Copywriter in Cyprus: The reality of writing for marketing, sales and advertising in a small Mediterranean country

Copywriters in Cyprus are a rare, distinguished and misunderstood breed.

The country is still (but quickly) catching up to the concept of professional wordsmiths specializing in targeted written content for marketing, sales, advertising and public relations.

However, the traditionalist family-oriented closed-circle culture of this small Mediterranean island tends to always adapt swiftly once it picks up on the tried-and-tested benefits of something new (see how fast, although late in the game, Cypriots adopted digital marketing).

In the not-so-distant past, most business owners in Cyprus have disregarded the power of carefully arranged wording that will dictate life or death for their business's image, sales and viability.

This reality was not because of negligence, but because no one showed them the way to negotiating and convincing in a single headline, or engaging is results-oriented direct marketing with a short 1-minute-read email.

They were unprepared to see the value that comes from a specialized service that turns words into SALESMANSHIP IN PRINT that can reach thousands in a day, and convert to leads, sales and direct revenue with minimal effort.

In essence, the "copy = money" rule was picked up by only a few in the local business culture, the few who made leaps in their growth, leading their markets while leaving everyone else behind wondering how they did it.

For this reason, most Cypriot business owners in the past casually assigned their written content, marketing copy, advertising, public relations and proofreading to generic office administrators, personal assistants or even family members, believing that no one really reads anymore.

But your sales prospects DO read what you have to say. They might not read for more than 8 seconds each time they come across one of your posts or peripherals, but that's all you need!

Good copy is like good manners; it is expected as a show of respect to your audience.

But now, business owners in Cyprus are FAST acknowledging the value of professional copywriting in gaining a competitive edge and in sustaining their business continuity.

They now see the opportunity of staying relevant in their market by leveraging the power of the written word to positively sway opinions and constructively guide their audiences to make informed personalized purchases.

And this is what copywriters do. They inform, educate and open the minds of specific audiences to the value that new possibilities can bring to them.

Copywriters are different to literary writers, journalists or technical writers. Writing copy is all about psychoanalyzing your audience to then apply principles of psychology, marketing and sales to create intrigue, grasp your readership’s attention, and convert into engagement or direct sales, fast and hassle free.

So, how are things shaping up for Cyprus copywriters?

Well, this is my prediction:

In 2019, medium-to-large Cyprus-based businesses who value their written salesmanship (or copy), not to mention their image, recognized the need for at least one resident copywriter as well as assigning projects to freelancers for a bit of talent variety. On the other hand, most small businesses in Cyprus assigned the management of their social media, digital marketing and web content to specialized copywriters or social media managers with a knack for writing copy.

In the market of Cyprus, copywriters are getting savvier and more competitive on a global level. They stay up to date with the global writing market, and they get to bolster their skills arsenal with expertise in sales, digital marketing, psychology, SEO, web design, and more.

Copywriters in Cyprus also prefer to specialize in a number of markets in which they provide added value coming from their own know-how on top of their independent research.

I foresee that, from 2020 onward, we will experience a drastic demand for copywriters in Cyprus, especially for those with niche market expertise, such as the real estate, technology, gaming and finance sectors.

Having said that, location is still key.

Even though copywriting can be conducted remotely over email and video calls, the most important element of any writing process (that being research, interviewing and communication) is best done face to face.

A copywriter, although slightly autonomous, is still a member of a team, and relies on several other people to accurately develop content and convey information, strategies and goals for the copy to be effective.

So, local copywriters are still in demand, at least for the trust that comes from seeing in the eye who you're shaking hands with.

Current in-demand languages for copywriting in Cyprus are English, Russian, Chinese, German, Arabic, and of course, Greek. Fluency in more than two of these languages is a major advantage.

Are you a copywriter? Are you interested in writing your own copy?

Then be sure to subscribe to my newsletter, or check out my resources section for useful material that I'll be regularly updating.