As a writing team, we’re constantly hired to fill in for a missing talent: the art of writing.
We put our unique writing ability and style to good use to help companies grow organically.
Good copy enables them to improve their communication with their targeted audiences, sell faster and better, and achieve bold marketing goals – that they didn’t even know they had in mind.
Yes: written content can do all of that.
What’s your superpower?
Need a Writer? Two Solutions: Become an Overnight Creative Superhero, or Find One
Maybe you consider yourself fairly decent with words.
Let’s go further. Maybe you’re among the few wonders of the world who can solve a Rubix cube in the blink of an eye. You feel like you can count on your above-average analytical skills to deliver the best answers to your customers’ questions, challenges and concerns.
But what if you can’t string one sentence together that can convert a reader?
Turn someone visiting your site into a buyer? Activate their brain as they scan your content, so they automatically (and instantly) want to know more about you and buy whatever you’re selling?
Those “activation” words, my friend, are the product of a true artist – a writer with the compound power of creative thinking and creative writing, at their disposal.
I’ll be honest here: as a writer, you can’t just “be creative.”
You have to be able to turn your creativity into a flow of words. A well-developed vocabulary helps. Online writing skills are a big help if you want Google to read your words, too. But you can’t try too hard, because it must come naturally.
Thus, the best content is written.
Easy as pie–if you have a natural, talented expert writer at your disposal.
10 Clear-Cut Reasons Why You (And Everyone Else) Truly Does Need a Writer
Intrigued on what makes a writer so hire-able?
Here are some of the biggest reasons we’re hired daily (and why you need a writer).
1. You Need Better-Than-Average Copy to Win with Google Today
It’s funny my first point references a “robotic algorithm,” right?
Well, they’ve actually come to a point of reading content like a real human–so they look for great writing in the copy. Useful stuff, that people will actually want to click on and read. (I’m serious. Google’s that advanced these days.)
And they recently released their rulebook, aka Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, which I’ve already discussed (read: dissected) in a previous blog here.
In a nutshell, E.A.T is Google’s new name listing all the three key components that a page needs to meet its standards: A High Level of Expertise (E), Authoritativeness (A), and Trustworthiness (T). And then there’s Y.M.Y.L., which refers to the expert level content required for those high level industries (your money or your life – great rapper style, Google).
If you think that your writing isn’t focused on expertise, authoritativeness, or trust: stop right now and rewrite everything until you come up with Google (and people)-friendlier versions, or put the pen down and let an experienced writer take charge.
2. You Don’t Want that Typo To Bring You Down
OK: let’s say you have copy already written and you like it. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here.
No matter what your content is about, a professional writer or copyeditor is your best bet to ensure your copy is error-free and solid. You don’t want to be the unintentional butt of that one humorous grammatical joke. I’m a professional copywriter, and I’ve been there: now, I always involve multiple people from our team in my own copy creation.
Your answer: Nah, I’ve got this. I can proofread.
#1: We’re all human, even the best of us. You’re going to miss an error at some point.
#2: And have you ever proofread a ton of content? Because as your business and needs grow and you create more and more content, being your own editor gets a little…tedious. Refer to the below.
Also, another short note on this point.
An expert copywriter or is the best person to consult if you’re considering launching a tagline, slogan, or some other small bit of copy that will bring serious exposure. A writer can help you bring even more direct ROI from that little conversion phrase if they catch something, or perhaps save your business a ton of dough you’d lose if it wasn’t as good as it could be.
Example: let’s say you’re starting a hashtag campaign. A professional writer can tell you if you’re falling in the danger of #SusAnalBumParty (a hashtag fail at trying to create a hashtag for Susan’s Album Party, for Susan Boyle, a few years ago).
So, are we all looking forward to Susan Boyle’s #susanalbumparty? pic.twitter.com/AGZicIJq
— ZOO Magazine (@ZOO) November 22, 2012
3. Your Brand Needs Great Content to Stay Relevant & Maintain A Competitive Edge
Very few business owners have the creativity and analytical skills required to craft different types of web content that a brand requires to maintain an active presence both online and offline in today’s market.
I’m not putting anyone down–there’s actually a lot of content types now you need to be creating to succeed online.
And various types of content demand differing writing skills and knowledge.
