Finding Content for Marketing: Copy
The art and science of writing text is called copywriting. It's an essential skill to have to use, and you are lucky if it's a skill you already have. If it's not, you should start looking around for an employee who can write copy, or consider hiring a freelancer.
Today's web technologies allow your business to establish a relationship with your customer and audience. Instead of visiting a store and meeting a salesperson, an online customer visits your website. Unless you effectively communicate your business story, values, and personality on the web, you aren't taking full advantage of building a relationship.
Writing Your Own Copy
If you write your copy, I recommend using a copy editing resource. Prowritingaid and Grammarly are two online services you can use to help improve your writing, and both will perform grammar checks. Grammarly also offers a service for submitting your articles to professional copyeditors.
- grammarly.com - copy editing app/site and services
- prowritingaid.com - copy editing app/site
Hiring Copywriters
If you want to explore buying copy from writers, here are some recommendations for you to consider:
These sites allow you to set up a free account and post writing assignments. Textbroker and Zerys are for hiring writers. To use them, you create a free account, create a writing assignment, and then deposit funds to cover the cost. Freelance writers obtain work by reviewing open assignments and take them on. When a writer takes on an assignment, you're notified, and again when he submits it for review. You can ask for edits or reject the writing, in which case the writer isn't paid. The service pays the writer once you accept the assignment.
Tools are available to select writers by topic, expertise, or quality ranking, and over time you can establish a relationship with a writer who can become a regular contributor. You have the option to put an assignment out for any writer or to choose a writer.
The other two sites for hiring freelancers are for all types of freelance work, not just writing. Freelancer and Upwork (owned by eBay) are freelance marketplaces. The process is similar to textbroker and Zerys, but your assignment will receive bids, and you select one of the freelancers who completes the work and submits it. If you want revisions, be sure to ask for a certain number of changes in your assignment on these sites since it may not be clear that you want it included.
Journalists and non-fiction writers are an excellent choice for informational and social media copy because of their experience in doing research and telling a story that captures and keep the reader's attention. These writers usually have news (print, radio, or television) or magazine article writing so look for that experience. More writers are doing online articles, blogs, and social media, so it's becoming easier to find experienced writers in these areas.
To my way of thinking
Written copy is an essential resource for marketing. You need written material for your website, social media accounts, and any print material you use to communicate with prospects and customers. Use these sites to help you create your own written content or find someone to hire.
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