Why hire a copywriter?
Why should you hire a copywriter? If you’re running a small or home-based business, it can be hard to see the point of bringing in an outsider. Why not cut costs by doing it yourself? After all, it’s just writing, and everyone knows how to do it, right?
There are any number of excuses you can come up with to avoid having to hire a freelance copywriter: you can do it yourself; no one else will be able to understand your business; You already have a marketing campaign up and running – they’re all familiar excuses. And, more importantly, they are all garbage. The truth is, hiring a copywriter to polish your copy and ad campaigns is one of the most important things you can do to increase the success of a business.
There are hundreds of good reasons to hire a freelance copywriter to turn your business around, here are a few:
- A copywriter has perspective: sometimes they can be too close to your business. As an external, a copywriter can see his business as his clients see it, and can ensure that his copy says exactly what he needs to say to have maximum impact on his target audience.
- Copywriters are experienced: You may know your own business better than anyone, but by the same token, a copywriter knows yours. The copywriter’s job is to connect with people and make them understand your point of view, and those are techniques that work regardless of the product.
- A copywriter can keep you up to date: what worked last season may not necessarily work now. It’s part of the copywriter’s job to keep up with the latest trends and changes in consumer demand. Hiring a copywriter gives you not only great writing, but also access to this invaluable bank of knowledge.
- Copywriters can save you money – how often do you have to pay your staff to work overtime so they can work on your advertising? Hiring a professional copywriter will reduce costs, and since staff are free to return to their own jobs, it will increase productivity too!
Many companies spend thousands of dollars on eye-catching designs for their websites and brochures, but seem strangely reluctant to spend almost anything on the content that fills them up. And yet this is the most important part!
Your writing is the message you send to your customers. Design is important, but it’s the writing that determines how your prospects will see you, and you can’t afford to skimp on that. .
How to hire a copywriter
Hiring a freelance copywriter may seem like a daunting prospect if it’s your first time, but keep in mind that it’s no different than hiring any other professional service. A good copywriter will be able to tell you in advance how much he will have to pay and what information he needs to complete the job. Many writers charge an hourly or daily rate, although some prefer to agree to a set price for all work.
Regardless of how your copywriter chooses to work, the cost of the job should be clear from the outset, and hidden charges are unlikely to apply to you. However, just in case, have your copywriter sign a terms of service document for your project, which you can refer to in the event of a dispute.
Here are some other things to consider when looking to hire a freelance copywriter:
- Plan ahead: A good writer will tell you what information you need to complete a job, but you can save time and money by thinking ahead and having everything ready when the writer starts the job. A little preparation can go a long way.
- Check out the writer beforehand: No matter how good a particular copywriter is, if you don’t like their writing style, there’s no point in hiring them. So don’t just accept the first copywriter you come across, take the time to shop around a bit – get recommendations from friends who have hired freelancers in the past. When you have a list of potentials, compare them. Ask them to send you writing samples and presentations, and narrow down the list until you’ve found the perfect writer for your project.
- Don’t worry if you’ve never written for your industry before: One of the most important parts of a copywriting job is research, and most copywriter skills can be applied just as well to any industry. The copywriter’s skill is in connecting with people and persuading them to take a specific course of action, whatever it may be.
- Make sure there is enough time to complete the job; don’t bring in a copywriter in the final stages of a project and expect them to come up with a masterpiece. A writer needs to let the project gesticulate for a while before he can put it all together and produce his best work. While most copywriters will agree to work to a tighter deadline, if you want high-quality writing, it’s a good idea to give yours a little more time to achieve it.
The gift that keeps on giving
While the initial outlay to hire a freelance copywriter may seem high, it pays for itself many times over. It’s impossible to overstate the value that clear, well-written copy can bring to a business, not to mention the marketing expertise that will attract customers long after the copywriter is gone. And that’s possibly the best reason of all to bite the bullet and get a copywriter!
See our article Layout for your content [http://www.herdsofwords.co.uk/articles/design_for_content.html] to learn how to make sure your website design works to enhance, rather than overshadow, your message
[http://www.herdsofwords.co.uk]