The absolute minimum you need to know about brand copywriting

The brand is the face of the company. It is how consumers perceive your brand and product or service, so it’s logical that brand copywriting – writing brand names, slogans and taglines – should be done artfully and with great care.

brand copywriting

As a business owner, you already know brand copywriting isn’t just an art form; it’s vital to success. Brand copywriting affects revenue in two ways: 1) Customers satisfied with their experience will become advocates for your brand, sharing word-of-mouth marketing with colleagues and friends. That leads to what marketers call the top of the funnel effect, where new customers enter through customer referral through brand awareness campaigns 2) The language used in branding also influences brand perception, which can influence purchase behaviour.

Since brand copywriting is so important, it’s essential to understand what you need to know as a business owner. Let’s look at some key points explaining brand copywriting and the effect it has on brand success.

A brand name needs to communicate value in just four words or less

Your brand name should describe precisely what your brand offers customers. For example, Apple Computer communicates that they are a technology brand. At the same time, KFC (after years and years of superior branding) tells consumers exactly what they’ll straight up to get. We all know it stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken. While unique brand names are typically more memorable, there are several variables to be aware of before launching a branding campaign:

  1. Does the name emphasise benefits or features?
  2. How easy is it to brand across multiple channels?
  3. Can the brand name be used as a verb, i.e., Skype?

Customer equity impacts brand influence and brand salience

Research shows that brand equity contributes directly to brand value, so it’s worth investing in. Customer equity or brand loyalty can affect revenue by increasing purchasing frequency and purchase volume.

It is essential to consider that brand familiarity does not necessarily lead to preference because people can grow accustomed to seeing a particular brand without forming an opinion about its quality. On the other hand, if consumers prefer a specific brand over another, they will seek out information about that brand even when no direct purchases are involved. As you can see, maintaining customer equity is vital for good business, and you can do that through really cleverly crafted copywriting and assets.

A brand’s personality gives it an edge over competitors.

Today, brand influence is driven by brand personality. You’ve probably heard the acronym ASP— authentic, sincere and professional— used to describe the brand character. It is a simple way to explain three components of brand building:

1) Brand positioning – why a brand exists

2) brand personality – what role a brand plays in consumers’ lives

3) Brand behaviour – how a brand behaves

These three elements make up a brand’s ‘DNA’ – its fundamental values that communicate trustworthiness or fun, for example. The critical thing here is that brands with personalities are more likely to be remembered by customers because they trigger emotional responses which influence purchase decisions. In other words, brand personality is the foundation of brand success, and you can convey that through written and visual assets and marketing.

Taglines are the brand’s short and sweet pitch to customers

A brand tagline is a slogan that expresses the brand essence in just a few words. Taglines usually define brand positioning or position brand attributes. For example, McDonald’s’ motto ‘I’m lovin’ it’ tells customers why they should be excited about their brand experience. It also uses wordplay to communicate that McDonald’s offers lots of love and not just food. A good tagline should resonate with consumers long after hearing or reading it because it conveys an emotional message.

mcdonalds brand copywriting

The best brands express something unique about themselves through their taglines. But make sure you choose your words carefully! Research shows that specific phrases are more memorable than others. For example, ‘Just Do It’ is a much better brand catchphrase than ‘Just Don’t Do It’.

Don’t forget about brand colours

Colours are powerful when it comes to brand identity. They are the first thing consumers notice when they see your brand in action, so it’s essential to choose wisely. According to research, people immediately judge products based on colour alone— before they digest any other brand information. Colours also affect purchasing behaviour because people tend to buy shades that reflect their personalities or moods. That means you need to consider all the different ways your brand will be viewed in order for colour choice to impact sales success.

It’s worth noting that brand colour is not the same as brand personality. The moral? Before finalising your brand colours, make sure you think about what emotions they should evoke and how that will affect brand salience.

Your brand name represents a successful investment

There’s no denying it: names can be hard to come up with and even harder to test. That’s why we often end up with nonsensical or abstract brand names like Google, Twitter or Pinterest. But this doesn’t mean these brands don’t have beneficial brand equity. Research shows that solid brand associations can offset brand names that are difficult to understand or remember.

The best brand names represent a brand’s personality and meet customer expectations. It is also good to avoid trendy words because they rarely last more than five years. Lastly, make sure brand names suit your brand positioning and limit the scope of future product lines. Please don’t underestimate the importance of this final point. Recently, we’ve seen some big brands change their name (e.g., Yahoo! became Altaba) for better or worse. It can have a considerable impact on consumer perception!

What you need to know when hiring a brand copywriting expert

Every brand is trying to get a particular message across. For example, every brand wants to make their customers feel a specific emotion towards them before purchasing their products and services. This is why brand copywriting is essential. When hiring a brand copywriter, you need to know several things to get the best results from your brand copywriting service. Here are three of these things:

1) What brand copywriting isn’t

Brand copywriting often gets confused with content writing which leads some people astray when buying brand copywriting. Content writing can be compared to a recipe book, whereas brand copywriting is more like an instructional cooking video or audio instructions.

2) What brand copywriting includes

When you get brand copywriting, you’re getting brand content and assets for the life of the business. They are not disposable written assets, and they are foundational blocks to building your business. It’s not like an SEO content article that might not suit the business direction within two years. There is longevity and gravity to brand copywriting. That’s why it’s essential to contract a brand copywriter that is the best fit for you and has plenty of provable experience and understanding of the marketing industry.

3) What a brand storyteller does

A brand storyteller works with a client by helping them tell their brand’s stories in a way that resonates with customers/prospects. With any brand copywriting, I will often get my client to supply me with their target audience information and conduct a briefing meeting so I can really get to know the brand and the person or people being the business.

Whether you are refreshing your existing brand or starting a new business, please get in touch for some expert brand copywriting today.