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3-2-1 Fridays: Content writing vs. copywriting, a framework for competitive analysis, and why you need to learn content distribution

19 Aug

Welcome to today’s issue of Efikó, a weekly newsletter by me, Dozie Anyaegbunam, focusing on all things content marketing and living your best life. THANK YOU for being here! I appreciate you!

Hey hey,

I have been in a mental funk for most of this week.

But you quickly learn that life goes on. No matter how you feel.

Now to 3-2-1 Friday.

3 Things I Learned This Week

i.

I am not sure, but this week on LinkedIn was one of those weeks where the copywriting vs. content writing debate re-surfaced its boring head again.

My stand: They both need each other. But copywriting ≠ content marketing. This tweet by Aaron Orendorf is a great way to describe the two:

The only thing I would add to this is:

Content marketing = sell

Copywriting = sell

Finito!

ii.

At the core of a well-executed content strategy is excellent competitive analysis. There are tons of frameworks for running one. And some can seem like a lot of work.

And if you are lazy like me, you’ll enjoy this framework.

Step #1: What are the baseline metrics of our website?

You most likely need a tool to run this check - I use Ahrefs. But I look out for:

  • What’s our Domain Rating (DR)? A high DR or one on the up means it’s easier for us to rank for new keywords.

  • What’s the quality of our backlinks and referring domains? If we are getting backlinks from low DR sites or spammy sites. Then we need to cull that list.

Notice I am not looking at traffic (direct or organic). Traffic is a lagging indicator.

Step #2: What’s our internal link map? 

I use Screaming Frog for this check. Here, I am looking out for:

  • Are we linking to our power/money pages?

  • Are we using the links to show Google our topical authority and content themes?

  • Are we using descriptive phrases as our anchor text?

Step #3: Finally, are we too broad or niche with our content?

Publishing velocity is important. But you’re probably better of if you first focused on content themes over velocity.

Google is big on topical authority. And that can be mighty difficult if you are trying to cover many topics. Even websites like MasterClass will find it challenging to outrank a website focused on a niche topic (for example, health and fitness) if they both have the same DR.

So, spend some time understanding the content themes that suit your audience. And double down on publishing all sorts of content and format on those topics.

When I finish this exercise, I usually end up with a SWOT analysis.

iii.

Like paid media, great content marketing is a function of reach and frequency. The more someone reads or watches your content, the more likely they will purchase your product or service.

SO create content. And DISTRIBUTE.

2 Things I am Thinking About

i.

Two ways to change the people around you:

1. Change your approach

2. Change your selection filters

Your behavior is a method for both.

ii.

You will never have peace of mind if you don't have clarity of purpose.

1 Book Recommendation

Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi. This is an old, old book, considering how much the world has changed between 2013 and today. But the author does a superb job of laying out tactics for creating stories that entertain, engage, and nudge your readers to act.

Content Writing Jobs - August

All the best, folks.

P.S: I’m just the messenger. I know nothing more than what I include here.

Thanks for reading this far. I am grateful!

Be good out there. If you can't be good, be careful

I’ll be back on 8/26.

Dozie