I hear it a lot: “Why hire a copywriter? I am perfectly capable of writing myself!”
And the conversation naturally lends itself to breaking down what a copywriter does outside of just putting words on paper. For example, these questions can usually differentiate between an average writer and someone whose job it is to convert eyes into dollar signs:
- Do you know the difference between active and passive voice?
- Can you write in various tones of voice depending on the message you’re trying to convey?
- Are you up-to-date with SEO?
And usually, by the end of that conversation, business leaders still think they can write their copy. But the truth is: No, you can’t write your marketing copy yourself. You need to hire a copywriter. And no, I’m not biased just because I’m a copywriter.
Whether you want to hire an individual on a one-off basis or are ready to start a recurring blog series, a copywriter will help make sure your content marketing is on point and on message. And they can just generally make your day-to-day life easier so that you can focus on what you do best.
In this blog, we’re going to dive into these five benefits of hiring a copywriter:
- Outsiders’ Objective Opinion
- Save Your Time For What You’re Good At
- There Are Rules In Writing
- Consistency With Messaging + Tone
- Maximize Your Return on Investment
Let’s get started with the first one.
You’re too close to your business or product to know how to market it objectively. Just because you know your product does X, Y, and Z better than the competitors doesn’t mean that it will resonate with your target audience.
Having a copywriter on your team gives you a backboard for all of your marketing efforts. He or she will be able to take all of your useful information and insights and boil it down to actionable marketing materials that will work.
Think of it as a fresh perspective (from an actual expert).
We all know that writing blogs or putting content on your website is critical to your marketing. But that doesn’t mean just anyone should do it. Just like I wouldn’t offer to make email graphics because I’ve used Adobe Photoshop before, you shouldn’t throw your hat in the ring as a copywriter because you write correspondence emails daily.
Anyone who writes engaging content knows that good writing takes time (seriously, just check out the next section to see what went into writing this blog alone).
Take that off your plate and save your time to focus on what you do best. It’s better for your marketing, your bottom line, and your sanity.
You don’t know what you don’t know, that much is true. And there are a lot of little details that go into writing that are different than what we were taught in school.
Take this blog that I’m writing for example.
Before I started writing about why you need a copywriter, I took the time to figure out if anyone is even interested in this topic. That involves researching search volume and keyword opportunities and all the other things that can tell you how often people Google a topic.
All too often, people who aren’t copywriters don’t take the time to do this and instead just dive in head first to writing—which is a complete waste of your time, your resources and your blog. Just because you think something is interesting doesn’t mean someone else will. And just because someone might read it doesn’t mean that it will be a good look for your brand.
Even after completing that singular step, ten other things go into copywriting for one blog, like:
- Researching the topic to see what other people are saying
- Compiling all of my thoughts
- Organizing it with H1, H2, and other important tags
- Adding alt text to my images in order to better optimize the content
- Utilizing Grammarly to check my writing throughout the piece
- Creating readability solutions like bullet points
- Reviewing for general grammar and tone mistakes
- Posting on a website
- Utilizing a tool like Yoast to make sure it hits SEO goals
- Creating a content calendar for promotion
Each and every one of these steps comes with its own best practices, and if you don’t know those practices or skip over a step altogether, your blog, landing page, website, etc., will lose its value.
So I guess in that sense, moonlighting as a copywriter for a blog really can be like writing in a diary: no one is going to read it.
Similar to how humans all have their way of writing, brands do too. We call that a Brand Voice; each brand has a particular one that must be maintained throughout every marketing piece.
Check out this blog to see what kind of work goes into figuring out a brand voice.
If your content misses the mark on tone, your readers will feel it immediately. Maybe they don’t know that it’s because the style is wrong or the message is off for your brand guidelines, but they’ll know it doesn’t feel authentic.
And that’s how you lose readers.
For example, just this week, we started brainstorming how one client could announce their new branding. And because they hadn’t yet nailed down their messaging style, I presented them with three ways to approach their messaging, written in different styles and tones depending on what their goals ultimately are.
Here’s what that looks like:
Message Identity: We’re excited to announce our new corporate identity: {NEW NAME}. As {NEW NAME}, we will continue to decode the unique intricacies of business in a way that creates scalable growth opportunities for our partners and their stakeholders.
Message Experience: As we head into the future under new ownership, we have decided to change our brand name and identity from {OLD NAME} to {NEW NAME}. This new brand exemplifies our enhanced approach to business savvy by showcasing our proven expertise at translating complex business problems into actionable solutions. This rebranding was a logical and exciting next step that mirrors our company’s growth and transformation.
Message Direct: Since its inception in 1999, {OLD NAME} was owned by the {NAME} family, who has grown it into the well-known business that it is today. As we start our next chapter under new leadership, one that does not include the family name, it was clear that we needed a new identity that matched our vision for growth. We are proud to announce that we are now {NEW NAME}. We believe that this next chapter will be our best one yet, and we hope to continue to have the opportunity to guide you through your business decisions.
Can’t imagine writing one launch document, let alone three different versions with three separate goals/messages?
Yeah, you should consider hiring a copywriter.
Good copy gets clicks. It’s as simple as that.
If you’re already paying for a new website or an email marketing strategy, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to pay for copywriting services.
If you pay for a beautiful shiny new website but decide to write the content yourself, it’s like putting lipstick on a pig. If that sounds harsh, it’s because it is. The words on the page are what entices a conversion—not only the design itself. Putting the two together is what will seal the deal for your customers.
Copywriters know how and when to be Persuasive. Emotional. Passive or Active. They’re able to discern what your competitors are doing and what they aren’t in order to find the best plan of attack for your marketing copy. They’ll save you money in the long run when it comes down to making sure you’re maximizing your marketing efforts.
You can always do a trial run with a copywriter to see if it’s worth it. And sometimes, your team might not be ready for the expertise of a copywriter and decide to move in a different direction—and that’s OK. But most of the time, you’ll realize that hiring a copywriter who can do your marketing writing in a more efficient and effective way will be well worth it in the end.
Ready to get started? Contact our team today to see how we can help maximize your content marketing strategy.
