So
You Need the Words But Lack the Skills?
Finding a Good Writer
by Stuart
Livesey
Copy Text Online
The Problem
One
of the keys to succeeding in business is good communication. Choosing
the right words in the right place at the right time can be critical to
the success or failure of a project or an advertising campaign.
Unfortunately
not everyone has good communications skills. A business person might be
a wonderful craftsman or highly skilled in all the technical aspects of
his or her business but they may be a terrible communicator. On the other
hand, they may be a great communicator when it comes to dealing with clients
face to face but freeze when confronted with a blank sheet of paper or
an empty computer screen.
Of course,
that doesn't reduce the quality of their product or the services that
they might provide but it does severely limit their ability to tell people
about what they can do for them. That inability to communicate will restrict
their income and inhibit the growth of their business.
The
Solution
If that describes
the situation that you find yourself in then all is not lost. There are
many businesses out there that can provide you with all the written work
that you may ever need.
It might
only be something as small as some power words on a business card or it
could be an entire advertising campaign consisting of press releases,
flyers and newspaper articles. Regardless of your needs there is someone
out there who can provide what you want.
Even if you
live in some tiny town in outback Queensland or a small rural community
in Montana, these service providers are no further away than an email
or a phone call. Many of them are well acquainted with the special needs
of small business because they too are small businesses and they understand
the dynamics that affect people like you.
Undoubtedly
price is always going to be an important consideration for you and you
have undoubtedly heard that these services don't come cheap. Of course
they don't but there are many skilled providers out there who can tailor
their services to meet your budget.
Don't be
fooled by the size of the business you are dealing with either. There
are certainly some very highly qualified people working for the big advertising
and copywriting companies but at the same time there many many talented
copywriters who work for themselves. You may also find that the smaller
the business you deal with the more personal the service they provide
will be.
Important
Considerations
There are several other important things that you should consider before
engaging a copywriter.
The first
is that you should never restrict yourself to a writer who is local. The
Internet gives you access to the best copywriters in the world and location
has little to do with talent or ability.
Having said
that you should also take care to only employ someone who has spoken the
language you want your piece written in from birth. That may sound rather
obvious but these days there are many Asian outsourcing companies that
offer copywriting and claim that their writers have university qualifications
in English.
While I don't
dispute their qualifications, a piece of paper with a university seal
on it does not prove that the bearer can understand or use a particular
language as it might be spoken by the common people.
The second
thing that you need to remember is that while you know your business and
what you want the copywriter to provide, that person does not and needs
to rely on you to give them all the information that they will need to
produce what you want.
That means
that you will need to provide them with everything they need to know and
you will need to keep in touch with them and work with them through each
step in the process.
"I want a
press release about my new widget and I want it by next Saturday," is
not enough for any copywriter to produce anything. You might think that's
rather obvious but I've been confronted with that sort of request on more
than one occasion.
The third
thing you need to remember is that the first draft of anything is not
good enough. Your writer will understand that perfectly and he or she
will submit it to you for your appraisal, criticism and further direction.
They will expect you to ask for changes, they know that they very rarely
get it right the first time so give them the feedback they want and expect.
When you
do that they will produce a far better product on the second attempt.
Personally I hate it when someone takes the first draft and accepts it
without alteration because I know that later they will see faults with
it and will go to someone else for their next order.
Most copywriters
would much prefer to have a client who is particular about what he wants
because they will become repeat customers whereas someone who takes the
first draft rarely comes back.
Finally,
if you have work done by a copywriter and are happy with it be prepared
to go back to the same business for your next order. Sure, you might find
someone who is cheaper but there are hidden costs in continually changing
from one copywriter to another.
Every time
you go to a new copywriter you have to take the time to acquaint them
with your business and your requirements. That does take time and of course
time is money so be prepared to go back to the person you used on the
last job and you will ultimately save time and money because they already
know your business and your requirements.
The
Bottom Line
So that leaves just one question. Where do you find a good copywriter
who is not going to cost an arm and several legs?
Modesty prevents
me from saying too much about Copy
Text Online other than that if you need words you need us. Of course,
there are plenty of others out there and Google is your friend when it
comes to finding them. A search for the term 'copy writing' in Google
returns a list of over 15 million entries so I'm sure there will be someone
in that listing who can provide just what you want.
So if you
need words to promote your business but you don't have the skills to craft
those words into a great marketing tool don't despair. There is help just
waiting at the other end of the keyboard or telephone.
The
author, Stuart Livesey has been working from home for nearly 6 years.
He is a self-confessed sensitive new age marketer and common sense writer
who would sell you the shirt off his back if he thought you wanted it.
When he's not selling his used clothing he's enjoying the weather in sub-tropical
Queensland.
This
article is copyright 2005 and may not be produced in whole or in part
without the express permission of the author.
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