In my 20+ years in marketing, I have heard my fair share of reservations from clients about outsourcing copywriting for their business. They know they need an external resource to get through the work, and they know someone else out there can probably do a better job than their already stretched internal resources. But they worry that their website, feature article, or business blog won’t sound like them if it’s written by someone else.

This is an important point to address, particularly when talking about blogging because your business blog should be an accurate reflection of you and your brand. One of the major benefits of a blog should be that existing and potential customers can get to know you better.

How can this be achieved if it’s being written by anyone outside of the company?

The answer: because that’s what copywriters are trained to do.

A good copywriter won’t insist that you adopt their style of writing in your marketing communications. They will take time to understand your business values, learn your voice, and adapt their style to suit your company. Of course, they will need your input up front on the topics you wish to cover, and the tone of voice you want to portray. For example, are you looking for a serious and authoritative business blog, or are you looking for something a bit more casual and fun? But once these ground rules have been established, they should be able to be left to their own devices to create the glorious content you’re looking for.

The outcome is advice and information for your clients that sounds like you, but better.

I am very grateful to have received feedback from clients many times to say that a piece of writing I have completed for them was exactly what they wanted to say but more eloquently put, or that I have phrased something in a way they wouldn’t have thought of. This is a benefit I can offer as a result of over 20 years of writing copy for different clients, multiple PR & Marketing courses, qualifications, and being able to dedicate all of my working hours to the one task of writing.

Shock, horror, I’m losing control!

Sometimes people are simply nervous of the loss of control. Which as a complete control freak myself, I understand! So, bear in mind that it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing partnership. While I wouldn’t recommend physically collaborating on a piece of writing and having more than one writer producing the bulk of the content (that would just get messy), I would always encourage clients to work as closely as they feel comfortable with their writer.

For some this means downloading content ideas and leaving their copywriter to it, but for others for whom this is a new concept, they offer up ideas for the blog but might also offer feedback on some initial bullet points during the planning phase, and work together on the editing process once the work is complete. We don’t always know what we like or don’t like until we see it. If you’re honest about your likes and dislikes in a piece of writing, your copywriter will continue to tweak the style until they are supplying copy that you are completely happy with first time, every time.

I can do it myself

You may be reading this thinking that employing a freelance copywriter is nice in theory, but that you are able to write your own business blog. You’ve done it before, you can do it again. But as your business grows the issue isn’t talent, it’s a lack of time and thinking space. You need time and space to allow the creative juices to flow sometimes, and often you need to research a topic to make sure you have your facts straight. All of this takes time, which becomes in shorter and shorter supply as your business grows.

Shoehorning your business blog into someone else’s role in the organisation won’t work.  

 Many companies that try to maintain control over their blog content internally end up with an inconsistent blog that doesn’t sound like them anyway because the posts that do make it through, have been rushed. It’s not negligence on the part of the internal writer, but if there are customers to serve, you and your employees will rightly put these customer facing tasks above a blog post.

It can feel counter intuitive at first to spend time recruiting a freelance copywriter but handing over your business blog to a third party is a fantastic way to save time, guarantee the consistency of your business blog, and ensure it continues to sound like you. Because it isn’t rushed. It can remain a well thought out and considered blog, with enough time spent on each piece to sound like the quality focused company you want to portray.

About Blog Write Ltd

Writer of smart, engaging copy for businesses that understand the importance of great copy, but struggle to find the time to give it the attention it needs. I offer a proactive approach to deliver fresh content.