Could your business benefit from a freelance writer? Recently at a friend’s birthday party I was talking to the husband of another friend (a small-business owner) and, as we talked about work stuff, he confessed that he didn’t understand how a business like his could use a freelance writer, (also known as a content marketer, or a content writer – they’re all pretty much the same thing). So here are a few ways that your business can benefit from a professional writer:
Any time that someone in business has to come up with words, a wordsmith can help create the most compelling content possible. As specialists with experience a professional wordsmith can a) save you time and b) get you a much better result than you could get yourself.
So here are a few ways that you can use a writer:
Website content:
Most businesses have a website. This website features words that paint a compelling picture about the business and the people in that business. A website is a lead conversion tool and should bring paying customers to your door, whether that’s a virtual shopfront or a physical shopfront.
Did you know that writing for a website is a unique discipline that is dramatically different to any other kind of writing? Sentences, paragraphs and headings are all used to aid readability in a way that differs to writing for the printed page.
And it can be deceptively difficult. Take the typical, About Us/About Me page. It needs to tell your story with a narrative that flows effortlessly and in a way that will convert readers into fans, ready to hand over their cash for whatever it is you’re selling. That is hard. To do this well requires experience and discipline. Do you have that skill? Then why not hire a professional who has done it before and does it well?
E-newsletter:
You want to set up an email newsletter, a way to connect with your customers regularly to remind them of your business, your products and the ways you can help them solve their issues. But it’s a lot of work and who’s got time to add that amount of work to their hectic schedule? Nobody!
A freelance content writer can help you create content that showcases your brand, your website and your business solutions in an easy, efficient way. And the best part is that they’ll help keep you on track with frequency and consistency of tone, style and message! Brilliant!
Social media:
One of the best ways to use a content creator is in your social media content. A good content writer can help you in a range of ways:
- Create a content calendar, planning the posts and setting out your schedule for the month or even the year. They can give you a clear road map that will help you navigate the peaks and troughs of managing multiple social media platforms and help you monitor your engagement, ensuring your website personality and social media personality are seamless extensions of your offline business and brand.
- Help you schedule your posts so that you identify the best times to post and to set up your scheduler so that your content is posted at exactly that perfect time, reaching the most people with the best message.
- Drive traffic to your website through compelling and creative social media content. It’s one thing to get people connecting with your social media content, it’s another matter entirely to get them to make the extra click to your website. A good content creator can help you create a strategy that is designed to get eyeballs on your site and move product.
Marketing collateral
There is nothing worse than spending money on a beautiful, professionally designed flyer only to have the words fail to deliver the sizzle that matches the imagery and design elements. It’s a complete waste of money. The visual element is easy to focus on but it’s the words that do the heavy lifting when it comes to conversions. Don’t blow your dough with lacklustre copy! Just as you get a professional to design a visually stunning piece of material, you need a writer to add the polish and the pizzazz.
Ghostwriter for blogs and e-books
You know you want to do some in-bound marketing but what can you offer people to get them to sign up to your e-newsletter? An e-book giveaway is a brilliant tool that gets people to sign up to your e-newsletter. But how do you write an e-book? A good content writer, wordsmith or freelance writer can help! I’ve written e-books (give-away e-books and for-sale e-books) both under my own name and for clients and I know all the pitfalls to avoid and the things you need to include to improve your chances of a successful e-book project.
PR and media releases
I used to work at News Ltd, one of the biggest media organisations in the world, and along with thousands of my journalist colleagues, I was made redundant as journalism jobs dried up. Most of my former colleagues are freelance writers now and believe me, they know how to write a kick-arse media release. They also know all the people who are still working in the media (all five of them!) and can get your brand some good publicity that will help raise your profile and your brand’s profile. Can’t think of any good PR angles? Don’t worry, they’ll be able to do all of that for you and you just need to sit back and wait for the resulting calls!
These are just six ways that a freelance writer can help your business achieve its goals. Any time you need words, you can use a wordsmith. Why not give one a try and see how it goes? Email me and I can put you in touch with some great wordsmiths who will be able to add value to your business’ bottom line.
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