this story—that he/she hears it from your sales staff and your website, your product packaging, your facebook page and your tweets.

Empowering all facets of your marketing to tell the story is a cost-effective way to empower your brand. It might even give it wings.

So what does all that mean for copywriters who have built their careers on catchy ad slogans? For the savvy copywriter who knows how to evolve, it can spell opportunity.

Consider these points:

Internet search is based on words – Web sites are ranked according to the fancy algorithms that google and other search engines employ. Those algorithms are based in large part on written content, e.g. how many times a word is used on a page; whether a word is bold or not; whether graphics and tags have descriptive text to support them; and so on.

Keywords drive awareness – In today’s 2.0 world, it’s all about relevance. Fancy graphics and classic TV spots might grab your attention (interrupt you), but well-chosen words written by smart copywriters can connect relevant messages to the right audience.

Social media is based on written conversation – Twitter and Facebook are based on written conversations. Copywriters should learn how to join those conversations for their benefit, and the benefit of their clients.

Traditional media is not dead – Even though some forms of traditional marketing are decreasing in importance, they are by no means gone. Flyers and brochures, press releases, videos, case studies, white papers, print and web ads – all of these techniques are still used across marketing departments and throughout agencies.

Companies still need messaging – I’ve saved the most important for last. Everything above is just a tactic. Crafting corporate and product messages, and ensuring that they are flowing through the right forms of media in the right way, is still critical to a company’s success.

Marketing is changing. There is no doubt about that. But with that change has come new opportunity, especially for copywriters who are willing to embrace the shifting landscape.