If you’re reading this it means you are probably thinking about hiring a copywriter. But maybe you just need a little more convincing? It’s understandable. Especially if you haven’t worked with a writer before. But, here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t hesitate any longer.
Speed & quality
If you are on a deadline, or just need results quickly, a freelance copywriter is your best friend. A professional can turn copy around quickly, though of course the longer the time allocated to the project the better.
More important than a quick turnaround is quality. Everyone thinks they can write. Maybe you rely on someone in the office to spend time away from their usual job to put together web pages and marketing materials? Are they a bit hit and miss? Typos and the odd spelling mistake in their work?
It’s not surprising. They aren’t trained to write. But a professional copywriter will turn in high-quality content every time, can adapt the copy to suit your tone of voice,* and ensure brand uniformity across web pages, advertising, and catalogues.
*Sidebar. If your business hasn’t yet developed a tone of voice, or perhaps your branding needs an overhaul, a freelance copywriter can create those important branding tools for you. TOV guidance, copy style books, and brand guidelines can all be written in collaboration with your marketing department.
These documents then allow you to hire professionals from any discipline, such as a web developer or graphic designer, and be able to present them with a set of rules to follow. This ensures your brand is consistently applied to every piece of work produced by freelancers or your in-house team.
More cost effective
Hiring a freelance copywriter isn’t cheap. But it is much more cost effective, and less expensive in the long run, than having a full-time in-house writer on your staff or delegating your work to an agency.
A freelance is paid on a per project basis, or can be kept on a retainer, and can be put to work whenever needed. All it costs are the prearranged fees; no pension, no PAYE, no health care, no sick pay, no maternity / paternity leave, no days off through illness, no annual leave. No comparison.
A copywriter will help your website sell
For the majority of your potential customers the first impression they receive of your business will come from your website. While the design is important it is the message your website conveys, and the information it contains, which will make the difference between a visitor becoming a customer or clicking away to a competitor’s site.
No matter how well designed a website is, once you strip away the bells and whistles, it is the copy, or the words, that is left.
It is essential your web pages are well-written, interesting to your visitors, and that each and every word nudges the reader further along the sales funnel. A good copywriter can write compelling copy which builds trust with your visitor as well as ticking all the boxes for Google.
High-converting web pages which rank well in the search engines should be the goal for every business website and a professional copywriter can help make it happen.
Of course you know your business, services, and products better than anyone. But, often, it is hard to put that knowledge and experience into words. A copywriter will take all those things and turn them into content which will convert your website from just another expense into a sales generating machine which actually makes the business money rather than draining it of cash.
Three in one: An offer you can’t refuse
When you hire a freelance copywriter you aren’t just employing a writer. You also get a consultant and strategist too. Buy one get two free. What a bargain.
A copywriter specialising in creating web content can deliver a complete strategy and work with you to transform your website into a marketing machine. New web pages which convert visitors into buyers, interesting copy which will increase traffic to the site, and even create complete marketing campaigns including PPC ads and lead magnets.
As well as fashioning the content, experienced copywriters can build a whole strategy and advise on the best way for your website to achieve the goals it has been set.
Acting as a consultant your copywriter can conduct in-depth keyword research, put together an editorial calendar and manage your whole content marketing campaign.
But it’s not just online where a good copywriter can have a positive impact on your business. Well-written copy can make the difference between your direct mailing campaign being a great success or a huge flop, and ensure your brochures and marketing materials are appealing to potential customers.
Good quality content, written by a professional freelance copywriter, can be the best salesperson in your business. Remember; a copywriter is a salesmen with a keyboard and turns customer interest into action.
In the midst of all the online clutter your businesses offering needs to stand out
It isn’t easy to do. Your customers are more savvy, more intelligent, and more ad aware than ever before. They are certainly more sceptical as they are bombarded with sales messages from websites, social media, pop-up ads and shed loads of spam to the their inboxes. That’s just online.
Add in television, apps on their phone, and ever present corporate branding they are surrounded by sales messages which means you have to work hard to grab your customers attention.
They won’t be tempted by shallow promises, over the top hyperbole, or shoddy content. They need to be pre-sold and presented with value before they will click the buy button or pick up the phone.
You do that through the copy on your website, through the way you communicate and engage with the customer with your content, and how they perceive the message they receive from your marketing materials. It all comes down to copy.
Web copy provides value which lasts for years. Think about that ad you take out in the local paper. It’s seen once and then it’s gone. Yet web copy is putting your message in front of potential customers right around the clock.
For a one -off cost a web page or blog post will be automatically marketing for you bringing visitors to your website 24 / 7, 365 days a year, for year after year.
Pick up the phone and let’s talk
As a freelance copywriter specialising in business writing and website copy I am able to create all the content your business requires. Pick up the phone and talk to me about your next marketing campaign or about overhauling your website.
It doesn’t cost anything to talk and you may be pleasantly surprised at the value I can provide to your business. Call me on 07722 431483 or drop me an email to copy@craigellyard.co.uk
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