| A Freelance Copywriter? Don't Overlook Their Value |
To manage costs, many companies choose to handle the development
of their marketing materials strictly in-house. What they donıt
realize is that they could be limiting their profits by following
this strategy.
Companies fall into one of two categories when it comes to
copywriting. They either have a professional copywriter on staff.
Or they donıt.
For Those That Donıt
Choosing not to enlist the services of a professional copywriter
can be a big mistake. There are certain doıs and donıts in
copywriting, and ironically a majority of advertising itıs a brochure, a sales letter, a print ad, or a radio spot them backward.
These may still make sales, may still make a profit, but they
arenıt making anywhere near the level of sales that they could be.
The biggest fear of hiring a copywriter for most businesses is
the cost. Itıs true that a copywriterıs fees can be substantial,
but if the work the copywriter does boosts your profits by 5,
10, or even 50%, isnıt that worth it? The truth is well-written
copy can skyrocket your sales, sometimes more than doubling the
response of your marketing efforts.
Sometimes though, even if you see the potential of working with
a professional copywriter, you just might not have the cash flow
to hire one. In that case, put together a proposal offering a
copywriter a commission for the sales their work generates. If
you can show that you have a product that will sell, and if the
copywriter believes they can out-pull your existing efforts,
then you should be able to make a deal.
Another concern that companies have is that an outside copywriter
just wonıt understand the product or industry well enough to sell
well. There are some industries where itıs true a copywriter
needs a background in that industry But most times, what the copywriter needs to understand is how to
sell with their words. If they can do that, then they will also
take the time to research what they need to know to sell your
product. And often they can bring a perspective to your marketing
efforts that you may have overlooked because of your closeness to
the product.
For Those That Do
Having a salaried, professional copywriter on staff might make
hiring a freelance copywriter seem like a silly idea. But often,
itıs one of the smartest things you can do.
A salaried copywriter is a great asset, but even the best
copywriter in the world needs to be challenged by someone other
than him or herself on occasion.
One of the greatest beauties of direct marketing is the ability
to test a promising marketing piece before you invest a huge
sum of money rolling it out as part of your campaign.
Hiring a freelance copywriter to produce a piece to challenge
the piece your staff copywriter is putting together does two
things. It gives your staff copywriter extra motivation want their piece to beat the challenger. And it gives you the
chance to make sure your maximizing your profits.
If the freelancerıs piece beats your control piece, than youıve
only upped your sales and your profits. If your staff copywriter
produces the winning piece, then you can rest assured that it
was better because of the challenge. Either way, the company wins.
Hiring a freelancer may not be something you want to do for
every piece your company puts together, but hiring them to
challenge the most important pieces will result in better
overall work. And, you never know, your staff copywriter may
enjoy the challenge marketing materials.
Bottom Line
Hiring a professional freelance copywriter have one stay sharp and deliver better-than-expected results.
Heather Robson is a founding partner of DragonFly Creative Media,
a company that helps businesses that are overwhelmed or struggling
move forward with their marketing. For a free estimate and proposal
on a copywriting or web project, contact her at
mailto:heather@dragonflypro.com.
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