The Pros and Cons of Writing Your Own Copy
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but those words still count. With all the technological toys at our disposal, great copy is still the heart and soul of any great marketing effort. It has to immediately grab a reader’s attention and then hold onto it. In today’s market, you have about 7 seconds to hook a visitor before they decide to move back to their search engine results. Great copy can set your brand apart and make all the difference in your conversion rates.
With copy so important, should you let an outside professional handle this critical task or do it yourself? Much of the answer to this question will depend on your business, how much time you’re willing to spend writing and how comfortable you are with the written word.
If you’re just starting out, hiring a copywriter may not be the best approach. You’ll first want to have a clear idea of your product or service and who you’re going to be marketing it to. If you don’t have a firm idea about these things, hiring a copywriter will have limited benefits. Writing your own copy can help you find your voice in a crowded field and let you hone your message. Good writing has many applications, so by doing your own copy, you’re practicing skills that you can use in many other aspects of your business.
There’s also no way a copywriter can know your business the way you do. You’re the most valuable aspect of your business. While you may offer a different product or service, it’s your unique perspective that will ultimately bring clients to you. Capturing that perspective can be a tough task for even a skilled copywriter.
On the other hand, there are plenty of situations where hiring a copywriter may be the perfect solution. An outside professional can look at your business objectively, pinpoint your strengths and create content that highlights them to the best advantage, while minimizing any weaknesses you have. Writing effective copy is a skill as well as an art, and even if you have a knack for writing, a professional copywriter can often produce more effective content.
Writing good copy is also time intensive, especially if you need to produce a lot of it on a tight deadline. As a business owner, your time is valuable, and there is an opportunity cost to each moment of your day. Minutes or hours spent sweating over the details of a page of copy might be better spent working with clients or managing other areas of your business.
Like a great-looking website or brilliant graphic design, strong and effective copywriting is a critical part of your business success. Even with an increased reliance on images and video, the need isn’t going away anytime soon.