Every week, my old boss would pace up and down the halls of our offices, trying to find new things to write about for his weekly newsletter or blog. It was a great idea when he first decided to do this article. It would generate plenty of traffic and be a cheap form of marketing.
After a couple of months, he soon realised that a small blog that could take a few minutes for clients to read could take much longer to create. It took too much time to find the subject of the post, the purpose, and how to write it.
Sometimes his weeks were so busy that he couldn't find time to write the post, let alone plan or research it! So, within months, gaps grew in the posting frequency. I could see my boss regretting ever taking on this brilliant yet cumbersome task.
We won't mention when he wanted to go on holiday.
Adding insult to injury, reports have shown that only about 28% of words get read! (Harald Weinreich, Hartmut Obendorf, Eelco Herder, and Matthias Mayer: "Not Quite the Average: An Empirical Study of Web Use," in the ACM Transactions on the Web, vol. 2, no. 1 (February 2008), article #5.) We are in a time where there is so much information to read that we have learnt to skim read.
Just the salient or fun facts, please!
It is time to look at delegating. But to whom? Do you have a team of writers in-house? Great. What if you aren't blessed with a large marketing team?
What if they are great at writing marketing copy, but you want them to talk about your latest piece of technology?
This is why you need a freelance copywriter:
1: Freelance writers give you more knowledge and experience
A bricklayer knows all there is to know about building a wall. Your accountant has the full knowledge and understanding of your books and accounts. They know how to figure out the crazy world of taxation and filing your annual reports.
It makes sense that you defer to these professional people for their expertise. And you, in your part of the world of commerce, are the expert in what you do. You may well be that fantastic accountant - I might be calling on you to sort my books by the end of the year!
A writer is no different. A freelance writer's business is writing. It is in their interest to write and do it with excellence and quality, as you'd expect. The writer understands how to build the content. They understand the research requirements and the keywords to look for. Writing isn't just a few words stuck on a page here and there.
They write constantly. They develop their skills and structure engaging documents, blending grammar and vocabulary. They have learnt how to write with your clients in mind and are also experts in sales and customer care.
With this expertise, they can reduce the time it takes to build your article. In the same way, a plasterer can present a smoothly finished wall to you in half the time you could do an OK job. A writer will present an articulated document that does what you want it to in a fraction of the time you could do it.
Time is money.
2: Working with a freelance writer saves the cost of staff.
You only pay per project. So, it saves time and money.
Projects can come and go. Your in-house team responsible for writing your content, be it marketing, social media, or sales teams, can sometimes be stretched to the limit. They might still have to get your regular content out or get involved with an email sales campaign.
Where would they prioritise? Do they reduce focus on the other work? Or perhaps they solely deal with the writing and find times when the workload is very slow.
Think summer holidays!
Sometimes you know that extra hands will make life a lot easier for your teams. After all, well-being is at the forefront today; can you afford to stress your team over long periods?
Taking on this extra member of staff takes time and money. What if you are using a recruitment agency? £3k is a going rate for a £30k salary. But don't forget that you pay other through-costs on top of the salary. These include Employer's NI, training, bonuses, office space and equipment, software, licenses, and other tools.
For the first year of employment, you can look at over £50k spent on a £30k salary!
There is holiday cover to pay. And the cost of management, the time taken to train and manage them.
Your freelance writer will only cost you the agreed fee for the project. Is that a regular blog post? A website? Sales funnels and scripts? And one thing they are not? They are also not there just to fill a seat. They run a business, as you do.
And you don't have to pay them when you are not using them. (But please remember, there will be terms and conditions in a freelancer's contract, and they are human. Be kind when you don't feel you need them.
Next time you look at taking on staff for any project that might need writing, consider the finances, time, and space required.
3: You are too close to your business
You might miss something you think is obvious. The language needs to be in ways your audience gets.
If you are a follower of BBC's 'The Apprentice,' you will be familiar with the last season's major cock-up of creating a dubious logo for 'First Time Foodies.' Yes, that painful logo that looked more like 'First Time Dies!'
The poor team was so engrossed in getting things right that they missed one of the most obvious rules of marketing. Don't kill your customers' children.
Or step back from what you are doing and get a good sense-check of the work.
This problem is far more prevalent than you'd realise. A business website might use trade jargon without realising it. The odd acronym might mean plenty to you, but do your browsers understand? If using jargon, would it not be wiser to describe the benefit or the feeling you get when using the item rather than the technical terminology of the features?
A great writer doesn't have the emotional entanglement that you have. They won't get wrapped up in layers of company-speak. But, they will have researched the subject of your document. Thoroughly!
And they will translate your words into an inviting and engaging article that will speak your clients' language.
This is all part of their expertise.
If only 28% of your words are getting read, you want to ensure it's the ones that win your readers. Through years of experience and continual work in the field, your writer will know what words to use. They know how to tell the story and excite your readers.
4: Your freelance writer is more than just a writer.
It can take a good three to four hours to write a decent long-form blog post. That is a fair chunk of time out of your busy schedule. Now you are ready to publish your excellent piece of work.
But wait.
There's more.
Have you managed to optimise the SEO? Have you set up the metadata and the other elements that help create traction? Is this part of your digital marketing strategy?
While on a webinar the other day, one of the co-presenters said that they feel shattered when they finish writing a blog! They feel drained, and sorting all the SEO is the last thing they want to do.
Is playing around with SEO and digital marketing another thing to add to the long list of skills you need to learn? All you wanted to do was write a blog post about your latest innovation with your business!
Bring in the Freelance writer.
Your freelance writer isn't only an expert at putting a bunch of sentences together.
They understand SEO. They understand marketing and digital strategy. They also add the fiddly bits into the project timescale you expect.
A writer isn't JUST a writer. They are researchers, fact-checkers, SEO experts, well versed in digital marketing, and client-focused.
And they do it all to bring YOU the reward, the glory, the praises from your bosses and readers.
And in all this time, you have been able to get on with the fun and important things you do best. You win twice!
It makes sense that working with a freelance copywriter makes your life easier. Saving time, money, and all the stress that comes with it, you get to focus on what you do better and enjoy more.
Contact me, and we can discuss how I can help with your journey to a more blissful working life.