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Why you need great copy (and why it’s worth paying for it)
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Why you need great copy (and why it’s worth paying for it)
Most business owners seem to know that you need to pay for a logo, someone to build a website or create their graphics, but when it comes to words, it’s often an afterthought.
Paying someone to write words that describe and position your business in the best light makes sense to me; after all, I am a business writer. But not everyone feels the same way.
Does design or copy come first?
Personally, I think positioning and copywriting comes first, and then you use design as the way to bring it to life and emphasise the more important bits.
Because even the most aesthetically pleasing brand does not get results without the content that works to educate, inform and empower the reader. Inspiring them to act.
And if no one acts, you’re not making bank!
Why I think it’s worth paying for great copy
Words and visuals work in harmony to create a great first impression.
Recently, I’ve had a few enquiries to write copy for websites where businesses have forked out quite a bit on the design, yet left copy to the end. Realising that when they go to do it, it’s not as easy as they think. They just want me to stick content in the allocated slots.
And while we can work around this, it’s not ideal. Because you’re writing for the design and not the customer.
Do you value paying for copy? It was a hot topic of debate in a group I’m a part of (The Clever Copywriting School).
And it made me think why?
What is it about words that people don’t value? How can I show how important words are to helping your business succeed?
Is it because everyone is technically a writer? After all, you write emails every day, send text messages, and write business documents and presentations all the time.
If you take a step back, you can see that there’s copy in everything you do. Words power your business every step of the way.
You use words on your website, how you describe your services, what you say in your emails, on your socials, articles, and within each touchpoint of your customer experience.
Brands, like Who, Gives a Crap understand this well; they use well-placed micro-copy throughout the buying experience and packaging to enhance the experience and make people love the brand.
Great copy as part of a content marketing strategy is incredibly powerful.
Getting the words right can make or break your brand.
Hiring a copywriter can be a powerful investment in your business. It can mean the difference between potential customers knowing what you’re about and how you can help them or bouncing off your website because they think you can’t solve their problems.
Content works around the clock, attracting, engaging, and delighting prospects so they’ll come into your world and start the sales journey to work with you or buy your thing.
Knowing how to write words for the places google loves will also do wonders for your SEO efforts too.
Great copy will make you stand out from your competitors
Well-written copy helps you stand out from what your competitors do (because you describe it better), connect with your ideal audience (because you’re talking to them), and get your audience to do what you want them to do (ie, buy your thing, get a quote, download your freebie, etc) because your copy is designed for conversion.
Words make stuff happen
Good copy is … copy that does its job.
Each bit of copy has one job and uses words (and not just any words, persuasive words) to make it happen.
Sometimes those words are simple and direct, like those used on buttons on your website and other times you need longer copy, designed to educate and engage.
When you use persuasive words in your copy you set the scene for people to take action and get closer to working with you.
Words can hit your reader with all the feels
Great copywriters know their job is to make the reader feel something.
Desire, love, fear, guilt, and anger are powerful motivators.
When you tap into emotions in your copy, your words have more power to influence readers, bring them into your world, and establish the know, like and trust factor.
Simple is best
Most experts love to use big words and share long-winded paragraphs because it shows they know their stuff. But your readers don’t like them – it makes their brains hurt.
Copywriters know this. It’s why we design content with signposts, headings, and short, succinct paragraphs. Distilling and organising information, so it’s easy to understand.
Is it worth investing in copywriting? Absolutely.
With so many other things happening in your business, writing your own copy is easily kept on your to-do list and ends up hanging over your head each month. Stressing you out because you haven’t done it.
Done is better than free. All those months of not writing your copy are costing you money.
Outsourcing your copywriting shines a light on all the good things in your business.
– your brand will sound professional
– potential customers will know what you do and how you help
– you can shine a light on what’s important to your customers
– copy can guide prospects to take the first or next step to working with you
Worth it, yes?
Hiring a copywriter is about more than words
When you work with a copywriter, it’s not just about the words and spitting them out willy-nilly, the copy they create acts as your unofficial salespeople.
Copywriters spend time to get to know you, your business, how things work and what your customers need, and how you want to come across (your tone of voice).
They put themselves in your customer’s shoes to write relatable, engaging copy, and understand the psychology of words and which ones to use.
We have a clear goal in mind for your copy – to engage on socials, respond to emails, drive sales and capture leads.
When you hire a copywriter, you’re borrowing their brain, experience, and expertise. Priceless.
Writing about yourself can be hard, even for copywriters. Having an outside view from a copywriter who knows how to ask the right questions and delve into the shiny parts of your business you can’t see any more {because it’s just what you do} can have a huge impact.
I like to think of copywriting as a dance on paper, words have their own rhythm, style, and alliteration that help readers follow along. And that is worth paying for.
What do other copywriting experts say?
I don’t want you to just take my word for it, so I reached out to a few other copywriters to get their take on it. Here’s what they had to say about paying someone to write words to describe your business and use on them your website.
Everyone thinks they can write great copy, just like everyone thinks they have a good sense of humour and dress sense.
Sadly, there’s a big difference between being able to string together a sentence and writing SEO-friendly, engaging, customer focus conversion copy that generates sales.
You pay a copywriter for their years of experience and the way they think, to save you time and to win more customers.
Many business owners seem happy to pay for a brand-new website, but resist investing in copy. But think of it this way. Deciding not to invest in a professional copy for your new website is like building a beautiful new house and filling it with furniture made of milk crates or cardboard boxes.
You don’t hire a copywriter to save money. You hire a copywriter to save time.
A copywriter can take on your research and writing tasks and save you from having to upskill in marketing concepts. They can clearly craft your message for maximum impact. When you
pay a copywriter to take on these responsibilities, you get more time and headspace to devote to your business. It’s an example of many parts working together to produce a great result.
Three reasons to invest in copywriting:
- You can write. But can you write with precision, persuasion* and personality? (aka. Do you have the skillset?)
- It’s an art to say what you mean.
- Embrace the ol’ divide and conquer – whilst a copywriter writes it for you, you have brain space to complete all the other tasks calling your name.
Great copy is so much more than a bunch of words besprinkled across a website page or a document. Great copy evokes emotion, paints a picture, and takes your reader on a journey. A copywriter can tantalise the taste buds of readers by tailoring content to your reader’s motivations, pain points and interests. Each word is written with your business’s tone of voice and target audience in mind. Great copy is the lemon zest to your vodka martini, it’s that first sip of coffee on a Monday morning, it’s a beacon of light amongst a sea of mundane product descriptions and rambling press releases. So do yourself a favour. Don’t skimp on great copy.
There’s a difference between good copy vs great copy, Beck.
Good copy, talks.
Great copy, converses.
Good copy, describes.
Great copy, sticks.
Good copy, ticks the box.
Great copy, drives action.
Good copy, is about you.
Great copy, is about your audience.
Ready to get those marketing tasks off your to-do-list and onto mine?
– website projects
– content and marketing strategies
– LinkedIn training and more
About the Author
Rebecca Cofrancesco is an experienced marketing strategist and content creator.
She works with professional services brands and offers freelance services without the overhead of a full-time employee.
Contact:
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