Tag : Creative Writing

Why You Need a Professional Writer

Why You Need a Professional Writer
22Jul

You probably haven’t thought about how much web copy you see online, but take a minute to think on it. Every line of text you scroll past was written by someone, and if what you’re reading seems well-written, there’s a good chance it was written by a professional.

Between the copy you don’t think about and the long-form content you read, there are a lot of words that need to be crafted in just the right way, and that’s where writers come in. I’m going to explain why, contrary to what your ego may tell you, you absolutely need a professional writer on your team.

It’s a Lot
You probably don’t think your business needs a lot of writing done, but trust me, it does. Website copy will pile up before you know it. This includes things like product descriptions, “About Us” sections; everything that’s small individually but comes together to build your perfect website.

That’s before you get into the world of ad writing, creating content, and crafting social media updates. You might be able to hang on for awhile if you’re the least busy business owner in the world, but otherwise, you’ll be much better served by leaving it to the professionals.

It’s More Complicated Than You Think
You can write! You’ve written papers, text messages, and that one love letter in eighth grade—so why can’t you handle your business’ writing?

Because it’s hard.

It isn’t just writing one social media update or the single product description for your new launch. It’s creating and adhering to a tone that fits your company’s branding and values, it’s refreshing old copy to keep up with the changes of your business, and it’s researching industry trends to keep the conversation going with your audience. No matter how tight your budget is, you simply can’t skimp by without a professional writer.

Grammar Is Tricky
Knowing the difference between “your” and “you’re” isn’t enough to create great digital content or copy. Not only are there a lot of grammar rules for you to master, but they’re not going to be the same everywhere. Your professional writer will work with you to find and stick to a specific style so that your business’ writing can be consistent and clear across all channels.

Why does this matter? It might not seem like much, but readers are going to notice when your blogs alternate on using the oxford comma or use “gray” and “grey” interchangeably. They’ll catch on, and their impression is going to be that your business is sloppy and amateurish, and neither of those are words that you want floating around your brand!

Keeping It Fresh Is Tough
There’s more to writing than creating content—there’s also creating a content mix. That means posting more than the same promo with a slightly skewed wording. It’s sharing news, tips, and things that your audience is going to enjoy beyond calls to buy from your brand.

That extends beyond your social media updates, too. Your website copy will need to be updated as you roll out new products and just generally find better layouts. Staff changes will also call for writing new bios, and nothing will ruin your team’s credibility faster than flat, unimaginative bios!

So even if you had the time to dedicate to all of these writing tasks, you’d quickly find yourself struggling to create new, compelling content that wasn’t just a rehashing of the previous week’s work. In short, you can rest assured that your writer will have plenty to keep them busy and justify your investment in them!

Do the Write Thing
It’s normal to want to cut corners by not hiring a writer, but that doesn’t make it a good impulse. Instead, invest the extra resources in having a qualified writer handle your online presence. You’ll be glad you did when you’re not spending every waking moment juggling writing with your other responsibilities!

You might not be completely sold on the benefits of hiring a professional writer. Schedule your free consultation with the Go! Agency and we’ll talk about it!

Read More

5 Things to Have Your Professional Writer Work On

5 Things to Have Your Professional Writer Work On
21Jan

Now that you know how important it is to hire a professional writer, what do you actually have them do? I hinted at a lot of writing tasks in my last blog post, but there are definitely some areas you need to have a writer work on more than others.

Based on what I’ve seen with our clients, I’ve got five areas your writer should be working on ASAP. This doesn’t mean you should limit them to just these tasks, but this list is where you’ll want to start having them work on building your brand!

1. Website
This is number one on my list for one simple reason: You’re not going to draw in any customers or make sales with a bad website. It just isn’t going to happen. If people are reading about your products and finding awkward sentences and typos, you’ll lose the sale every single time.

You’ll want them to write (or re-write) a description of your company, your products/services, and anything else that your site needs. A good strategy is to look at your competitor’s website. You don’t want to copy their formatting or ideas, but this can be a good baseline for figuring out what information your customers are expecting to find on your website.