For instance, social media content is friendly, warm, and requires some marketing and conversational skills. On the other hand, web copy revolves around content SEO optimization knowledge, the ability to write targeted taglines and engage/direct your reader to ROI.
For great blog content you have to know how to research certain topic well, and put it all together in a highly useful, informative, storified piece.
Take an infographic–you have to know how to research, dig deep, and present it in an actionable, short, useful way.
In all honesty, knowing how to mold your writing voice to each isn’t easy! You will need various writers for each type of web content that you’re planning on delivering. We have a social media manager, web copywriters, and blog copywriters who create our EW content. Our company counts on a team of specialized writers with experts in the most prominent categories of web content that any business requires to preserve its competitive advantage on its market.
Inside tip: You can’t just hire one guy who is “good at SEO” or “knows a thing or two about business blogging.” You need to rely on a team of writers who have what it takes to work with different content fields and types, and yield the best results.
Hand-in-hand with this is an overall aspect of creating content that is special enough to give you that competitive edge.
Businesses with an online presence usually don’t know where to start in terms of creating content. Simple problem, but a real one. Some companies don’t have what it takes to fuel their connection with their audiences, while others spend too much time focusing on the core of their business, and end up losing track of the customer journey and the progress of their main competitors.
In this context, stellar content delivered by creative writers who are familiar with your industry can reignite the lost spark in your relationship with your clients, prospects and partners, making it easier for you to redefine yourself as an industry expert.
An experienced web copywriter can really bridge the gap between your brand and your segment of public, preventing any further communication problems, and turning your ineffective monologue into successful dialogue marketing.
4. Writing Creatively Just Isn’t Your Thing
Trying to summon the art of writing and end up feeling like Jack Nicholson? Crickets, crickets…
That’s okay.
Because creative writing is harder than it looks.
It doesn’t just refer to well-adorned content where you flagrantly write with a bunch of misdirected adjectives.
As a matter of fact, unnecessary embellishments can cause reader fatigue, giving your readers another good reason to bounce off your page and land on websites featuring articles and blog posts that are easier to read.
In reality, creative writing depends a great deal on the substance of the story that you create around your product or service.
And as Shakespeare said: “Brevity is the soul of wit.”
(Maybe that’s why the hardest words are the fewest–that 5-word tagline that’ll sell your business?)
Your creativity also reflects your ability to rock the world, by humanizing your content and the brand that you’re representing, and making it convey emotion-rich messages that will reach your audience and trigger an immediate response.
Creativity is a key concept sustained by three pillars:
- Your ability to speak the language of your targeted audience.
- The voice that you create and maintain to express your individuality and personal wit, while also stirring emotions, building trust and credibility, and prompting action.
- A good flow that isn’t disrupted by any errors, asymmetries or divagations, which may bore your readers to death or kill their focus.
If you find it difficult to achieve a balance between your voice, flow and the tactics that you are currently employing to involve and engage your audience, consider hiring a team of creative writers who could lift this weight off your shoulders and show you how it’s done.
5. You’re Not Good at Telling Stories
Maybe, just maybe you have a few creative ideas that you could apply to raise the curiosity and interest of your readers.
How about this: you’re even funny, intriguing or interesting enough to create a positive, long-lasting impression through your content, and give your public something to talk about for a few days?
But–then what?
What happens after you finish your first story, get hit by a terrible case of writer’s block, and realize that you don’t really have anything else to say/write?
Maybe your readers are still waiting for a sequel, but the curtain has already fallen, and you don’t feel quite ready to get back into the spotlight.
In this situation, maybe your so-called stage fright is fueled by your inability to tell a good story from start to finish.
If that’s the case, don’t hesitate to work closely with someone who understands your brand, mission, purpose in business and vision, knows everything about your market, audience and competition, and has the skills and experience required to craft a good story.
Keep in mind that you don’t need someone who is chatty.
You need a storyteller who respects and follows the structure of a good story-including the presence of common reference points, personal connections, and a clear moral or purpose- and isn’t afraid to give it a personal touch to highlight your uniqueness.
6. You Need to Craft A Variety of Content Types
Assuming that you are fortunate enough to count on a team of writers who deliver all the articles, web page copy, press releases and blog posts that you need to stay visible and active on your market and maintain a solid connection with your audiences, maybe you should ask yourself the following question: who’s taking care of the rest?
