Why you need a copywriter for your web site
Posted by Liz Gallagher on Mon, Jan 11, 2010 @ 06:50 AM
A lot of companies come to me looking for a new web site with all of the bells & whistles. They want Flash, video, lot of pictures, oh and yeah some content. Sometimes it seems like the copy is almost an afterthought. Clients will often spend the extra money in their budget on a glitzy Flash banner but skip the copywriter. "I'll write it myself" is a phrase I hear all of the time.
The problem is that most of us are not professional writers. We don't know how to write good marketing copy that focuses on the needs of our target markets. Heck, some companies don't even define who their target market is before they begin to write. Remember, the copy shouldn't be about you and what you do. The copy should be about the customer and how your product or service meets their needs or solves their problems.
Not to mention that it's hard to find the time to write all of your web pages when you have your own business to run. This is the number one cause of project delays (ask any web developer and they'll tell you the same!) The client is too busy to write the content themselves but is afraid or unwilling to hand over the reins to someone else.
"Nobody knows my business as well as I do so how can someone else write the web site copy?" This is a question that I am often asked when I suggest using a professional copywriter. The answer to this question is you're right and you're wrong. Yes, you know you business better than anyone else, but a good copywriter will know the right questions to ask during an interview, learn about your business, research your industry and put it all into words that will sell your product or service.
Higher sales are the end result. Isn't that what we all want? So if you are considering a new web site - why not skip the glitzy banner and put your money into copy that sells.