Lean across your desk and ask the person next to you what a copywriter does. Their response will, at best, be vague. Something like: ‘they write words for ads and TV – and…stuff.’ Either that or they’ll shrug their shoulders because copywriting is a niche occupation.
But if copywriting is a narrow occupation why single out a select few as specialists? Surely they’re all experts, so there’s no need to differentiate.
Most copywriters often start out as generalists. Somewhere along the line though they decide to niche. Perhaps because of a long-term interest they harbour. Or due to their professional background. Sometimes it can happen accidentally.
How can you find these experts? Marketing agencies are a good place to start. For example, we specialise in helping B2B organisations – meaning our writers know each client’s sector in detail.
If you’re considering hiring niche writers you’re bound to have questions. Will it be a worthwhile exercise or should you save time and money by completing the work in-house instead?
In this short guide, we’ll show you how specialist copywriters could help your business:
- Increase traffic and conversions
- Save you time and money
- Build brand credibility
- Tap into user intent
- Generate new ideas
5 benefits of hiring specialist copywriters
Limited time and budget? Hire a general copywriter and send them a robust brief instead. That way you’ll benefit from high-quality content at a lower cost.
If only it was that simple…
Here are five reasons you can’t afford to cut corners when hiring specialist copywriters.
#1 Tap into user intent
Writing copy is hard. Writing copy that speaks to its intended audience is harder. That’s why freelance sites like Fiverr are the wrong digital lakes to go fishing in. And no, we’re not bashing such platforms. They can be incredibly useful. Sometimes you can even strike gold and find a specialist copywriter.
In most cases, though, the best way to find niche experts is via a search engine. Either that or by running speculative queries on platforms like LinkedIn. Facebook also hosts multiple freelancer groups that connect business owners with suitably qualified experts who are recommended by other members.
#2 Build brand credibility
Hire a specialist copywriter and:
- They’ll use their insight to answer the questions your prospects are asking
- Recognising and solving your audience’s challenges well will boost your brand’s kudos
- Your business will become the go-to source for information in its sector
- More followers and website traffic will follow as a direct result
That’s why the hiring stage is so important. Get this right and great content will follow. But how can you tell if a specialist copywriter really is an expert? Jump to the FAQs section at the bottom of this page to get the juicy intel.
#3 Generate authentic content
‘I could train a generalist to write content for half the price’ and ‘a detailed briefing document should do the trick’ are common objections hiring managers make when baulking at the cost of hiring a specialist copywriter. These arguments – although logical – ignore an important fact: you can’t turn a non-specialist into an expert overnight. Not even if they’re extremely talented.
A generalist (if experienced) can write good content. Especially if you’ve provided them with a solid brief. But this isn’t the same as writing from experience. A sector expert will write confidently, know which questions to ask (and also when to challenge the data).
#4 Spend less time explaining
Wouldn’t you rather hire an autonomous writer? You’re paying them to take the pressure off your internal resources – so you can concentrate on running your business.
Specialists copywriters:
- Need minimal guidance, know what questions to ask, and where to find the correct supporting data
- Won’t be pestering your teams with technical questions about your sector, products, or service
- Will suggest ways to improve the brief or push back if they feel it’s inappropriate or irrelevant
- Won’t have an issue picking up the phone and speaking to your customers to gather information
Overall, specialist copywriters need minimal (if, indeed, any) supervision. This means (i) you won’t need to manage them and (II) you won’t have to edit several drafts to sign off content.
#5 Increase conversions
A specialist will create content that resonates with your audience – increasing the chances of converting them into customers. Contrastingly, a generalist might write persuasively but lack the insight needed to establish your brand’s credibility.
The art of persuasion alone won’t be enough to move your customers. Instead, it must be married to – and driven by – knowledge and experience.
Conclusion
Hiring an expert only makes sense if the brief is complex. For example, a listicle exploring the ten benefits of buying your product could be tackled by anyone. A thought piece about the impact of changing legislation in your sector would, contrastingly, require in-depth knowledge a non-expert would lack.
What other skills should your writer have?
- If they’re writing for the web then SEO knowledge will be essential – otherwise your content will flounder in the online rankings.
- If they’re writing for social media in-depth knowledge of the platform (for example Facebook or LinkedIn) will be mandatory).
- If they’re writing for email then ensure they’ve used an email marketing platform like Mailchimp before hiring them for the job.
In other words, specialist knowledge isn’t enough. Your copywriter will need to demonstrate familiarity with certain tools and platforms too. Otherwise, you’ll have to train them – and that defeats the object of hiring your writer in the first place.
That’s why working with a marketing agency makes sense.
B2B copywriting specialists you can depend on to improve engagement and ROI
Our experts understand the B2B space in-depth – so you can instruct us with peace of mind, knowing the content we produce will resonate with your customers. Contact us now to book your free consultation and get more value from your content.
