Some copywriters will argue that a DIY approach to copy is a mistake.
I disagree.
I’m not suggesting you just write any old copy and stick it where you like, but the DIY route isn’t always a bad choice. If you learn how to write copy yourself, you can actually get some great results.
In fact, I’d argue that developing your copywriting skills (or those of someone in your team) is one of the best marketing investments you can make as a business owner and here’s why…
What do websites, social media posts, blogs, brochures, emails, eBooks and video scripts have in common?
Words.
And the words you write can make the difference between browser and buyer, between ‘I’m thinking about it’ and ‘sign me up baby’. Good copy turns prospects into enquiries, enquiries into customers, and clicks into conversions.
You can go on a hundred courses to learn the ins and outs of using social media, spend a fortune on web design or invest thousands in Google ads. But if your copy is crappy, you won’t get the results you want and you’ll just be wasting your time and money.
Sure, you can hire a copywriter for the big stuff – your website, a brochure, your monthly blog posts.
But can you really afford to pay a copywriter every time you want to put a promotional post on social media or every time you need to reply to an email enquiry?
Of course not. And even if you could afford it, it’s unlikely you’ll find a copywriter who will always be able to respond within the time you need them to – we aren’t just sitting around waiting for clients to give us stuff to do.
And even if you are lucky enough to have an in-house copywriter, they might have days off – you know, holidays and stuff.
That’s why it’s handy for you to have some copywriting skills of your own, even if they are only for emergency use only.
I have been in business over seven years, and I still rewrite sections of my website on a regular basis because things change. My services change, my team grows, I get new ideas.
There aren’t many businesses that don’t evolve. And if you’re a new business, it’s likely that what you offer now will have changed entirely within six months (especially if you sell services rather than physical products).
You might change the way you package your services. You might change the type of clients you want to work with. You might change what you do completely. And if you’ve just spent a few hundred quid on copy for your website, it’s all going to be out of date.
Better to learn how to do it yourself so you can change your copy as your business evolves. Once you’ve got this business malarky nailed, then you can hire a pro if you don’t want to DIY anymore.
You are writing copy to attract, nurture and convert – part of doing that is understanding the fundamental elements of marketing and the psychology of sales. Many copywriting books and courses will at least cover the marketing and sales basics – my training and mentoring programmes certainly do.
And because you are learning more about sales and marketing, you’ll have more confidence in your strategy and are less likely to get talked into things that are a waste of time and money.
If you already do your own marketing, and aren’t getting the results you’d like, there’s a good chance it’s down to your writing skills.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of writing content without stopping to think about the people who will be reading it.
I see people desperately trying to explain how great their products are by talking about this feature and that feature, instead of talking about how those features benefit the end user. Or people talking about their experience and what they do, instead of the problems they can solve or the results they deliver.
Part of learning how to write copy is learning how to write for your readers, not yourself.
And, once you start to do that, you’ll see a better response to your marketing efforts.
So there you have it – 5 reasons why business owners should learn how to write copy.
And to get you started, I’ve created an online version of my Write to Sell course.
18 video lessons, delivered in four parts over four weeks, taking you through the five stages of copywriting. Learn how to create marketing messages that resonate with your audience.
If this is your first time here, thanks for reading.
I’m Lisa – owner of Make Your Copy Count Ltd, and author of the ‘A-Z of Blogging’ and ‘The Freelance Fairytale‘.
I help freelancers and small businesses attract more of the clients they want by providing copywriting training and business mentoring.
If you’d like to get to know me a bit better, sign up for my daily email here.
