24 Apr Why Your Business Needs A Copywriter (and Which)
Working with the right copywriter will give you the competitive edge as staying top-of-mind is getting harder and harder.
Written by Daniela Cavalletti
7 min read
Every successful business is built on a simple set of sales and marketing premises. One of them is a process during which your buyers carefully inch their way towards choosing you over your competition.
It’s this: your potential clients first of all need to get a chance to know, like and trust you. Only then will they buy from you. And only if you can continue to earn that high opinion and trust will they keep coming back for more.
It’s a preciously difficult thing to gain, and to hold on to.
And, unfortunately, it’s far too easy to lose.
Never Stop Building Respect and Trust
As marketers and business owners, we have to keep the ‘know, like and trust’ level high at all times. That has never been truer than in the 24/7 information age of digital marketing, social media, and smartphones. It’s easy for anyone to get access to your target market and send out their messages to trump yours.
Therefore, you need to ensure that your marketing and sales messages are consistent and are cutting through, every time. They need to be meaningful and enjoyable to your punters.
That’s a tough gig … Enter the copywriter.
Wait, What Exactly is a Copywriter?
There is a common misunderstanding about the term ‘copywriting’ that we’ll get out of the way first: copywriting has nothing to do with specialising in copyright law. It just has a confusingly similar name.
Ok, so what does it mean? Glad you asked.
The word ‘copy’ simply means ‘text’ or ‘words’. So, at its most basic level, ‘copywriting’ means creating written words. But copywriting is not just prettily putting words together, of course. There’s much, much more that goes into creating text that has value and impact (and earned the right to call itself professional copywriting).
Like many of you I can dabble in a bit of soccer or cooking. But I’m neither Marta nor Nigella – they’re the pros in their field. And they worked damn hard to get to where they are now.
Similarly, while most of us can write, few of us will (want to) become expert copywriters. It takes years of experience, and oodles of curiosity and grit. Of listening closely and reading widely; of crazily loving language. You also need to have a burning urge to understand the nuances of what makes us humans tick (and so bloody complex).
Throw in a bucket-load of empathy, patience to tell a captivating story, and applying the right mix of logic, wit and emotion.
It’s a tough gig … And I love it!
Why Your Business Needs to Hire a Copywriter
Of course, you can simply write your own website, sales pitches, speeches, grant applications, marketing brochures, white papers, capability statements, annual reports, tenders, awards applications, … or any other of the myriads of documents a business requires in its lifetime.
There are many fine layperson writers out there in our business world, and you may just be one of them.
But … here’s the catch; if you are running a business or managing a team do really want to do it all yourself? Can your business afford you doing it yourself? Chances are, you’ll hit one of these roadblocks and bottlenecks:
- Your day is already chockablock full with your main job: running your business or department
- You’d rather work on perfecting your own expertise instead of mastering yet another skill
- It takes you a lot longer than a professional copywriter, making it less cost-effective
- You don’t know the varying correct structures, styles and required tone for all different pieces of writing the business needs
- Things can get political and downright awkward if one of you takes the lead when many people / departments are involved in creating a piece of writing, e.g. for a website, a new product launch or a tender document
Chances are, you and your business are much better off spending your time on generating business by working in your core skills – and doing what you do and love best.
Hiring a Copywriter Will Boost Your Business
With a copywriter at your beck and call, you won’t have to worry about any of those things any longer. A seasoned copywriter is a versatile quick thinker, thorough, and brings experience but no ego to their work for you. You can concentrate on your job while we do ours.
We write, you comment, we edit as needed. Simple.
Your name will be on all the content we create, and the copyright (i.e. the legal right to use the content created) is all yours. At least if you work with us; always check this important bit when you choose your copywriter!
The most important thing to remember is that for us professional copywriters, it’s all about you and your goals. Copywriting is, after all, a direct conversation with your reader. We use your tone of voice, stick to your style, help you achieve your intended outcomes.
Whether we promote your product or service, write a business book with you, or help you win that award or tender:
You’ll always be in control of the final message your copywriter creates for you.
How to Find Your Perfect-Match Copywriter
You’ll need to find a copywriter who speaks your target market’s language and is able to learn quickly what they are all about. But your copywriter must also be able to communicate well with you.
You need to get to know, like and trust your writer before you can convincingly say: I’ve found the right copywriter for me and my business.
Needs + Budget Met?
One of the important things to decide before you start your search is whether you need one-off assistance, or ongoing on-tap content creation support. What do you need to achieve, and what does your budget allow for?
TO DO:
Review your goals and related budget, and discuss them with the copywriters you interview. A good copywriter should be able to advise you on the best way of approaching your ad hoc project or long-term collaboration in the most cost-effective way. Whether it’s by rolling out your project (and payments) in stages, discussing efficiencies of a monthly retainer, or bundling expected jobs in a fee proposal. I recommend to ask for fixed-fee proposals with defined deliverables. They allow you to plan your cashflow and they help avoid misunderstandings. If there’s no way to match your expectations of output or results with your budget, an experienced copywriter will also tell you. And they’ll try and come up with possible alternatives of what you can do to reach your goal.
The Lone Freelance Expert?
The majority of copywriters work alone as freelancers. They often specialise in a particular area of writing. This ensures deep knowledge in a niche on one hand. But a one-(wo)man-band can create an issue with quick and consistent availability plus being able to tackle all your copywriting needs. Copywriters do great work when on a roll. But like everyone we each individually only have limited experience and hours in a day. We do need a holiday and fall sick on occasion.
TO DO:
Plan and discuss the level of availability and diversity you require for your business when you pick your copywriter. Do you need one writer or a team? Is it for marketing only, or also for business writing? What kind of expertise do you think you need – and is the one copywriter able to help you with everything you require? How relevant to your business security is the key-person risk of only having a lone freelancer rather a team of expert writers (that can fill in for each other without any hassle to you) at your fingertips? These are important questions to ask yourself … and the copywriters you interview.
Business, Life + Writing Experience?
Each new client or project requires delving deep into what your company stands for; who your target market and message are. Your chosen copywriter needs to understand your goals, your product features and benefits, etc. But they also need to understand ‘business’, and how their writing can benefit your bottom line. They need ot understand the constraints of your time, your company, your industry, and your market.
TO DO:
Find out about their experience: how many years they’ve been professionally writing, the type and size of their clients’ businesses, the versatility across marketing and business writing. Also find out what they know about doing or running a business – it will be essential to the success of your projects. Ask them how they’ll find out the things they don’t know yet. What is their process of making your copywriting projects easy and efficient to run, and successful in outcome? Also, are they punctual and quick to respond to you? Were their responses clear, friendly and helpful when you reached out to them? Did you feel listened to and taken care of? You’re still in the honeymoon phase now – so if they don’t cut your particular brand of mustard now, they likely never will.
Copywriting: It’s All About You + Trust
To find the right copywriter for you, you need to be clear about your needs, worries, questions and constraints. Or if you don’t have that clarity yet, a good copywriter will help you find it. Excellent writing that will boost your bottom line starts with top-notch communication, connection and creativity from your copywriter. It’s achieved by experience and the ability to really listen.
Speak to a few copywriters to find the right fit for you and your business.
Trust your gut.
Because – like with any customer, client or human being – it all starts with you knowing, liking and trusting your new team member.
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