MBA in Copywriting: It doesn’t exist (yet) but if it did, this should be the curriculum

As far as I’m aware, there is no actual Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in copywriting.

But there should be.

So in this blog post, I’m writing a curriculum for what I would recommend if I were in charge of putting a course together in copywriting.

Marketing Management

Topics include:

• History of advertising, marketing, and sales from early marketplaces to online
• Types of media and how different types of copy are used in each
• Direct marketing/direct response versus other types of marketing
• Developing marketing plans
• Ethics in marketing

Mandatory reading:

• Marketing Management by Philip Kotler
• Successful Direct Marketing Methods by Bob Stone and Ron Jacobs

Psychology, Sociology, and the Power of Persuasion

Topics include:

• Psychological drivers for behaviors and decisions
• Consumer habits (loyalty/disloyalty, trends, following the crowd)
• Buying motivations
• How to build rapport and connect emotionally
• Persuasion and influence
• Action, how to call people to it (and why people don’t act)

Mandatory reading:

• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
• Psychology by David G. Myers

Sales Funnels

Topics include:

• Analyzing sales sales funnels for opportunities and troubleshooting
• Connecting with people where they spend their attention
• Creating end-to-end funnels (from attention to post-sale)
• Strategies for growth and profitability

Mandatory reading:

• The Sales Funnel Bible by Aaron Hoos (that’s right, I’m shamelessly recommending my own book!)
• The Ultimate Marketing Plan by Dan Kennedy

Credibility and Reputation Management

Topics include:

• What is credibility and authority and how do consumers ascribe it to businesses?
• USPs — analyzing them and developing them
• Positive versus negative reputations and what factors influence these
• Components that contribute to credibility and authority (i.e. testimonials)

Mandatory reading:

• The Brand Called You by Peter Montoya
• Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
• Reputation Rules by Daniel Diermeier

Formulas and Structures

Topics include:

• An overview of classic copy formulas and why they work
• Attention/Interest/Decision/Action (AIDA)
• Storytelling in copywriting
• Components of copy (Headlines, Benefits, Overcoming objections, Calls to action)

Mandatory reading:

• Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples
• How To Master The Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins

Attraction and Attention

Topics include:

• Attention-getting with headlines and subheadings
• Powerwords
• Use of images
• Basic fundamentals of color/design

Mandatory reading:

• The AdWeek Copywriting Handbook by Joe Sugarman
• Layout Index by Jim Krause

Measuring Results

Topics include:

• The purpose of measuring
• An overview of metrics, analytics, and statistics
• Measuring the right things (and avoiding errors/assumptions)
• How to split test

Mandatory reading:

• Marketing Metrics by Paul Farris

Project

The student will be assigned a product or service and will create a marketing strategy for that offering. Then, the student will create an end-to-end sales funnel that is to include the following components:

• Attention-getting marketing in at least 3 different media (and must include at least one broadcast media, one print media, and one online media)
• Social copy
• Sales copy for a sales letter (for web or magazine)
• Website copy
• Pre-sales relationship-building copy
• Post-sales follow-up copy that drives additional sales

The student may deploy this copy in any appropriate sales funnel and must also defend each choice of media.