Coming from a marketing and communications background, the idea of using a copywriter to ensure that marketing messages achieve the required stand-out is second nature to me. But having recently spoken to a potential client who was under the misapprehension that I was a web designer, I can see why copywriters have a huge job to persuade business people from non-marketing backgrounds that using a copywriter will achieve far better results than trying to write their own copy.
This potential client asked if I could build his website for him and, when I explained that I could write the content but he would be better off employing a professional web designer to build it and arrange hosting, his response was as follows:
“Why would I need to pay YOU to do a job that I can easily do myself? I’m a good writer, I write all my own letters and I even write articles for my fishing club magazine.”
If I wasn’t so polite to potential clients, my response would have been along the lines of:
“Well, you can use a knife, but that doesn’t mean you’re qualified to perform open heart surgery, does it?”
But of course, I’m never (well, hardly ever 
) rude to potential clients, so I just demurely thanked him for his enquiry and seethed silently!
So why should you pay for words when there’s no one on this earth who knows your business better than you? Well, sometimes being close to your project or business means you run the risk of being too close to it. You could be thinking about what you’re trying to sell rather than what the customer wants to buy, so you tend to communicate your products’ features rather than focusing on the benefits to the customer. In your excitement to talk about your business, you may try to over-complicate your message, rather than using the KISS methodology (Keep It Short and Sweet). You may even decide to take on the task of writing content for your own website, only to have your web design company chasing you for copy months later, as it’s still on your to-do list. Does any of this sound familiar?
The fact is, a copywriter’s job is to take exactly what you want to say and say it better. By putting myself in your customers’ shoes and looking at your business from an outside perspective, I can accurately predict the key messages that will entice them to buy your products and services. Excellent copywriting for your business means more customers, more sales, more business and more money. Plus, it’s an obvious false economy to take time out from your busy schedule, as the true experts on your business, to write copy.
With so many thousands of marketing messages out there, it’s so easy for your products and services to get lost. That’s why it’s crucial to employ the services of a copywriter, who can help you to get your message across effectively, while you get on with the important task of running your business.
