As a Business Owner; Should You Hire a Content Writer?

At ChartLocal, we often help business owners navigate daily challenges such as having lots to do and no time in which to do it. We also field the age-old quandary; How to increase sales on a limited marketing budget.

The answer to that last puzzle may be as simple as hiring a content writer. In fact, it may be one of the best strategies for a business owner to shave time off their calendar, and simultaneously achieve great marketing results. These are the top reasons why.

Google™ Still Rewards Fresh Content.

Google has always ranked websites with fresh content ahead of websites with stale and stagnant content. If you have eleven minutes to spare in your busy day (and you care) here is a technical look at how (and why) Google determines and likes fresh content. But you can trust us on this, websites … your website, needs new, fresh content on a regular basis or it will sink in relevance based on the newest iteration of the Google algorithm.

Content Marketing Works.

Customers, clients, and patients read websites or follow a business or practice on social media because they want to learn about the business. They are usually trying to make buying decisions about your products or services. If your website loads slowly, was poorly designed or has little to no information, it is a direct reflection of your business. Alternatively, if the website is loaded with good content and proper search terms that educate, inspire, and persuade the reader, that reflects positively on your business.

Different Strokes.

Some people love to write and are good at it. If that is your strength, have at it. Many people, however, would rather eat worms than craft a 1,000-word blog. The business world functions at peak when everyone is able to do that at which they are best. If writing isn’t a business owner’s strength, it simply makes good business sense to hire someone that is.

Time is a Precious Commodity.

There are just 24 hours in each day, and one vanishes forever every 60 minutes. So even if as a business owner, you do enjoy writing, it might not necessarily be the best use of your time. Last year, a Bank of America survey found that 28% of small business owners work 41-50 hours per week, 29% work 51-70 hours per week, and 4% work 71 hours or more. There is no doubt owning your own business is not for the lazy. Hiring a person or agency to outsource your critical content writing makes sense so that you save your valuable time to focus on other important aspects of running your business.

Forest Vs. Trees.

Quite often a business owner will struggle to find just the right words to describe something important to their business or becomes too tied up in details. The old saying goes You can’t see the forest for the trees … a content writer has no problem in this regard because they have an outside perspective. A good writer can be objective and an enthusiastic advocate for your business, coupling the best of the factual with the right peppering of “market speak”.

It Is Risk-Free.

Finally, hiring an agency with several writers makes it simple to test drive the work of a few writers, finding the one with just the perfect “voice” for your business or practice. It may take a few revisions before the writer captures a business in the best possible light, but a good writer will want to make sure the business owner is pleased with the outcome and will welcome critical direction. All of this takes place before any copy goes live, so there is no risk of the public seeing anything that does not fit your style and reputation exactly. You may also be surprised to find out just how reasonably priced content can be from an agency. It will be far less than an employee, structured so that you are not trapped in a contract and the expertise offered at the agency level will be quite broad.

 

Paul Evans

Director – The Ad Buyer