Are you a busy, successful business owner? And yet you’re still writing your own copy?
All too often business owners find they’re paying more to write their own than they would if they hired a professional copywriter. They’re down to the wire and realize they just don’t have time or energy to write another 10 pieces of copy for that launch. And now they’re delayed.
When you delay launching a program because you don’t have time to write the copy, you’re actually paying yourself far more than you’d pay a professional copywriter. When you delay till the last minute, you’re scrounging to find a copywriter (our schedules fill up!) and you’re under pressure.
Here’s why you may do better to hire a copywriter than to DIY.
(1) Copywriting is a skill. It’s not like writing a brochure, business letter, a technical report or user manual.
You may have solid expertise in financial services, consulting, legal services, tech, mental health or medicine. But copywriters are experts in planning and writing to persuade your best prospects to become your own clients.
Learning this skill can take years. Fine-tuning the skill takes even longer. Copywriting styles change over time. They vary by purpose and by field. It’s difficult — probably impossible — to keep up if this isn’t your full-time job.
Copywriters write persuasively every day. So most likely we can complete the project faster…and we have tips to make the copy more persuasive without getting sales-y or pushy.
Copywriters also bring a fresh perspective to your business writing. If you’re a lawyer, it may be tempting to sound like all the other lawyers out there. But a copywriter can suggest an approach so you’ll stand out, especially if you’re a small firm, without sounding pushy or sales-y.
(2) Copywriting attracts traffic. I’m not talking about esoteric SEO techniques, which are overrated. Your copywriter should understand things like backlinks (used to be good, now they’re bad), keywords (use judiciously) and more. You’ll most likely get more traffic without effort when we post copy that is high quality, targeted, and easy to read.
To optimize your business blog, your copywriter will take a few basic steps that anyone can use. Research your keywords. Optimize each post rather than the blog as a whole. Choose just ONE category per post (I’ve heard pro and con on this one, but the “one category” rule makes sense).
Your website will attract traffic when it’s organized, well-written and consistent with your other online writing. More important, it’s not enough just to generate traffic to your website. A copywriter will help you turn your inbound traffic into leads and then sales.
(3) Copywriting isn’t just wordsmithing. Copywriters have to know what to say as well as how to say it. So copywriters dig deep into your business, your story and your goals. It’s not unusual for your copywriter to serve as your key business consultant: she understands the value you bring to your clients.
Your copywriter will help strengthen your message, capture your voice, identify your story archetype and support your brand. Professional copywriting leads to a strong online presence, where you become instantly recognizable to your clients and you gain credibility. When that happens, clients are more likely to say “yes” faster.
A few final words:
Choose a writer who doesn’t have a big ego and a small view of the world. Copywriting requires communication. You’ll be talking about your business to your copywriter, so you’ll need to feel comfortable sharing information that can be sensitive. Professional copywriters have thick skins; it’s okay to say, “That really sucks. How can we fix it?”
Choose ONE person to liaison with the copywriter. Want to scare away a good copywriter? Get one person on the team to say, “This looks great! Just make these few tweaks and we’ll run with it.” And then, after the copywriter makes the changes, a new person comes along and says, “The whole tone is off. Can you revise…”
Your big takeaway: It doesn’t have to be either/or. I work with lots of busy clients who like to write their own copy. They bring me on board when they feel they’re too close to the copy, they’re running out of time, or they want to see if I can help them get past a stuck place.
If you’re thinking of hiring a copywriter, check out my free report: Top 3 Big Ways A Copywriter Can Grow Your Small Business.
If you’d like to work with me, click here to start with a Marketing Advantage Intensive. We can take the broad view of how to generate all the copy you need, or dig deep into a single piece of copy. Or we can talk about messaging, strategy or finding your story.