Eleven Reasons Not to Hire a Freelance
Copywriter (and Why They're All Poor Excuses!)
By Dina
Giolitto
Think you can take the Copywriting
and Marketing Challenge on your own? Allow me to convince
you otherwise! Here are eleven reasons why business owners
typically choose not to hire a writer, and my argument for
each.
Excuse 1. "Why pay someone else when
I can do the writing myself?"
Next time you sit down with a writing project,
pay attention to how you feel. Mentally, are you quickly and
effortlessly able to extract the essence of what makes your
consumer offering worthwhile? Or do you find yourself mired
in extraneous details, unable to focus on what should be crystal-clear
to an outsider?
Bring a copywriter
into the mix, and get a fresh perspective on your product
or service, and a clear focus on your product benefits.
Excuse 2. "I know my product/business
better than anyone else."
This may in fact be true. But when was the
last time you analyzed your own target audience? As society
evolves, so do the needs of the average consumer. A great
product can weather the winds of change and stand up to the
test of time – but competition is stiff, and who is
to say your good name will stay in the mainstream?
A good writer will analyze the way people
live in today’s world and then add your product to that
scheme in a way that makes it indispensible.
Excuse 3. "I find it difficult to work
with someone in a remote location."
Let’s face it: we're into the new
millennium, and the world’s greatest minds are linking
up remotely in ways that are advancing them by light years.
There is nothing more convenient than doling out a day’s
work with a quick click of the mouse, checking your Inbox
later and to find five projects awaiting your review.
Electronic information transfer is the
ideal way to save money, time and resources while making use
of a freelance copywriter or graphic
artist’s greatest strengths.
Excuse 4. "My business is in too great
a state of flux for an outsider to keep up."
While it may be true that you can typically
"expect the unexpected", there is one thing that
doesn't change: you’ve still got a message to convey
and a family of products that compel you to put your best
face forward.
While you’re dealing with market
fluctuations, a writer
can tap your potential buyer pool and harness that purchasing
power with an advertising message worth its weight in gold.
Excuse 5. "We already have existing
copy and it works just fine."
Your current advertising may have served
its purpose well once, but how many times have you recycled
this same campaign? Another season means another reason to
spend money!
Let your writer do a little homework
and find out what people are responding to of late. Great
advertising uses the amazingly persuasive power of the written
word to generate an actual psychological need for your product
or service.
Excuse 6. "I can’t afford such
'luxury business services'."
Many people view hiring independent contractors
as a "big business" practice only. Not true! Think
about how many times your full-timers worked overtime this
year. If you paid them time-and-a-half, can you honestly say
their output was up to snuff and worth the extra dime?
Eliminate the headaches brought on by
a disheartened group whose novice advertising attempts are
gropings in the dark at best. Hire a professional writer to
write ads that will turn your business around and pump up
your sales volume!
Excuse 7. "We plan to bring on a full-time
writer in the near future."
Hiring someone new means another salary,
another employee benefits package—and another set of
commitments. While all this may seem like a worthy investment
in the long run, there’s no telling how the market will
affect the future of your firm.
Employ a Power Writer on a temp basis
that you have the luxury of controlling, and work out a business
deal that you’re comfortable with.
Excuse 8. "Who needs fancy words? My
product sells itself."
Nowadays, you’re competing with the
entire world. It’s called the global market, and if
you want your name to be within the top rungs of the hierarchy,
you must take steps to get yourself noticed. Ignoring the
internet is the quickest way to lose your stronghold in your
key market segment.
Invest in a copywriting
and marketing expert who can isolate your target audience
and implement a killer ad strategy that will permanently burn
your brand into the consumer mind.
Excuse 9. "Copywriters are for campaign
work. We don’t have a need for that."
Copywriters earn their livelihood writing
copy—not just awe-inspiring headlines, but plain
everyday language as it’s used in every aspect of your
business. Crisp, professional writing lends polish and credibility—and
establishes your corporation as one run by intelligent, exacting
people... the kind others want to do business with!
Don’t let your reputation suffer
at the hands of a poorly written piece! Call in a seasoned
copywriter to get the message across with clarity, professionalism,
and style.
Excuse 10. "My marketing person writes
all of our promotions and ads already."
If your marketing person is doing your writing,
then who is doing your marketing? Ideally, your marketing
guru should be conducting surveys and focus groups, planning
long and short-term selling strategies. For those of you have
a marketing expert who can do this AND flesh out the creative
for all your compelling ads—well, please introduce me
to this Super Human!
For the rest of you: let the marketing
guy focus on his area of expertise—and leave the writing
to the writer.
Excuse 11. "I’m not comfortable
revealing my business secrets to an unfamiliar outside party."
Most writers create for the personal satisfaction
that goes along with crafting a message that produces tangible
results. By nature, a writer, or a graphic
artist for that matter in fact has more to lose by sharing
what they already know about effective advertising and mastering
the tricks of the trade.
An ad writer is happiest when she can
deliver your message in the most succinct way possible, and
yield incredible results for your business... in the way that
you always imagined it could happen... but EVEN BETTER!
Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com
Copywriting and Marketing. All rights reserved.
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