Want To Grow Your Business? Time To Hire A Copywriter

When you own a business, you’re juggling a lot — finances, administration, sales, marketing, and more. You know your business inside and out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the best person to describe your products/services and to properly market it. You might be using technical jargon that leaves your audience saying, “HUH?” Instead of saying “YES, I need that!” Just like you would outsource your taxes and financial matters to an accountant, hiring a professional copywriter is just as crucial.?

What exactly is copywriting?

Copywriting is the art of writing content that promotes a business and it's the most critical element of marketing and advertising. The purpose of a copywriter is to persuade a business’ target audience to take action (e.g. sign up for a course, purchase the equipment, or buy a coaching package) after reading the copy, i.e. headlines, sentences, slogans, etc.??

Essentially, copywriting is like a call-to-action (CTA), getting people to feel, think, or preferably act. Copywriting can be long-form content (like blogs, LinkedIn articles, even case studies) or short-form content (like ads, emails, and LinkedIn headlines). Copywriters help you improve sales and conversions — cha ching!??

Let’s look at an example: your ideal target audience reads your business’ case study about how you helped Janice successfully pivot careers from accountant to fashion stylist. They’re not ready to purchase your service (as a career coach) just yet, but the case study planted a seed. Your target audience thoroughly enjoyed the story, they learned something new, and most importantly it got them thinking about their current position and how unhappy they are. Having great copy will get them coming back again and again — for education, for value, to feel something that they resonated with, and to purchase your service because you’ve gained their trust.??????

What should you look for in a copywriter??

Copywriters are nothing short of master communicators. They know how to show your target audience what you’re offering in an enticing and credible way. To do this, they need a variety of skills.

Marketing

Since copywriting is a key component of marketing, a good copywriter should have a basic knowledge of this field. I draw upon my years of experience as a marketing communications specialist every time I work with a brand. Not every copywriter will have a background in marketing, but they at least need to know how businesses work and be able to use words to make an impact.

They should be familiar with the strategies and forms of a marketing campaign, including ads, articles, and newsletters. These days it’s also essential for copywriters to understand search engine optimization (SEO), which will boost your visibility, establish authority, and increase engagement. Finally, copywriters should be able to create strong CTAs so readers take action.?

Research

A good copywriter has to understand your business, what makes you unique from your competitors, and who your ideal client is. That’s the only way to pitch interesting and original topics that will make your business stand out.

To achieve this, strong research skills — finding information and statistics, analyzing brands, even interviewing thought leaders — are a must. Copywriting takes a lot more planning and pre-writing than you might expect, so a good copywriter puts in the work to understand the project and get to know you.??

Project management

Copywriters are seldom the only people working on a project. They might be working directly with business owners or be contracted by a marketing agency. Either way, the copy they create will most likely have them working with other creators, like graphic designers, SEO specialists, copyeditors, marketing managers, and more. Having strong project management skills means they’re excellent communicators, organized, detail-oriented, and self-motivated.

As a freelance copywriter, I answer to numerous clients — but ultimately, I answer to myself. My work speaks for itself, but that work doesn’t just involve writing. It’s the time I put into the calls, meetings, and planning sessions that make sure what I write aligns with my clients’ goals and expectations.???

Relevant experience

This shouldn’t necessarily be a make-or-break factor, but if you’re searching for a copywriter, see if they have experience writing for your industry (they could be up for a challenge even if they don’t have the experience). Look at samples of their work, because this is the best way to tell if they’re a good fit for your business.

For example, my samples of writing include more technical pieces (written for tech and finance firms) alongside more conversational content (written for career coaches and executive recruiters). Having a range of writing pieces demonstrates my versatility.?

Understanding of psychology

A great copywriter (yes, I said great), uses psychology to write persuasive copy. They understand that humans are lazy, so they know that making your copy stand out, making it easy to understand is important.?

A copywriter who understands psychology will make the reader feel something by priming the audience with emotional words and phrases. Moreover, psychology underpins buying decisions (e.g. the stages of awareness — from unaware, pain aware/problem aware, solution aware, product aware, and most aware), and a copywriter can use this knowledge to their advantage to guide the reader along these stages until they get to the point where they’re ready to commit.

Of all my past experience, my degree in psychology is perhaps the most valuable and continually relevant to what I do today.???

Writing skills and style

Okay, this one is obvious, but I’m going to include it anyway. A copywriter is good at writing, and specifically, writing copy. Since they understand your business and your ideal client, they don’t include fancy words or technical jargon just to show off. They write copy that is clear, accurate, has a consistent voice and tone, and is grammatically correct.??

How will a copywriter help your business??

Speaking of grammar, did you know that 81% of women and 77% of men are less likely to purchase a product if the copy has spelling mistakes in it? Yikes! That’s a lot of sales you could be missing out on just because of a simple mistake in your advertisement. Grammar mistakes could also hurt your reputation as a brand, and if you’ve spent years in business, this is the last thing you want!?

Here are some of the biggest challenges my clients face when it comes to their business:?

• Communicating properly and connecting with their audiences.
• Tailoring their message to different audiences (e.g. awareness level) and on different platforms.
• Gaining and converting more leads.
• Feeling uninspired or a lack of creativity.?
• Overwhelmed because they have so many aspects of the business they’re working on.?
• Stuck — they want to grow their business but they realize that they’re using the same old messages and strategies.?

This is where a copywriter comes in, helping you connect with your audience, attract more leads, put a fresh spin on your copy (they might even be able to help you see your business in a new light), take the pressure off of you (they’re experts after all in this field), and even help you take your business to new heights.?

A copywriter can also:

• Inform and inspire.?
• Persuade people into taking action.?
• Develop and solidify your brand voice.
• Get sales.?

As a good copywriter knows, I’m going to end this article with a CTA. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about copywriting or want my help writing creative and compelling copy for your business.