Putting creative teammates in a stronger position of control over content marketing strategies is a top priority at Brafton.

In the past 12 months, digital content has lurched heavily toward the visual. These days we instinctively recognize the look of a web page to be as important as the copy itself. Mobile optimized sites tend to place less of a priority on depth of writing and more on creating content that pops on the page.

At Brafton, we welcome this progression and work relentlessly to stay ahead of best practice. Video, design and UX consultancy are increasing staples of the content marketing solutions we deliver our clients. But what does this mean for the role of the content writer? Less important a player than before? Not so central a force in the content creation process?

Quite the opposite. Good content writers are like good architects. They sketch an idea, galvanize a team, and begin to assemble materials. From this blueprint everything flows.

My current priority as CEO at Brafton is two-fold:
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1. To develop aggressively and with sophistication the visual aspect of our work on behalf of our clients

2. To empower our staff writers, and related creatives, to more heavily engage in devising and ​executing ​content strategies themselves

It isn’t rocket science. A writer will often have the best ideas for what works most effectively on a website from an editorial perspective. When a writer is involved in the strategic process, discussing firsthand a client’s marketing goals, she will understand in a tangible way what’s truly important.

​A writer is on the frontlines of your web presence

A marketing team will have a strong vision for what a company’s brand guidelines should be, but it’s the writer who is executing it on a regular basis. Keeping the writer involved in the conversation ensures consistency of objective. A brand is defined by its voice, and ultimately a writer has both the opportunity and the challenge of crafting a brand’s voice every day.

richard pattinson quote 1It’s a virtuous circle. A ​marketer’s first instinct on a website is​ often​ to analyze where traffic is coming from, how conversions are being made and the amount of time a reader stays on the site. A writer instinctively views a website with different criteria in mind. Quality of content, editorial style and brand voice are primary concerns. Close collaboration around strategy helps to ensure commercial and content objectives are in alignment.

Everything flows back to the spirit of collaboration. At Brafton, we encourage our writers to generate and help guide commercial and creative ideas. At the same time we stress the importance of collaborating with our strategists and with colleagues from our video, graphic design and social media teams, to produce the richest and most engaging approach for our clients.

A writer knows how to tell a story

Over 60 percent of people say they remember unique stories, whereas only 5 percent remember individual statistics ​. A marketing strategy is only as good as the story it tells, and it takes a mix of marketing savvy and creativity to write a story. I’m not advocating that everyone hire George R. R. Martin to weigh in on their content marketing campaigns – as we know, he doesn’t have much consideration for deadlines. But a creative team in the context of a professional environment will see opportunity others may miss.

richard pattinson quote 2Brafton’s editorial team is comprised of experienced, in-house professionals. We have more than 175 full-time staffers across our content creation teams. A quarter of our writing staff are at senior level, and that figure grows month on month. As we’ve expanded our editorial offerings in line with the demands of a fast-evolving industry, we have introduced more than ten specialized writing and editorial support roles.

All in all, our writers are more visible and accessible to our clients than ever before. Unlike content shops that match writing assignments with freelancers on an ad hoc basis, Brafton’s in-house editorial staff offers dedicated content writers for your content marketing needs. ​​We know how to tell stories that work.

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But we don’t rest on our laurels. We are working hard to give our writers the additional training and support to make sure they are the strongest possible participants in helping craft and deliver content strategies that delight our clients. That’s a big development piece for our business and a true differentiator within the industry. And it’s happening already in Brafton, across teams and across offices.

Copy is the glue that holds the page today, that signposts and directs the reader. A well-written headline, captions that make immediate sense within the context of the page, convincing copy and the smart interplay between design elements and text: These are the building blocks of strong digital content, and the writer is central to the plan.

Learn more about our content writers:

Elements_Yellow_Misc_PencilPaperWhat makes a good content writer? 

Inspired writers produce the most magnetic content 

Richard ​is responsible for Brafton’s accelerated growth that has earned its place on Inc.’s fastest growing U.S. companies list for three consecutive years. ​He has been at the helm of Brafton’s market development since his days as the editor in chief, when he implemented cutting edge content products and services to encompass text, video, graphics and website optimization solutions.