You might have heard the words ‘copywriting’ or ‘content creation’ thrown around, and perhaps just dismissed them as yet more marketing jumbo. Or maybe you think your business is too small to need a copywriter yet, or the budget is too small.
But if you are not using a copywriter yet for your business, then you are definitely not getting the most out of your advertising, marketing and overall online presence.
What is copywriting?
To put it simply, copywriting is the act of writing copy. Copy is a term used to describe any written material used in marketing or advertising. And everything you do online is a form of marketing, from your website and social media presence through to actual ads you might issue. It is also known as content marketing.
The power of copywriting is demonstrated by the number of people using it – 93% of business to business markets use content marketing and 85% attribute better content marketing to their ability to be successful.
Often people think that because copywriting is just about writing content, that they can do it too. And sometimes, they’re right, and they can indeed produce engaging, interesting content that pulls in audiences and draws sales. But they’re not always right. That’s what happens to give you examples like Adidas’ awful post-Boston marathon email saying “congratulations, you survived the Boston marathon”, or Triumph’s outright creepy ad for Fathers’ Day telling buyers the products were “for the ladies who pamper their dads”.
Good copy can make your business, draw in buyers, get you noticed. Bad copy can all but destroy your reputation and future earnings.
What is good copy?
If you want more detail on good copy, you should check out my dedicated blog post on good copy.
Overall though, good copy is engaging, interesting and catches the eye of the reader. Importantly, good copy means you can convert potential buyers into actual buyers!
However, with only 42% of companies self-assessing as ‘good’ at content marketing (ie. copywriting), you are probably seeing an awful lot of bad copy.
What can a copywriter offer me?
So this is where a copywriter comes in. A professional, expert copywriter can help you overcome the problems of bad content writing and experience all of the benefits!
Dedicated skills
Copywriters have spent an entire career honing their writing skills to give you the best quality content possible. This includes incorporating Search Engine Optimisation techniques (SEO – see my blog here for more on this one!), understanding of current marketing trends and best practice, and high quality writing skills. Copywriting is more than putting words into sentences. It is about knowing the best words to use, where to place them and what to say to bring reader interest, and convert that interest into commitment!
A professional copywriter can also make sure your content all reads professionally and naturally. They will avoid the common grammar and spelling mistakes (or the ever-present misuse of the common apostrophe!) that pepper so much writing. They will also be able to write genuine-feeling content that triggers the right emotions in your reader, without feeling awkward or forced.
Save time
An expert copywriter will be able to prepare content for you in a tiny portion of the time that it will take you to do it yourself. That’s because they are doing this work all the time, so they know the tricks to make it quick but also effective. Taking advantage of a copywriter’s skills frees you up to do your own job, making your business grow faster and secure more buyers!
Cost effective
A high quality copywriter is unlikely to come cheap, taking into account for experience and track record. However, when you consider the potential benefits, and the direct potential revenue gain from good copy writing, it is an investment that will pay massive demands. In addition, content marketing can cost 62% less than other marketing options, so it is a great way to allocate your marketing budget!
If you don’t want to outsource everything, then an option might be to outsource only specific content creation creation. This is a relatively common option, for many businesses, as it allows you to retain control, access professional services but also keep costs down. For example, commonly outsourced content marketing includes content writing, design, content distribution, editing and measurement.
So where now?
And if after all of this, you still think you are better off doing your content creation in-house? Maybe you are right. Businesses report that good quality content marketing increases both the quality and quantity of leads, directly leading to more revenue.
So if you want to explore whether you are getting the best possible results you can from your marketing efforts, then it is worth looking into whether a copywriter can help.
Jo Larvin Communications 
