โA big reason so many businesses compete on price is that they canโt prove what value they offer, so theyโre stuck with the one selling point thatโs a breeze to communicate: cheapness.โ โ Mish Slade.
Competing on price isn’t a solid or long-term business strategy. Because you’ll reach a point where you can’t reduce the price anymore.
So what else can you compete on, which is impossible for your competitor to copy?
It’s the value you provide.
Don’t quite know how to put it into the right words? You’re not alone.
The tricky thing about value is that itโs not easy to pinpoint it in your business and say, โThere! Thatโs the reason why clients keep coming back to me.โ
As business owners, weโre often in the dark about why people buy from us, unable to see our special qualities or โspecial sauceโ as Americans call it. We do it on auto-pilot, not realising just how much our customer values it.
That’s where a copywriter can help.
You may have come across a copywriter on Instagram or LinkedIn. You might wonder exactly what we do (hint: while we’re awesome at writing about other businesses, we sometimes suck at writing about ours!).
As you checked out this personโs profile you might have wondered: Is hiring a copywriter worth it? The short answer is yes. The long answer is below, so keep on reading.
What is value in business?
Value is the assessed worth of a product or service. It’s why a clothespin at Tiffanyโs costs AUD 965 and $5 for 20 at IKEA!
Value canโt be competed against. Itโs what helps one corner store thrive, and two others on the same street shut down. Itโs why you have a favourite coffee shop.
Value is what helps you stand out from the competition, gain loyal customers, and build brand loyalty.
Good copy helps communicate it to your audience โ from the words on your website to product descriptions to the copy on your checkout page and packaging.
Copywriters are pros at identifying value. They do this by getting to know your customers’ fears and desires and communicating the benefits of your product/service in helping your customers achieve their dreams or goals.
A. Benefit = Whatโs in it for the customer. (This is separate from a product feature).
B. Customerโs pain point —- How the product/service transforms the customerโs life.
C. Problem = migraine
Value = pain relief that works in 10 minutes or less allowing them to get on with their busy day.
What makes good copy?
Research forms a huge part of my work for clients because good copy canโt be written without understanding the bigger picture.
My research includes:
โข what drives people to buy (pain points)
โข what makes them click the buy button (consumer psychology)
โข how your product is the solution to their problems
โข how to create the right tone of voice for your business
โข how to make your brand stand out by communicating value
โข how to make your website rank for certain keywords and phrases on Google
โข story-worthy angles for content
โข what people are saying about your product/service across the interwebs.
A lot of work and thought goes into writing a piece of copy that produces good results for your business or ROI.
Content writer vs copywriter
A copywriter writes words that are used to persuade and sell your product/service to your audience, so they perform a certain action.
A content writer writes words that are used to educate or inform the audience. Itโs not sales-focused content.
Many copywriters are also content writers, but not all content writers are copywriters.
How much should you pay a copywriter?
Every copywriter charges differently, some writers charge hourly rates, and other writers charge project fees.
Here are two guides to help you know how much to pay a copywriter or content writer:
- Recommended copywriter rates by The Clever Copywriting School
- Pay rates by Rachelโs List
Hiring a copywriter frees you from the constant stress and overwhelm of thinking and writing. If you donโt enjoy writing or arenโt good at it, you get valuable time back to invest in skills or personal development, all of which can be used to create more income for your business.
While it can feel daunting to have someone else write the content in your voice (which a good copywriter can do), ultimately it can help drive the right clicks online, increase sales and bookings and your visibility.
Need a copywriter for your business? Book a no-obligation 20-minute call to discuss your copywriting needs.
