Wow – have you seen the amount of copy needed for your project?
As usual management have left it to the last minute, preferring to spend hours and hours refining the colour pallet and design rather than thinking about the content that has to be generated.
Have you noticed that?
The copy is always the last thing on the list. It’s as if people think it’ll take a few minutes to knock up 50-60 pages of engaging content.
After phoning round for a few quotes and being told by numerous copywriters that you’re looking at a minimum of 2 months turnaround, you hit upon a solution.
Rather than engaging one excellent writer, you’ll use many. In fact, to keep costs down, you’ll hire one professional writer to write the top-level pages and then get your own employees to knock up the other stuff.
After all, the lower level pages on the site aren’t that important, are they? And it’s only writing, how hard can it be?
Copywriting style
Copywriters spend many years honing their skill to write in whatever style their client demands.
They cast their own personality aside and write as though they were someone else.
Your employees have never had to do that before.
A professional writer also knows how to create emotive content that will empathise and engage the reader, copy that will focus on benefits rather than what the company can do.
Your employees have never had to do that before.
Can you see the problem?
Keeping your style consistent
Consider this: you’re reading a novel that’s been written by several different writers. Although the story flows, the writing style changes from chapter to chapter.
It’s unsettling.
You can’t get into the story at all and in the end you give up and return the book to the shelf unread – a very unsatisfactory experience.
That is exactly how your readers will feel when they land on your website.
The professional copy on the top-level pages will engage them and encourage them to read further. But when they reach the lower level pages, which have been written by others, the style has changed, there’s no engagement and they give up and take a look at one of your competitor’s sites.
You’ve just lost a sale.
Make your content a priority
If you want high quality content, the answer is simple – don’t leave it to the last minute.
Allow plenty of time for it to be produced and reviewed.
As soon as you start talking to designers about your website or brochure, find a writer who you can bring on-board from the outset.
As a group you’ll be able to plan the content and leave plenty of time for it to be produced by one writer.
Using one writer is a must for quality control and continuity across your marketing.
If you try to cut corners it will show – damaging your reputation and sales figures.