Can’t I just do it myself?

Well of course you can, but it’s like DIY painting your house. It’s only once you get started, that you realise there’s a lot more to it, you don’t have the right tools and the work is like a slow kind of torture. (I’m sure DIY painting is the reason for high Australian divorce rates!). But the worst part is, despite your best efforts, the results are pretty ordinary.

As a business owner, you know it’s important to be visible to potential and existing customers- with a website, social media, blog posts, newsletters, emails and more. You know business marketing is essential to your bottom line, but it can seem endless…so why not DIY? Writing marketing copy is easy, isn’t it? Here are seven things to consider when deciding if you can afford to DIY.

1. Copywriting takes time

And more than just the time to write the words. Do you know how long it REALLY takes to write effective copy that smashes your business goals? You need to intimately understand your customers, work out exactly what they need, and then craft the words that will compel them to do business with you- now and into the future. If you need your copy to work that hard, you need to do the research, planning, drafting, writing, editing and proofreading- and all of this takes time. As a business owner, time is your most valuable asset. So, if you just want to focus on doing what you do best, it might be time to hand over the writing reins to a professional copywriter.

2. Good copywriting is marketing writing

There’s no way around this- you need marketing chops. While a lot of people consider themselves good writers, are they marketing writers? Do they know how to write persuasive marketing copy that understands what stage of awareness your customers are at, their ‘pain points’ and what benefits are most important to them? Good copywriting nails the language that reaches your customers without being ‘salesy’ and drives them to take action- whether it’s buying now, getting in touch or signing up to your mailing list. And that’s what your business needs- people to take action!

3. How do you write about yourself?

It sounds easy, but writing about yourself is harder than you think. And for one simple reason- it’s not really about you. What? Isn’t an ‘about’ page meant to be about me? Don’t people come to my business website to find out about my business offerings? Well yes and no. The grim truth is no one really cares about your fancy products or your years of blood, sweat and tears. Ouch! What they really care about is themselves- what they get out of your products or services and how they can improve their lives. So, to nail the REAL benefits customers are looking for (even if they don’t know it themselves), you need to be objective. Which is hard, what with all the blood, sweat and tears.

4. Copywriters help you avoid acute embarrassment

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room- spelling, grammar and punctuation. While technicalities are a tad boring, ask yourself this- have you ever spotted typos, dodgy spelling or just plain old bad writing in any business copy you read? Of course. Those nasties are everywhere! They slow down your reading, make it hard to understand and worse, make a business look sloppy. After a while it’s embarrassing, then simply annoying. Aside from the damage to your brand, you can’t afford to waste your customers’ time, and you definitely can’t afford to be annoying. Next!

5. All writers are not created equal

Just because your super-skilled admin person writes a cracking annual sales report or your teenage kid is glued to social media, it does not mean they can write effective marketing copy for your business. Do they know that website copy needs to consider user experience and keywords? Do they understand your audience’s motivations and how to use persuasive language to speak to their desires? While I don’t want to diss any brave souls that put their hands up for writing tasks, effective marketing copywriting is a specialised skill that takes time and dedication. So, when you shell out for professional copywriting services, you’re not just paying for the time it takes to write the words, you’re benefiting from the length of time it’s taken to hone those skills.

6. Get bang for your buck with content repurposing

Say what? In a nutshell, content repurposing is where a larger piece of content is magically broken down into a number of smaller pieces of content by your savvy copywriter. For example, a website ‘about’ page could turn into a business bio for a flyer and a social media post. Or a blog post could be rewritten for a series of emails and a media release. So instead of paying for individual pieces of marketing content created over time, content repurposing means you get some serious bang for your copywriting buck. And as an added bonus, your tone of voice and messaging will be consistent across all of your marketing channels.

7. Look good now and into the future

Did someone say strategy? Experienced copywriters understand the difference between the copy you need to have now and evergreen copy that stands the test of time. They understand where both of these types of copy should be published and when. There’s nothing worse than inconsistency, unnecessarily repeated information or copy that sounds like it was written in the 1980s. And this is where strategy comes in. No matter what your content is about, where it lives or when it was written, content strategy saves your business from looking like a patchwork quilt.

So now you know. Copywriting is a specialised skill that helps your business succeed- ultimately saving you time, money and torment. Can your business really afford to DIY when you can get it done right the first time? Of course I’m biased. But what can I say? Hire a professional copywriter today!