5 reasons why it’s a good idea to hire a copywriter.
Pretty much anyone can write, so why spend your hard-earned cash on hiring someone external to your business to do it?
One global brand that I used to work for was intent on doing everything in-house on the basis that their long-standing (and pretty massive) team of marketers understood the brand better than anyone. Today, every single piece of copy they create is written by an external copywriter.
Point being, it’s not just about getting content on brand (though a good copywriter should be all over this), but there are a whole raft of reasons why employing a copywriter can come in very handy. Below are just 5 of them...
1. “The Two Most Valuable Warriors are Patience and Time” – Leo Tolstoy
…and writing requires a lot of both! Let’s face it, when you’re running a business, or implementing a marketing strategy, you have a gazillion things to do in a day and writing can seem fairly low on the priority list. This means that people often rush to get it done and off their plate, and don’t give it the time and attention that it deserves. The bonus for me (and my fellow copywriters) is that it’s our actual job, so we will give it our undivided attention, with the ultimate goal of creating strong and engaging content, so that you can get on with driving your business forward. (Reminds me that I really need to outsource my tax return!)
2. “The only source of knowledge is experience” – Albert Einstein
Pretty obvious, but the more time you spend doing anything, generally the better you become at it. People who write every day (or almost), will usually be more skilled in areas like fine-tuning the message, making fewer words say more, and nailing your audience targeting. I’ve dabbled in photography and design but I wouldn’t dream of choosing the stuff I create over an actual photographer or designer.
3. “Originality is simply a pair of fresh eyes” - Thomas W Higginson
I’m always amazed by how often I meet a new client (especially those who run a medium-sized business) who is unable to succinctly describe exactly what it is that they do. When I ask the question, they often jump straight past the pure point of their existence and instead talk about the nitty gritty details like logistics or even sales data.
When you’re entrenched in the day to day running of your business, it can become a challenge to step back and think objectively. When creating copy, you must always remember who you are talking to, what’s the message, why it is interesting to them. A good copywriter can help to remind you of all of these things.
4. Freedom lies in being bold – Robert Frost
Copywriters can push the boundaries a bit more than you might consider doing. I’m not saying we’d start throwing swear words around (although if that’s in keeping with your brand image, then why the hell not!) but we can introduce topics that are a little off-piste, add onomatopoeia where you wouldn’t have even considered it, or simply just use language in a way that’s a little more brave, simply because we are able to see it from the perspective of the customer more easily.
5. “Persuasion is not a science but an art” – William Bernbach
Selling to your audience without sounding like Frank Butcher (if you know, you know), can be a real challenge. Copywriters are often skilled in using hypnotic language whilst still being very relevant to your business, with the ability to better engage and help customers relate to what you do and why it might be right for them. You can’t (and shouldn’t) persuade someone to buy something they don’t actually want or need, but a skilled copywriter who understands consumer behaviour, will help you to provide the most effective and relevant information to suit your audience and reach those who do want or need your product in the right way.