What To Pay for Good Content

Find the Right Writer for Your Business Needs

How much should you pay for someone to write your content?

Many business owners ask me this question, and there are three, main things you should consider to find the right writer.

3 Quick Tips to Find the Right Writer

1. Specify Your Goals.

What are your overall goals for this content?

Do you want to increase the number of people who visit your site via a blog and other, social media efforts?

Do you want the copy to result in sales?

Before hiring a copywriter, figure out exactly what you want your ROI to be.

2. Match Your Goals to the Copywriter.

If your goal is to increase sales by providing blogs, newsletters, tip sheets, landing pages, and more, you’ll want to work with an experienced, content strategist or SEO copywriter who can actually get you results. After all, content is an essential part of business success today.

For example, an article in Social Media Today quoting WebDAM^®  Solutions, a digital asset management platform for marketers (http://socialmediatoday.com/brianna5mith/2039861/20-marketing-statistics-will-influence-decisions-2014), states:

• “In 2014, marketing teams will spend $135 billion dollars on new digital marketing collateral;”
• “78% of CMOs think custom content is the future of marketing;” and
• “Marketers will use dynamic content to deliver highly personalized experiences to the right audience at the right time.”

Content is a big deal! That means you need to take the time to find the right people to help you.

3. You Get What You Pay For.

Yes, you can hire an intern or freelancer to write content for you at a very, inexpensive cost anywhere from $5.00 to $50.00. Just make sure this low cost doesn’t “cost” your business. While you may be saving some money, you will actually lose business to your competitors who are taking the time to provide unique, relevant content to potential customers.

If you really want results, your best bet is to hire a content strategist. This person will develop an editorial calendar for your content relevant to your marketing goals and timelines. Then, your content strategist will write the copy for you or oversee a group of experienced copywriters. And once the copy is written, your content strategist will review the results to see what is working and what isn’t.

When you just hire a writer to write a blog or newsletter for you, you are just providing copy. You are not using content as a marketing tool to bring in sales. Experienced copywriters know how to provide unique “copy that sells” and builds word-of-mouth. They know what it takes to get noticed by potential customers, the search engines and the media.

Your Budget and Content Goals.

If you need content for your business, I suggest you look at your top priorities. Start with one writing project that will help you reach one of your goals. Then, conduct research to find a content strategist or experienced copywriter who can help you reach that specific goal.

Conduct the project and see how it goes. You may have enough buzz or income coming in from that content that you can afford to do more projects.

Finding the right writer for your business takes time, but it is well worth the effort. After all, you can hire an inexpensive writer, but what results are you really getting?

By Melanie Rembrandt
Melanie is the CEO of Rembrandt Communications®, a company that helps B2B companies boost sales, awareness and credibility fast with SEO content strategy and public relations. For your free tips and information, visit www.rembrandtwrites.com.