So, you’re building a new website. Or re-doing an old brochure. Or maybe you’re re-branding some sales materials. You know you need to hire a professional designer because graphic design is a skill you never learned.  But when it comes to writing the copy, you’ve got some questions. Mainly: Why hire a professional copywriter when I can just write the copy myself?

After all, you’re a good writer. And you know your product better than anyone. So you think, maybe this is a place I can save a buck.  No one can blame you for that – you are in business to make a profit, after all. But. What if I told you that not hiring a professional copywriter to write your copy could lose you opportunities and cost you some serious sales?

Here are 5 ways that I’ll discuss in detail:

1. You won’t get as many leads from your marketing materials.
2. Your website might not show up in Google searches.
3. Your website could suffer from low ranking in a Google search.
4. You could damage your brand with the wrong words.
5. Good copywriting takes a lot of time. And your time is money.

One way to think of it is this: your website or marketing piece is often your target’s first impression of your business. It’s like your storefront.  The graphic design is like the physical layout of your store. While the words on the page are like the salesperson you hired to greet customers at the door.  Hire the wrong salesperson, and it could hurt your brand, cause you to miss out on opportunities, and ultimately cost you sales.

The same is true when hiring a professional copywriter.  Let’s dig in: here are 5 ways DIY (or discount) copywriting can hurt your bottom line.

1. You won’t get as many leads from your marketing materials.

The truth is, if you aren’t professionally trained to write copy that sells – you’re probably not going to get as many calls from your marketing piece if you write it yourself.  Through no fault of your own!  It’s just a matter of experience and training.  For instance, one mistake untrained copywriters tend to make is writing headlines that lead with features rather than benefits.

 Here’s one example I’ve seen (pre-copywriter):
“Our in-house manufacturing capabilities make our company unique.”
That’s a great feature. But professional copywriters know that benefits are what attract and sell in headlines.

Here’s the revised headline (post-copywriter):
“Get your inventory delivered in days rather than weeks!”

Why is this important? People typically only read about 20% of marketing copy. In other words, people scan text.  So it’s critical that the person writing for you understands what messages to emphasize and how to structure copy so it’s easy to scan and keeps readers engaged.

2. Your website might not show up in Google searches.

Ask yourself this: do you have the technical SEO training to write a website that shows up when your targets Google your products or services? When it comes down to it, there are a whole lot of jargon-y SEO copywriting terms you will need to understand if you want to write a site that will show up in search engines.

Like H1 tags. Meta descriptions. Title tags. Bounce rates. And so on. If you want customers to find you online, you have two options.  You can study SEO copywriting techniques before writing your site.  Or, hire a professional to write it for you.

3. You could damage your brand with the wrong words.

Unfortunately, it’s true: all of the time and energy spent writing your sales copy could actually hurt your brand and your sales long-term.

Studies show that people are much less likely to contact a company with spelling or grammatical errors in their sales copy. Even worse, these language errors negatively affect a person’s overall perception of the company.

But this goes beyond spelling and grammar, too. Imagine: if the copy on your website is like a salesperson greeting customers at the door – tone and messaging matter. Is this person articulate and interesting? Pushy? Is he or she helpful? Arrogant? Words on paper can engage people or turn them off in the same way they can when spoken aloud.

4. Your website could suffer from low ranking in a Google search.

The scenario of turning your targets off is even more dire when it comes to online marketing.  Because search engines are getting smarter.

Which means if too many users leave your website within the first several seconds, Google will assume your content is unhelpful or irrelevant, and therefore, will actually penalize you for it.  In other words? Google will make it harder for people to find your products and services online because of your websites bounce rate.

Even worse, there are certain copywriting mistakes you can make that will cause search engines to totally blacklist your site altogether.

5. Good copywriting takes a lot of time. And your time is money.  Hiring a professional copywriter is a good investment!

Writing copy takes time.  Writing copy that sells takes even longer.  So choosing a DIY approach when it comes to writing your sales materials will ultimately take you away from other things you could be doing in your business to make you money.

Investing in a professional copywriter will not only boost your sales but will save you a lot of time and energy you’d otherwise have to spend writing yourself.  Hire a copywriter so you can focus on daily operations. Or, use it as an excuse to spend less time glued to your computer. So you can go on that hike. Or spend more time with the family. Or go on that golfing trip.

If you’re still wondering, why should I hire a professional copywriter?
Think of it this way: hiring someone to write your sales copy is like hiring a salesperson who will continue working for you for years on end. But you only have to pay this person once.  So invest in the professional. Your bottom line will thank you for it for years to come.

Need help finding a professional copywriter that will get you more sales? Contact me, and I’ll put you in touch!