Professional Copywriting Services an Expense or Asset?

Should businesses allocate professional copy writing services into their marketing budgets? An automotive industry SEO professional shares experience.

Written Feb 06, 2011, read 4399 times since then.

Dealers ask..Why in the world should I allocate my marketing dollars in copywriting? I still get this question a lot from dealers. Some understand they need Google Page One visibility for their dealership but yet fail to accept the need of professional writing with an SEO flair. If you want to rank well the most important aspect is the quality of content. Especially in competitive markets original content that is engaging on your blogs/press releases and website is paramount.

If you have a $300 marketing budget, set up a WordPress microsite and spend all of your money on professional copywriting. If you have a $30,000 marketing budget, skimp on everything except copy.

Copywritingshould be the last thing you cut from any marketing budget. Its a very simple equation...Great copy = a great page. No matter how great your design is it can't save bad copy. Great writing, on the other hand, can make a plain page as compelling as a Monet and can help you rank high for relevant keyword searches. That brings up another idea. Your copywriter should have experience writing for dealers and needs to know the essentials of search engine optimization.

Hera are a number of helpful tips to improve your dealerships content strategy:

Craft a great headline first.
Write the copy. Start with the long sales letter.
Your first paragraph should never be more than 30 words.
The body copy should have the target phrase as close to the start of the copy as possible.
Remove everything that isn’t 100% essential.
Always start the page with copy that scans well: Use bullets, subheads and imagery to break up the page.
Make your point right away. The old ‘funnel method’ doesn’t work online, under any circumstances.
Set out to inform, not persuade. What are the best features of the model your writing about
Always get someone else to read your work. They don’t have to be writers.
Supplemental copy is handy, too. If you can, write a few paragraphs that can be placed anywhere on the page. If you can work in links to other relevant pages and include the key phrases in those links too, even better.

My suggestion is to focus on creating content. Fresh content is critical. If you’re writing only one article per week, make it exceptional: Write it carefully, put in great graphics and make sure your readers will be totally blown away. 1 great piece of writing can do more for relevance and links than 100 lousy ones.

At a minimum your content strategy is one of the pillars of seo, in my opinion it is the most important.

All of your copy should have a purpose. Bernbach said it best:

“Everything you write, everything on a page, every word, every graphic symbol, every shadow, should further the message you’re trying to convey… You measure the success of any work of art by how well it’s achieved its purpose.” – Bernbach on copywriting.

Learn more about the author, Elvis Arias.

Posted by Karen Mathieson, Portland, Oregon | Feb 07, 2011

What's a good, concise set of guidelines for online product marketing copy, Arias. Thank you for stressing the importance of graphic details, too.

~Karen
Posted by Naima Lynah, South Plainfield, New Jersey | Feb 07, 2011

Elvis,

This is great information for any business utilizing the internet. Thanks for sharing.

Naima Lynah, VP - East Coast Green Energy
Posted by Randal DeHart, PMP, QPA, Lynnwood, Washington | Feb 08, 2011

Elvis,

You have started me thinking about the value of good copy...this article is a definate 10 in my book!

Warm Regards,

Randal

Contractors Accounting And Bookkeeping Services
Posted by Carolee Sperry, Pennellville, New York | Feb 10, 2011

Great article and you have shown that great content and SEO are for important for any business you are promoting online.

It's the same game, no matter what you are selling!
Posted by Andy Boynton, Gig Harbor, Washington | Feb 10, 2011

Thanks for posting this, Elvis. This was music to my ears! : )

For me, good writing and good content are about trust. As a business owner, you want to establish trust with your target audience. (That's why I'm not a big fan of Web sites that focus only on SEO--they speak to search engines rather than customers.)

People should trust that you know what you're talking about, that you care about your customers and understand their needs, and that you'll do what you say you're going to do. If the content in your Web site or brochure or ad is amateurish or sloppy, what does that say about the care you put into your product or service?
Posted by Carole Holden, Howey In The Hills, Florida | Feb 10, 2011

Ouch, Elvis. No disrespect intended, but an article from a professional copywriter about copywriting needs to be, well, professional.

I agree enthusiastically with most of the subject matter, but your execution made me squirm a little. (I think you forgot to have someone else read your article before you published.) Proofreaders definitely don't need to be writers, but they must be competent in grammar, spelling, composition, punctuation and the nuances that differentiate good copy from great copy.

SEO is overrated -- it forces a writer to forsake a more conversational tone, which makes your content less likely to establish an emotional connection with your site visitor.

That said, your article contained some good, solid points that are appropriate for a plethora of business categories, not just auto dealers. =)
Posted by Daron Powers, West Bloomfield Township, Michigan | Feb 11, 2011

Elvis… Good points and advice from Carole above.

I see too many business owners jump hastily into developing tactical tools before doing the upfront homework that makes for great copy eh?

It seems that the best copy comes from having done a thorough marketing strategy on the product or service. Then I usually do 20 to 100 headlines. Last comes copy.

All in all, thanks for the tips.
Posted by Susie Schwarz, Smithtown, New York | Feb 12, 2011

Elvis,

I understand content is important for SEO, yet what is your opinion about KISS?

Can a simple website without too much content be ranked well?

Thanks, Susie Schwarz
Posted by Christine OKelly, La Quinta, California | Jul 11, 2012

Great points Elvis! I found myself saying "yes... yes!... YES!" as I was reading through the bullet points. Writing copy that scans well, gets to the point quickly, and is designed to inform rather than sell is so essential in today's world where most of us are wary to sales pitches and suffering from information overload :)