A freelance copywriter and National Insurance are not usually bedfellows when it comes to articles on my website, but I feel the urge to splurge.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Labour posse have sucker-punched businesses – twice. Very hard. By increasing the National Insurance rate and reducing the threshold at which employers start paying it.
This is a slap in the face, especially considering it comes hot on the heels of higher minimum wages and business rates.
How will it affect you?
Will you have to reduce your staffing levels?
Will you be putting new hires on hold?
Will some of your existing staff have to double up on duties so you can run a leaner ship?
Experience has shown that austerity measures generally impact your content marketing budget during lulls. It’s the first thing that gets cut or passed on to a junior member of staff who hasn’t had any training.
Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if the quantity and quality of copywriting for many businesses plummets.
But there is another way.
Harness the power of a freelance copywriter
Many businesses prefer to use an in-house copywriter. I have an issue with that.
Unless you have a fabulous budget for such a skilled professional, you’re unlikely to get the best from them. I’m not dissing staff writers—far from it—but they are unlikely to have the expertise and experience necessary to push your brand to the heights it deserves.
I’ve seen so many copywriting jobs that pay peanuts that it’s embarrassing. Yet, companies expect high levels of creativity, accuracy, and experience.
The problem is that when writers work within a company, they become indoctrinated with its ‘way of doing stuff.’ That’s why the content is often tired and ‘samie’—they start writing with blinkers on. And that’s not good.
When you work with a freelance copywriter, you get a wealth of experience. Someone ready and willing to push you beyond your comfort zone and introduce new ways of marketing your business that disrupt your industry (in a good way). They’ll be able to advise you on your content strategy and help you create a brand that’s compelling and irresistible to your audience.
Even better, working with a freelance copywriter means you don’t have any NICs to worry about, sick pay, holiday pay, pension contributions, or training costs.
How to keep hold of your freelance copywriter
Working with a freelancer can look like this:
A fixed-term contract gives your freelancer some level of stability, guaranteeing an income for a set period. They may only work for you (depending on the hours required), so you have their undivided attention. When the end of the contract is reached, you can begin another (if you need the help) or part company. Of course, there’s no guarantee they’ll be available when you need their skills again.
The same goes for project-based work. This is popular among businesses because they can dip into their freelancer’s experience to receive high-quality, professional content for a single project, such as website content, case studies, articles, brochures, white papers or reports. Again, the only problem is that when you need them in the future, there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to squeeze you in.
The final option is a retainer—the holy grail for freelancers because it gives them a regular income. In return, you get a highly skilled professional working as part of your virtual team without having to fork out all that extra NIC and other stuff I mentioned earlier. It could be for five or ten days a month, for example. It’s a win-win.
Don’t be tempted by AI
If you think you can get around the NIC issue by using AI rather than a living and breathing copywriter, think again.
As I reported in my recent article, Is AI Content Killing Your Brand Reputation?, 60% of marketers who use generative AI in their content creation process worry it will harm their brand’s reputation.
That’s because your content connects your brand to your audience, but only if it has an authentic, human voice.
AI content is not original: it uses existing data for content that’s then curated to fit your parameters. It cannot generate original ideas.
My final content marketing word
I know this is all about content writing and freelance copywriting (because that’s my industry), but the same can be said for many other specialist skills your current people lack.
Rather than increasing your costs by taking on new staff who are not at the top of their field (because you’re unlikely to afford them, let alone the associated employment costs), consider working with a freelancer.
The flexibility, experience and energy they bring will propel your business forward.
Sally Ormond is a professional freelance copywriter who is ready to help you beat the NICs hike.