4 Reasons to Hire an Expert Writer for Your Website
Don’t Hire an Expert to Write Your Copy. Hire an Expert Writer.
Full disclosure: I, Hendrik-Jan, did not write this post. I hired a writer.
When you’re the VP of Marketing tasked with launching a website in four months, your deadlines loom over you like a creaky chandelier and your todo list stretches longer and longer.
We all know the feeling--the pressure building over time...
Time. That is exactly what you don’t have. You need to research designs you like, plan that webinar, present your quarterly metrics to the CEO, plan your editorial calendar - the list goes on. Keeping a big project like a website on schedule is always a struggle, especially when mounted on top of your other marketing responsibilities.
In our experience, content generation is the biggest schedule killer for websites. It’s difficult for marketing managers to find the time to plan and write 15+ pages of content - even with an inhouse team.
Even when you find the time to write, where do you start? Many B2B marketing managers ask this same question. One answer they might not consider…
Ask Your Marketing Agency to Write the Content for You.
A good inbound marketing agency will have an in-house writing team of one or more quality copywriters on staff. They are not just freelance writers with scattered experience or knowledgeable experts who know how to type. They’re expert writers.
We’re firm believers that design matters, but content is king. Professional writers know that, and they don’t take the responsibility lightly.
Here’s how a professional agency will help you generate strong content for your website.
1 Professional Writers Know How to Write for the Web
You have 5-10 seconds to hold the prospect’s attention, can you do it? A rare few actually read content online; instead, they just scan it!
Your content needs to be scannable (yes scannable, I am serious when I say they don’t read).
Certain web writing hacks help a knowledgeable agency write content that is accessible and comprehensible.
If you’re unfamiliar with these “rules”, here’s a very brief overview of a few things to keep in mind while writing for the web.
You want to chunkify your content, which is an umbrella term for breaking up large blocks of content so it’s easier to read.
Here are a few Chunkify! pointers...
- Front-load - Also called the “inverted pyramid”, front-loading means you lead with the most important information, so your prospects gain more from scanning
- Use the active voice - Improve clarity and comprehension by identifying the noun behind the action
- Bullet points and lists are your friends - Again, if it looks visually appealing users will stay on your page
- The headline is your beginning and end - when we’re talking about whether the user will read your content or not, the headline is where an expert writer can focus
And those are just a few things to keep in mind while writing for the web! An agency can help you balance all of these thoughts and “rules” that will improve your user traffic.
2 They Communicate Your Subject Matter Expertise In a Way Prospects Understand
But, you might be asking: how can an agency have the necessary subject matter expertise (SME) in my industry to write content for my firm?
The truth is they won’t have the SME. While this may sound like a downfall initially, it’s important to view the writer like a translator.
The writer will be familiar with your target audience and the goals of your business by interviewing staff and prospects, and reading your material. Sure, the writer won’t fully immersed in your industry like you are, but they don’t need to be.
An expert writer remains connected to the user, and he can use that connection to translate your acronym-laden sentences into a language his native users understand.
For anyone who has learned a foreign language, unknown vocabulary is a major discouragement. He will make sure users do not leave your website simply because they had to look up too many words.
Your B2B marketing content will sound like SME, but also make sense to the user.
To encourage consistency and readability, the agency may also establish a style guide.
3 An Agency Can Optimize Your Content for Search Engines
You want your content to achieve higher ranking on search engines. But do you know enough about keywords, meta tags, alt text, and link text to optimize your page?
The writer at an agency will be more experienced with search engine optimization best practices. Odds are, they write more often and study SEO more than you do. Even better, they have an inhouse SEO specialist.
Impress the Google web crawlers with content that’s relevant and engaging as they look through web pages and backlinks to rank your content. An expert writer will know just how to appease their appetite.
4 They Write, You Keep Other Internal Projects Moving Forward
Ask yourself: Are you willing (or able) to put all your other B2B marketing projects on the back burner to devote hours upon hours of content writing?
If you’re like most marketers for whom things needed to be done yesterday, probably not.
You cannot diverge from other lead gen activities for 4-6 months to focus on the website. You have goals to meet and conversions to make.
By delegating the content writing to an expert writer, you can continue your lead gen responsibilities, while the writer works on the website.
Don’t worry, you’re not letting go of the reins completely. You will still be a part of the process, working alongside the writer, answering questions to help him or her narrow in on your team’s mission.
The writer will just do the heavy lifting, allowing you to keep up the pace on other projects.
Professionally written content will be consistent and engaging. Users will read your website and want to share it with their networks.
Best of all? Creating that content is on someone else’s plate!
An Expert Writer Will Reinforce Your Expertise
Writing website content takes time because every word counts. Content generation is a crucial phase of the website project.
So don’t go in it alone. Bring in help.
Hire an expert writer from an agency who will have the SEO and web writing expertise to make your copy readable and exciting.