Why Every Business Should Have a Digital Copywriter

Every business has content to write. Early on in your business ventures, you probably wrote everything yourself. You drafted your own product pages and knocked out those “about us” profiles, but what happens when your business starts to grow? Or what if your copy isn’t working? That’s when it’s time to consider hiring a digital copywriter.

Before you put up your ad, have you thought about what exactly you need a digital copywriter for? And how can you find a quality copywriter for your business? At SteadyContent, we work with the best copywriters and know exactly what you need to look for.

What Does a Digital Copywriter Do?

Copywriters do more than just write copy. A quality copywriter can actually be a valuable member of your team, guiding your marketing and copywriting to create more value and profit for your company. Here are some of the main tasks that you can trust your copywriter to handle.

Planning Your Copy With Content Roadmaps

While this is a step that you as a business owner can take, it’s often better to do this alongside your copywriter. A content roadmap is essential for maximizing the productivity of your copywriter. Your roadmap will outline how much content the copywriter will produce and in what format.

For example, your business might need to rewrite product pages or service descriptions. You may also have a blog or need someone to respond to FAQs. These different tasks call for different kinds of copy. You also need to define how frequently these writing jobs should be done.

Your content roadmap establishes what, where, and when everything will be written and published. A well-designed roadmap helps you keep track of your copywriter’s work and it helps the copywriter stay organized as well. Before you embark on any copywriting campaign, plan it out together.

Research

Your copywriter can handle most of the research needed for specific pieces of copy. If you would like them to emulate a particular article or cover a similar topic, then providing some source material can be a great way to help your copywriter deliver the results you’re looking for. However, research goes beyond what’s needed for each individual assignment.

Research for the overarching plan is also important. What keywords are going to be used in blog posts? What features of products are you going to highlight? The best way to answer these questions is to research what other successful pages have done and what people want to know. Using tools like Answer the Public can help you find what questions people are asking.

Use your research to inform and update your content roadmap as well. Roadmaps should be living documents that evolve as you evaluate your work.

Writing

Naturally, your copywriter should spend most of their time writing copy. There are all kinds of writing tasks that businesses need. Not every digital copywriter can handle them all. Perhaps you need a technical manual that requires the input of an engineer, for example.

While most copywriters are generalists that can handle most tasks easily, having someone with specialized knowledge of your industry is a huge plus. If you can’t easily find such a copywriter, make sure they have time to get to know how your business works. They’ll get better at writing about your company over time as you give good feedback on their writing.

Any writing that you hope people will discover by Google should use the latest SEO strategies. Of course, a technical document like a manual can disregard these practices.

Editing

Just because you have a copywriter doesn’t mean that they have to write everything themselves. It’s always good for business leaders to broadcast their own voice. When a CEO writes a letter to the public, people listen. Likewise, even internal communications with employees need to be written carefully.

You can put your copywriter to use by having them edit other people’s work. Your next call for overtime might be more successful with some well-crafted copy behind it.

Content Management

Many copywriters are comfortable with publishing tools like WordPress or Blogger. Web design experience is a plus as it’ll help your copywriter publish their work directly to your site instead of creating extra work for your web designer or for yourself.

Experienced copywriters can point you in the right direction if you currently lack a good content management system. It’s often better to go with what they know since they’ll work faster in an environment they’re familiar with.

Skills to Look For in a Digital Copywriter

A talented veteran copywriter can do it all, from coming up with ideas to drafting excellent copy that they can upload straight to your website. Nevertheless, that only happens if you hire a skilled writer. What should you be looking for in a copywriter? Here are a few of the most important traits to track down.

Versatility

If your copywriter can’t handle a variety of assignments, you may want to look elsewhere. Sure, a professional ghost blogger could build an amazing blog. But they should also be able to help with other tasks like writing mission and vision statements or writing a cold email.

The more your copywriter can do, the more your business can accomplish. Don’t settle for someone who’s so specialized they can’t contribute in other ways. Most modern copywriters understand this and won’t mind if you’re upfront with them about your expectations.

Command of English

Needless to say, a strong command of the English language is essential for a good copywriter. It’s not enough to just write error-free content anymore. You need someone who can tailor their work to your company’s values and style.

How you communicate to your clients and staff is key. You want to give a certain kind of impression. Maybe you want the reader to trust your authority on the topic. Perhaps the goal is to persuade a skeptical consumer. An apology letter will read very differently from a congratulatory email to announce the winner of a contest.

Your writer needs to be able to produce content in a variety of voices and a wide array of styles. Even when a company wants to consistently emphasize certain values or principles, the content will vary according to its purpose.

Computer Skills

Writing in a word processor is the bare minimum these days. If you expect to send materials to a printer, a copywriter with InDesign and InCopy experience is helpful. Look for WordPress experts or web design experience to minimize time wasted transferring the copywriter’s work to an online format.

Although a high typing speed is attractive, it’s not all that meaningful. Be wary of individuals who brag too much about their WPM. It’s the thought that counts.

Openness to Criticism

All writers bristle slightly when they get feedback, but a good copywriter knows when to listen to your suggestions. Sometimes writers have an idea that sounds great in their heads but falls flat when you read it. The best writers will ask you to explain your feedback more to identify exactly what you don’t like about their work.

Planning and Punctuality

We mentioned the importance of a content roadmap. However, that roadmap is meaningless if your copywriter can’t actually stay on schedule. Master copywriters know their limits and will work within them.

Watch out for copywriters that overpromise on quantity or frequency. Biting off more than you can chew is a bad sign.

How to Find a Good Copywriter

There are tons of people who want to get into copywriting, but a scant few are truly capable of doing everything we’ve mentioned in this article. The allure of an independent, work-from-anywhere lifestyle attracts thousands of amateurs to the profession. Many of them fizzle out quickly.

Instead of sifting through the sea of copywriters, you can go straight to the source. Here at SteadyContent, we hire the best copywriters and put them to work for you. Everyone on our team is vetted and put to the test with internal work before letting them come near a client’s copy. Call SteadyContent today or go to our website to schedule an appointment with us to get a copywriter for your business now.