You can’t get this writing done yourself, and you shouldn’t try.
My favorite people to work for are those who know they can’t write.
Unfortunately, they are few and far between. In the real word, everyone’s a writer. Or else, they think they are. After all, they write words all the time. And no one knows their company like they do, right? So clearly they’re the best person to write the copy for their own website. Right?
Unfortunately, copywriting is about a little more than that.
When you hire a copywriter, you’re not just delegating.
At the very least, you should hire a copywriter because you don’t have time to write. Honestly: we’ve seen websites delayed for months, or even years, because a client doesn’t want to hire someone to do their writing for them. But a good copywriter is more than just someone who takes over a job you don’t have the resources to handle yourself. Copywriters bring with them a unique skill set that provides value not just to you, but to your users as well.
They’re doing something you can’t, because you’re too close to your company to do it well.
Good copywriting isn’t about words: it’s about messaging.
Clients trying to write their own copy struggle most commonly with viewing their company from their client’s perspective. They get caught up talking about themselves and what they do, and they forget to address their client’s need. Or if they do address that need, they do so using their own terminology. Because they’re so close to their work, they’ve forgotten how to explain it in ways that connect with their audience.
If you’re trying to write your own copy, you need to remember that your copy is not for you. It’s for the visitors who come to your site: your users, your clients, your potential customers. And while you may know your business through and through, at this point you’re probably too close to it to be able to write about it for your customers. You need an outside perspective: someone who knows your customers better than they know you, and can use that knowledge to share your business with them.
A good copywriter advocates for your consumers.
The job of a good copywriter is not to act as the mouthpiece of your organization. Rather, it is to be a user advocate. Essentially, this places the copywriter in the role of an interpreter: they learn your brand and your company, and then translate that to the consumer. That’s a difficult but essential skill that you should leverage on your company’s behalf.
Furthermore, a copywriter should be working with your design team to help guide the layout of the site. A design team working in tandem with a qualified copywriter can produce a highly functional website that presents a pleasing and compelling user experience to your visitors. But, as Ian wrote in an earlier post, that means you need to set your ego aside and trust your copywriter to present the best version of your company to your customers.
Copywriters know what will attract and convert.
If you’re working with a copywriter who knows SEO inside and out, you’ll be better positioned to attract more visitors to your site. And if they land on a highly streamlined website, one that addresses customer need and provides a clear and logical path to follow, you will see the results in higher conversions. And that, at the end of the day, is what you need to succeed.
Words matter: don’t treat them as an afterthought. Trust your words to someone equipped to choose and deploy them on your behalf. You won’t regret it.