Does your business need to work with a professional writer?
Hiring a freelancer or an agency that is awesome at creating copy might not be at the top of your to-do list, but doing so could bring more benefits than you think.
In this article, we explore 7 compelling reasons why your business needs a professional writer. By the end, you will be asking yourself:
"Can I really afford NOT to hire a professional writer?"
...we did warn you...
1. Your Content is Your Voice
Most businesses these days have a website, a blog and social media channels. Yet many of them don't realise the importance of how they talk to potential customers on these platforms.
When it comes to business, your content, whether a blog post or a social media video, is your brand voice. Nail a tone that resonates with customers and the results will be profitable, but miss the mark and you could permanently damage your brand image.
Of course, there are many different types of content from audio (such as podcasts) to video. However, with websites being the marketing cornerstone for most businesses, written content is likely the most important and common way you speak to customers.
So, getting the tone correct when writing about your business can make all the difference between your key messages being delivered in a clear, compelling way and turning your customers off your business altogether.
A great writer will help you write content that both speaks to your customers on their level and compels them to take action.
2. Boost Search Engine Rankings
Written content is one of the most crucial aspects of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. Although other types of content could play a part in the amount of traffic you gain from search engines, there is no denying that well-written, keyword-specific content is the best way to drive traffic from search engines like Google.
Why? Because search engines want to serve their searchers with the most relevant content based on the terms they search for. They use your written content to assess what your webpage is all about. So, when you have great written content, search engines are more likely to direct traffic your way.
A great content writer will be able to write high-quality content that directly targets the keywords which are most valuable to your brand. They will also be able to optimize the content, ensuring that keyword location, density and content length are dealt with according to best practices.
Consistency also plays a key role in your search engine success. This is because search engines tend to favour more up-to-date content. More content also offers you more opportunities to target keywords. Working with a professional writer will make it much easier for your business to stick to a consistent content plan.
3. Create a Buzz on Social Media
Social media is a great way to tap into the attention of your potential audience. But it is also highly saturated, with a huge volume of other brands, influencers and users all also trying to grab attention.
It simply isn't enough to 'just post' on social. Your content needs to be compelling, it needs to grab attention and it needs to speak to people in a way that makes them listen.
This is where a professional writer comes in. They will help you create the types of posts and captions that make people stop, think and even share your content with their followers.
Although you may be able to do this in-house, outsourcing to a professional writer can be beneficial to businesses that want to generate consistency with their social media content.
4. Boost Engagement
The Call To Action (CTA). A small, but arguably the most important part of your marketing.
After all, grabbing a customer's attention and getting them to digest your content is a little pointless if you cannot then convince them to take valuable action.
Often a CTA could be used to make a direct sale, but they can also play an important role in other parts of the buyer journey such as:
Newsletter sign ups
Requesting a demo
Contacting you
Booking a meeting
A great writer will help you write CTAs that go being 'sign up here' and 'buy now', helping you get your audience excited about taking the next step in their journey of buying from you.
Improve Staff Communication
High-quality content writers aren't just great for marketing. They can also streamline internal processes and develop a positive internal brand.
For example, your writer could help you turn complex topics into simple content that makes it much easier to train staff. They can also be used to help develop internal content that promotes your brand and motivates team members.
Remember - great content compels action - and it isn't just your customers that you want to positively influence.
Save Time & Money
Sure, a professional freelance writer is going to cost you money. So it may seem a little strange that we are suggesting that they will save you money. But look at it this way:
Professional writers can often write content considerably faster and to a higher standard than non-professional writers (ie in-house marketers). So, even though they may charge more per hour than you pay an employee, they will typically achieve more in that hour. Doing so can also free up other employees (such as the in-house marketer) to focus on other areas.
Plus, when you work with a professional writer, you only pay for the content you need. This offers you greater flexibility and ultimately saves you money in the long run.
Become a Thought Leader
Although not essential in every scenario, many businesses can benefit considerably from becoming thought leaders in their industry. Doing so can help you:
Develop customer trust
Drive more traffic to your website
Establish yourself as an industry leader
A highly knowledgeable writer in your area can help drastically improve your position as a thought leader.
TOP TIP: Longer thought leadership content can be a great lead magnet for your business. For example, you may create an ebook on a niche subject. This can then be used to collect information on potential customers (such as their email addresses).
Note: Writing with AI
Let's be honest here.
Could AI (such as ChatGPT) steal writers' jobs? Yes, potentially.
Is the type of content it currently produces anywhere near good enough to replace a good writer? Absolutely not.
In reality, the current content you will get from AI is just about good enough to replace a very junior writer. But there are some big issues:
It lacks personality, so it isn't really going to compel your audience
It is often factually incorrect, as it doesn't have the fact-checking abilities and hands-on knowledge a real writer has
You need to feed it a very detailed brief to get anywhere near decent results - you may need to employ a professional writer to create that brief
If you want great results then you are going to have to do a considerable amount of editing - which often takes just as long as writing the article in the first place
Oh, and some reports suggest that search engines such as Google can already recognise content written by AI and are penalising those who use it.
Of course, it has its place - at the moment, this is firmly in the research stages of content writing.
Hiring a Professional Writer for Business: Summary
Whether you should hire a professional writer for your website depends on several factors. These range from your budget to your appetite for growth. In this article, we have demonstrated 7 of the biggest benefits of employing a professional writer, but in reality, they all boil down to one thing:
Working with a writer makes it easier to grow your business.
If you think working with a professional writer could be a good option for your business, reach out to our writing team at hello@makeitmana.com. They will be able to offer you advice on how a professional writer could help you grow your business.
Any questions about working with a professional writer? Drop them in the comments below and our team will gladly help.