2. Bios
This is your chance to show the personal side of your business, so don’t waste that opportunity. You want compelling snapshots of your team’s lives, and that usually requires someone with a good bit of writing experience. If your team already wrote their own bios, just have your writer massage them a bit to make them more appealing to potential customers.

If you don’t already have bios up, I’d suggest sending out a questionnaire to your employees and letting your writer use those answers to create entirely new biographies. Then all that’s left to do is get some headshots, post them, and enjoy the new personal appeal that your business has!

Click Here to Subscribe

3. Blogs
If you aren’t rolling out blog content, now is a great time to start! Foremost, it establishes your brand as an authority in your industry. It also gives you something to share on social media that both shows off your business and creates real value for your readers.

As a bonus, blogs are surprisingly great for SEO. Keywords come and go with frequent changes of search engine algorithms, but the thing that consistently improves ranking is thoughtful, relevant content. So if you’re looking to improve your search engine rank, set your writer to work on blog posts!

4. Ads
People focus on having a writer for social media updates, but having someone to write your ad copy is just as important. More than just choosing the right type of ad, you need to have a professional write compelling copy that works toward your business’ goals. Even if you’re sure that your ads are fine, just have your writer take a crack at it to make sure!

5. eBooks
Like blogs, ebooks are great ways to establish your business as an authority. They take in-depth looks at issues relevant to your business, so they need to be well-researched enough to bring real value to your readers.

This is also a great way to get leads for your email marketing strategy. Offer your ebook for free and let people download it, provided they give you their email address. This sets you up to keep the conversation going with your audience, and they get quality content at no cost to them!

Get Started Write Away
Now that you know how to get started, don’t be afraid to dive in! Use this list to help you guide your new writer, and you’ll see what a huge difference having a professional writer can make!

Are you still a little lost on how to direct your writer? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency and we’ll talk about it!

Click Here to Subscribe

Read More

8 Top Tips For Powerful Social Media Writing

Go-Agency-Blog-Template-5-200x300
13Oct
What would Shakespeare or Hemmingway say about Twitter? What would Dickens’ or Tolkien’s opinions be about hashtags, likes, and character count?
I think the literary greats would be amazing at writing for social media marketing, albeit with some heavy-duty training. Social media marketing requires creativity, but writers and marketers may have to rewire how they work. The following tips are excellent starting points to become a social media writer.

1. Ultimate efficiency. Even if you aren’t writing for a platform with a character count such as Twitter, you want to be as sharp, precise, and “to the point” as possible. Sorry, there’s no room for a prologue. You need to hit your audience with your message with as little words as possible.

2. Hashtags. What words or phrases do people use to find content such as yours? Do your research. Discover what’s trending and take advantage of the hashtag system with moderation.

3. Buzzwords. Hashtags aren’t the only important words in your social media composition. Make sure you use relevant, searchable words. Try not to be too wordy but rather add words with strength and potential. Each business has different verbiage that should be incorporated. Their industry, location, time of year, subject matter, and type of content will determine which work and which don’t.

4. Hyperlinks. Always leave room for hyperlinks. Your social media updates should be a gateway to more information. I suggest using Hootsuite’s ow.ly links so you can study their effectivity through analytics.

5. Add imagery. Writing for social media marketing isn’t just about words. Your well-crafted sentences need to compliment a piece of imagery. Whether you add a video, picture, GIF, or a simple emoji, you need visuals.

6. Speak in the “we.” A good rule of thumb for Facebook, Twitter, and other updates is never to use “I.” You are, after all, representing your team and brand. This isn’t your story to tell, but rather the business’s that you represent.

7. Have energy. Having energy doesn’t mean you have to be super perky and happy. Instead, make your updates pack a punch with visceral vocabulary. Use exclamation points, question marks and colons. Avoid ending an update with a period as much as possible.

8. Utilize the power of blogging. Does your heart long for a longer format? Your answer is blogging. A company blog can significantly benefit from a blog. There, you’ll be able to post longer pieces of writing, just be sure to promote them with a social media post.

Do you have writer’s block?  Our team of copywriters creates expertly-crafted social media posts every day. Contact us today to see how professional writing can help you.

Read More
x
Bulletproof Marketer