Times are tough and you need to keep your costs down, I get that. But it’s important not to lose sight of the bigger picture while you’re finding ways to trim your spending.
If you’ve used a copywriter in the past, you may decide bringing content production in-house will save you money.
However, the opposite is true.
Let me explain.
A professional writer will make you money
Writing emails and memos is one thing, but writing for your customers in a completely different ball game.
Your copywriter makes content creation look effortless (it’s not). The only reason you get that impression is because she is a professional writer. It’s what she does every day. She lives and breathes marketing, understands the psychology of buyers and is fluent in the impenetrable science of search engine optimisation.
Every word she writes is chosen with care. Designed to evoke an emotional reaction, her words resonate with the reader, making them sit up and take notice. They are drawn to them, lapping them up as they begin to believe they need your product or service because it’s going to make their life so much easier.
Yes, her fees may be quite high, but the results more than justify the cost.
It’s a big mistake to think there’s someone on your team who can replicate her numerous skills.
You think a professional’s expensive? Wait until you use an amateur
OK, you’ve ignored my advice, dispensed with your writing expert and handed over content production to your office junior because he’s the only one with capacity to take on the role.
You tell him to speak to the subject matter experts in the company when needed to write the content and that he should just get on with it.
He wants to make a good impression so makes sure he uses hyperbole, marketing jargon and technical language that he thinks will impress your audience.
He begins tweaking the website so it tells your audience all about the company and its achievements.
He hits most of his deadlines, so you think it’s working well, silently gloating over all the money you’ve saved (because, of course, his salary has remained the same despite the extra work).
Then you begin to notice something. Your website traffic is dropping, enquiries are drying up, and your blog has bombed.
Although your outgoings have reduced, so have your sales. Your cash flow is hit. This is getting serious now. Something has to be done.
There’s only one thing to do, get back in touch with your copywriter and hope she has the capacity to get you out of the mess you’ve created.
Yup, your money saving decision has just cost you dearly.
That is why it’s a bad idea to write your content in-house.
Sally Ormond is an international copywriter. She uses her experience to make sure her clients’ internal and external marketing communications hit the right note every time.