5 reasons every business owner should learn how to write copy

Some copywriters will argue that a DIY approach to copy is a mistake.

I disagree.

I’m not suggesting you just write any old copy and stick it where you like, but the DIY route isn’t always a bad choice. If you invest in learning how to write good copy, you can actually get some great results.

In fact, I’d argue that developing your copywriting skills (or those of someone in your team) is one of the best marketing investments you can make as a business owner and here’s why…

All marketing needs copy

What do websites, social media posts, blogs, brochures, emails, eBooks and video scripts have in common?

Words.

And the words you write can make the difference between browser and buyer, between ‘I’m thinking about it’ and ‘sign me up baby’. Good copy turns prospects into enquiries, enquiries into customers, and clicks into conversions.

You can go on a hundred courses to learn the ins and outs of using social media, spend a fortune on web design, or invest thousands in Google ads. But if your copy is crappy, you won’t get the results you want and you’ll just be wasting your time and money.?

You can’t use a copywriter for everything

Sure, you can hire a copywriter for the big stuff – your website, a brochure, your monthly blog posts.

But can you really afford to pay a copywriter every time you want to put a promotional post on social media or every time you need to reply to an email enquiry?

Even if you could afford it, it’s unlikely you’ll find a copywriter who will always be able to respond within the time you need them to – we aren’t just sitting around waiting for clients to give us stuff to do.

And if you're lucky enough to have an in-house copywriter, they will still have days off – you know, holidays and stuff.

That’s why it’s handy for you to have some copywriting skills of your own, even if they are for emergency use only.

Your business will evolve and change

I have been in business for over seven years, and I still rewrite sections of my website on a regular basis because things change. My services change, my team grows, I get new ideas.

There aren’t many businesses that don’t evolve. And if you’re a new business, it’s likely that what you offer now will have changed entirely within six months.

You might change the way you package your services. You might change the type of clients you work with. You might change what you do completely. So there's no point spending thousands on your website copy if it's all going to be out of date before you've even uploaded it.

Better to learn how to do it yourself so you can change your copy as your business evolves. And then once you’ve got this business malarky nailed, you can bring in the big guns if you want to.

Feel more confident in your marketing and sales process

You're writing copy to attract, nurture and convert – part of doing that is understanding the fundamental elements of marketing and the psychology of sales. Many copywriting books and courses will at least cover the basics of marketing and sales – my training and mentoring programmes certainly do.?

And because you are learning more about sales and marketing, you’ll have more confidence in your strategy and are less likely to get talked into things that are a waste of time and money.

Better results

If you already do your own marketing and aren’t getting the results you’d like, there’s a good chance it’s down to your writing skills.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of writing content without stopping to think about the people who will be reading it.

I see people desperately trying to explain how great their products are by talking about this feature and that feature, instead of talking about how those features benefit the end-user. Or people talking about their experience and what they do, instead of the problems they can solve or the results they deliver.

Part of learning how to write copy is learning how to write for your readers, not yourself.

And, once you start to do that, you’ll see a better response to your marketing efforts.

Get Copy Confident

So there you have it – 5 reasons why business owners should invest in developing their copywriting skills.

And to get you started, I’ve created a free email course – Get Copy Confident in 14 Days.

You won’t get quite the same results as working with me one on one, but you will feel more confident about writing copy (if you complete the tasks and implement the learnings).

It’s 14 days of emails, packed full of copywriting tips and advice – and did I mention it’s absolutely free?

Get yourself signed up today and Let’s Make Your Copy Count.

This article was originally posted on the Make Your Copy Count blog.