Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Should You Hire a Freelance Copywriter or Engage a Marketing Agency?

Not too long ago, I took a phone call from a business owner inquiring about press releases. Which is fine; I've written plenty of press releases over the years. But it soon became apparent that he didn't just need help writing the articles -- he also needed someone to provide him with high-level PR distribution and marketing strategies. So I referred him to a marketing strategist that I knew at a local print/digital agency. At around the same time, I spoke with a Florida real estate agent who needed, not just writing help, but also professional SEO assistance. I agreed to perform the writing portion of the job, but I referred the SEO tasks to a marketing agency in Dallas.

When does it make sense to hire a freelance copywriter in San Antonio, Austin, or wherever, as opposed to engaging a turnkey marketing agency that offers a full suite of marketing services? It's a worthy question, and one that benefits from a little understanding of how both freelance copywriters and marketing agencies actually work.

Money Matters


For businesses with a tight marketing budget, it obviously makes sense to buy only the services you need. If you already have access to professional-quality web design, graphic design, SEO etc., and you're firmly in control of your brand voice and marketing agenda, you might need nothing more than a writer to generate the content you already envision as part of your master plan. One nice thing about this approach is how easy it is to hire writers on an ad hoc basis. Need a single press release, or a month's worth of blog articles, or a quick update to your home page? Simply call your writer and place that order. Current copywriter not working out? Just hire a different one the next time you need some content. Need more content than one writer can handle? Keep two or three of them in your Rolodex, and engage them as needed. Since copywriters base their rates on their particular experience levels, reputations and skill sets, you can always obtain your ideal compromise between affordability and expertise.

Marketing agencies tend to require a steadier, more consistent agreement and a higher level of commitment from their clients. It's true that many of the smaller ones -- the "boutiques" -- can be amazingly flexible in the tiers and terms of service they offer. But it's a little harder to flit from one agency to another at the drop of a hat. Expect to sign on for a flat monthly rate at the very least. In short, it's a more elaborate situation to get into, and to get out of.

Range of Services 


Some copywriters dabble in other marketing services above and beyond writing; the rest of us prefer to focus on the thing we do best. If you know that you need multiple, integrated marketing services, overseen by a professional marketing strategy team, hiring a turnkey marketing agency makes all the sense in the world. But it isn't necessarily your only option.

Remember my opening anecdotes, in which I directed those prospective clients to a marketing strategist and an SEO firm respectively? I was still the designated writer on those jobs -- I simply reached out to my professional network of trusted colleagues. If your copywriter has built up such a network over many years of experience, then you've pretty much got all the pieces of a full-blown marketing agency at your command. Some of these providers may be agencies in their own right; others may be independent contractors and experts in their respective fields. You can mix and match until you have a team that suits both your budget and your marketing needs.

Here's another little insight for your consideration: Many smaller marketing agencies don't maintain their own in-house writing crew anyway. They outsource those services to -- guess who? -- freelancers like me. So you may end up working with a freelance copywriter whether you realize it or not. The big difference in this scenario is that you're not one choosing the copywriter. You may not even be communicating with the writer directly. If that's something that matters to you, you might be better off bringing your own freelance copywriter to the project.

As you can see, there's no clear-cut right or wrong way to proceed. If you're still unsure of your copywriting and marketing needs, feel free to contact me for some honest, straightforward advice!


Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Beyond Google: Relevant Content Is the Key


Ah, Google, keeper of the sacred, secret formulae that determine whether your website link appears on Page One of search results -- preferably above the fold, or at least higher up on the search results than your competitors' links. Year in and year out, companies try to crack the Google "secret code," throwing all sorts of strategies at the search engine's current algorithm to see which ones stick. If you've ever sat down with a web or SEO strategist, you've heard about the importance of optimizing your web presence so that Google will reward you with higher search result rankings. Sure, there are other search engines out there worth pleasing, but after all, people don't just search for products, services or information; they "google" them. 

Even the most skilled, experienced web professionals can find Google a tough nut to crack. That's partly because the competition for Google's attention is so vicious, and partly because Google remains a moving target. The company regularly changes its methodologies, which means that yesterday's great online marketing tactic becomes today's disappointing search result. A few years back, I wrote a white paper about an exciting, cutting-edge study performed by a web optimization company, only to watch the owners go pale as Google suddenly changed the way it did things (again), rendering all their hard work obsolete before the study could even hit the news feeds.
What can you do to stay in the sights of this attention-impaired giant? Well, you definitely want to make sure that your digital marketing provider stays on top of all the latest industry news, while building enough flexibility into your site to enable fast, easy updates. This flexibility lets you employ a great, all-weather strategy for online marketing success: production of a steady stream of fresh, useful, high-quality written content -- the kind of material that will always matter to your target market. The good news is that Google currently places quite a lot of emphasis on relevant content. But even if it didn't, such content would still help you generate the kind of responses you're looking for. I've always said that good marketing content tends to optimize itself, and I've yet to see any evidence to the contrary.

Through fair weather and foul, regardless of what Google's algorithm-of-the-moment seems to favor, engaging written content will always make your web presence more, well, present. You'll find that visitors don't just land on your page; they actually read them. They stick around. They check out your products or services. They might even buy stuff or contact you. That's the kind of relevance any business can benefit from, so get the professional copywriting help you need to make it happen!