Copywriting: from “to write copy”. Copy: text, especially of an advertisement, magazine, newspaper, etc.
In some disciplines, and dental marketing is one of them, I think that the art of copywriting got lost or was never used in the first place.
Too many dental websites that I have been asked by dentists to analyze have either what I call “canned” copy: generic informational copy available anywhere on the Internet, or the text has been written for the benefit of search engines (they hope) and not for the human who is making a decision about going into a practice.
So, what is the art of copywriting?
Copywriting as an art really came into its own in the 20th century. Several copywriter/adman giants paved the way and laid the groundwork for writing copy that would pique interest and prompt readers to buy the product or service.
Skills required by a copywriter: good command of the English language, knowledge of the marketing devices that create interest (what headlines, what call to actions, how to write to keep the person engaged), an ability to put themselves in the readers’ shoes and a deep knowledge of the product or service they are writing about.
I read a book featuring interviews with several heads of prominent ad agencies on the subject of copywriting, and they all concurred that the hardest hire in the ad agency was the good copywriter. If I were to wax philosophic, I would say that this difficulty has been the primary factor in the loss of good copywriting in dental marketing.
If you have some free time, you can take a look at a couple of books I have found really useful:
“Ogilvy on Advertising” by David Ogilvy and “Tested Advertising Methods” by John Caples.
We follow in these greats’ tradition and create individualized copy designed to interest website visitors and get them to want the dentist’s services.
If you’d like to know more, give us a call at (855) 486-2410.
Best,
Keith Gilleard
