Position Overview

Effective copywriting is many things. It s succinct yet packed with meaning. It s emotional and undisputable. Good copywriting is approachable and distinguished. It persuades but doesn t overwhelm. Great copywriting isn t vain; it focuses on results.

As a leading provider of academic and professional education in Kansas City, the University of Kansas Edwards Campus (KUEC) has a lot to communicate. Students can choose from over 50 educational programs. These span from professional and continuing education to undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates. KUEC communicates with many other stakeholders, such as government bodies, civic organizations, area businesses, community colleges and more. The KUEC copywriter will help us successfully communicate with all of them. The copywriter will communicate through our website, emails, printed materials, video scripts, direct mail, call center scripts, radio ads, social media, long-form reports, print and digital ads, and more.

The copywriter s days will be filled with

• Understanding strategies, goals, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), objectives, target audiences and key messages of the campus, and individual programs and units within it in order to produce strong copy.
• Learning the subject matters and audiences in order to produce valuable, persuasive and relevant copy. This includes interviewing subject matter experts and other stakeholders to acquire sufficient knowledge as well as consuming research.
• Collaborating with other members of the marketing team to collectively create effective marketing materials.
• Writing copy for a variety of formats and audiences, then delivering completed and approved copy to the individuals responsible for publishing it in its final form.
• Writing new versions of copy for web pages, calls-to-action, digital ads and emails to test against incumbent versions and identify the most effective copy.
• Learning and referencing the style guide of the University of Kansas.
• Staying current on best practices and changes in marketing and higher education.

Job Description

60% - Writing copy for print and digital media regarding KUEC's educational programs. Copy will be written for online search ads, online display ads, mass emails, triggered/automated emails, direct mail, marketing literature, web pages, social media, radio ads, content marketing and more. Copy should be succinct, inviting, and follow all KU guidelines. Above all else, copy must effectively meet the goals of the tactic, which are almost always to engage the audience and progress it to the next step in the decision process. Copy will be reviewed by other members of the marketing team as well as internal stakeholders. Copywriter's drafts should have very few grammatical and style errors, and given sufficient time, copywriter should achieve a track record of producing content that can be trusted for its factual accuracy. Copywriter will refine copy and suggest improvements until all stakeholders are satisfied.

20% - Conducting research to gather necessary information to write copy, including interviewing subject matter experts and consuming primary and secondary research. KUEC's copywriter must be skilled at acquiring the information necessary to write effective and accurate copy. Copywriter may interview internal staff and faculty as well as current students and alumni. Other research activities may include finding, reading and making use of industry reports related to higher education and careers, local area reports on higher education and employment demands, educational subject matter in order to know the context of a program, and more. This requires professional and productive interview skills and online research skills.

10% - Collaborating and meeting with other team members to generate ideas, coordinate projects, and examine results. These collaborations and meetings are used to exchange ideas for marketing efforts, receive feedback and suggestions from peers as well as leaders, plan and prioritize work, and evaluate the effectiveness of marketing efforts including the copy within them. Key interaction times include weekly project meetings and weekly deliverable review meetings. Other key interactions include campaign/project kick-off meetings and meetings with internal stakeholders.

10% - Other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in journalism, advertising, communications, business, marketing, or relevant field.

Two years of full-time professional experience in one or more position in which a majority of the job duties was personal responsibility for copywriting.

Exemplary copywriting skills including casual and formal tones/styles as evidenced by application materials.

Exemplary copyediting skills as evidenced by application materials.

Experience writing for a variety of online and print media and styles as evidenced by application materials, such as but not limited to copywriting for an agency.

Knowledge of Associated Press style as evidenced by application materials.

Professional experience working in a formal team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

Demonstrated ability to develop publication-ready copy from creative briefs.

Ability to write persuasive copy that is not aggressive or off-putting.

Knowledge of popular culture trends, sayings and innuendos.

Knowledge and appreciation of content marketing principles and practices.

Demonstrated success working effectively and efficiently across multiple product lines serving varied audiences, such as at a design/ad/marketing agency.

Familiarity with social media marketing.

Familiarity with web content management tools, such as Drupal or Wordpress.

Strong time-management and organizational skills, with a record of being flexible, accurate, detail-oriented, reliable and self-motivated.

More than three years of full-time professional experience with personal responsibility for copywriting.

Familiarity with the marketing of higher education.

A curious, data-driven mindset.

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