Long gone are the days when quality content was a mere string of paragraphs that your readers had to skim and scan to get the information that you have so generously provided. In the era of TV, web, print and mobile convergence, brands feel compelled to invest more and more money, time and energy in multimedia content.
As Hubspot points out, the visual content landscape is extremely diverse and alluring in 2016. According to this source, colored visuals boost your visitors’ willingness to read your entire content piece by up to 80%, while the tactic of incorporating the term “’video” in the subject line of your emails can increase their open rates by almost 20%.
Under these particular circumstances, it becomes obvious that you need the full support of a team of savvy writers who know how to craft and deliver impressive multimedia content, and wouldn’t shy away from transcribing your conversations and recorded presentations, extract the essence from your podcasts, repurpose different types of content, and help you explore different channels to reach your audiences in their own natural habitats, get them to listen to what you have to say, and keep them engaged around the clock.
7. You Need to Form a Solid Community around Your Product or Service
Guess what? Creative writers could be your biggest resource for this one.
Building a massive community around your product or service isn’t exactly easy, especially when:
- You’re a newcomer in your industry
- You’re unable to interact with your public
- You don’t really know how to make your products sell themselves
The good news is that you could also grow from zero to a few million users, just like Hootsuite and several other successful startups, even when you count on an almost nonexistent advertising budget.
Yes, you could actually achieve similar goals by developing and implementing a cohesive content strategy gravitating around:
- Authentic stories based on customer testimonials and reviews that let your prospects know just how amazing your product is, how it has helped them improve their lives/business, how they value it more than the air they breathe, and how they would gladly recommend it to their friends, family and neighbors.
- Tactics meant to help the brand grow locally, such as local community-oriented events allowing businesses to interact with local influencers and expand their reach, one step at a time.
- New ways to build relationships online and offline, by turning employees and past clients into brand ambassadors to consolidate the image and reputation of your brand and expand the community that you have started to grow around your company.
8. Delivering First-Class Specialty Pieces
If you’re about to tell the world about how you created an entire network of fans and followers around your company through quality, consistent content, then maybe you could share your secrets with the wannabe crowd and let them know who’s behind your tutorials, SEO copywriting and infographics.
Are these some of the few elements that you’ve deliberately omitted from your content strategy?
If that’s the case, now would be a good time to reconsider.
Here’s why: as an industry expert, you actually need these specialty pieces to reinforce your status, leadership and authority.
These specialty pieces may very well consolidate your competitive advantage, encouraging others-including your main competitors-to share your content, reference you and your brand, and implicitly, support your marketing goals.
9. You Need to Boost Your Online Visibility
Perhaps you know someone who knows someone who could put pen to paper and give you a few blog posts and articles each week, but is this really all you need to stay on top of industry trends, dominate the first pages of Google, and make your rivals bite the dust? In realty, you’ll need the full support of a great writer specialized in SEO copywriting, who knows how to create content that could please both human eyes and search engine. By all means, hire an expert who knows how to write meta data, title tags and headlines to help you stay updated with the latest SEO rules and guidelines, and enhance your online visibility with less effort.
10. You Need to Write Consistently
Let’s go back to #5 for a second, shall we?
How often do you post on your blog?
How often do you satisfy your readers’ need for quality content by delivering well-researched, fun, informative articles?
How often do you interact with your fans and followers on social media?
If you can’t remember the last time you smiled while reading meaningful comments from your audience, then you’re probably posting too seldom.
This means that you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to get in touch with different categories of users who could become your devoted partners or clients.
Avoid this drawback by staying active on the social media platform where you could plant hooks for your targeted audience, and don’t hesitate to find a team of writers who could cover all your needs in terms of web content-including specialty pieces, big pieces, and the small bits and pieces that you could tailor and repurpose to share through a great variety of social networks and affiliate websites to achieve your marketing objectives.
Conclusion: There’s No Excuse for Not Delivering Stellar Online Content
My final tips: be inspired by the best in your industry.
Learn from those who attract the right people through their words.
Then, either write or go hire with guidelines in place to create rockstar content.
For our clients, their best bet is investing in a team of real experts who are familiar with every content field and types and can create and write your best content, so you have the opportunity to make a difference online. That’s us! Go visit our Content Shop or learn more about us.