Copywriting tips: knowing your context, keeping it relevant

No matter how purposeful and neatly crafted your copy is — if it’s not actually aligned with and contributing to the big picture, it’s not adding any value. In other words, it’s fluff.

And in a deafening online landscape, filled with mostly extraneous white noise… ain’t nobody got time for fluff.

Valuable copy is relevant copy.

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

– Plato

So… how does your copy resonate with your brand and audience needs? How do your words create relevance?

It’s all about context…

Context creates relevance

The relevance (and therefore, the value) of any piece of given content is judged on context.

The moment a visitor to your site opens a web page, they’re automatically asking themselves:

How does this relate to a situation (a context) that is relevant to me? Why should I care?

So, the three key contexts behind any piece of relevant and valuable business related writing are:

• Target audience
• Business strategy
• Brand story

Target audience

Questions to ask:

• Who is your reader?
• What do we know about their behaviours and habits — and the language they’re using to find with this content?
• What problems do they experience (which this content could help solve)?

Business strategy

Questions to ask:

• Which specific business goals does this content contribute to?
• What value will this content add to business/customer journeys?
• How can that impact or value be measured?

Brand story

Questions to ask:

• How does this content reflect or carry your brand’s story — the things you want people to think and feel about you when you’re not in the room?
• Which specific brand values does this content embody?
• Is the tone and voice of this copy aligned with the brand’s?

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