What is copywriting, really?
And why would you want to hire a copywriter to write an important piece of your marketing strategy like your website copy when you can take care of it yourself? After all, it’s your business—you know it better than anyone!
To answer the first question, copywriting is the process of writing marketing and promotional materials that drive people to take a desired action. The action could be clicking a link, purchasing a product or service, making a donation, or scheduling a consultation.
I like to think of copywriting as half art, half science. While creativity and storytelling skills are required, effective copy also calls for a significant amount of studying your audience and testing different techniques.
When you partner with a professional copywriter, their job involves much more than simply regurgitating your words. They must know how to ask the right questions to get to know your brand, audience, and product or service. Then, they need to understand how to translate, organize, and reframe that information into a form that connects you to your ideal audience.
You may be wondering how your brand will benefit specifically from investing in a website copywriter. Stick with me.
What does a web copywriter do, anyway?
As I work with a growing number of passionate entrepreneurs on their website copy, one thing has become clear: Writing or rewriting powerful website copy demands significant brand messaging strategy.
Part of my job as a copywriter (a part that I love) is asking questions and giving suggestions that help clients refine their messaging and how they market their brand. This could mean a new take on how they market a service or product, or honing in on and updating their mission and values. Going through this entire process with guidance from a copywriter will bring you and your team clarity on your operation, brand messaging, and dream clients or customers.
Plus, there’s the whole search engine optimization (SEO) aspect of your website content. Basically, this is the stuff that helps your site show up on Google. A great website copywriter will have SEO knowledge and know how to optimize your content for both search engines (with the right keywords) and your audience (with searcher intent in mind).
So, yes, you are the expert on your industry and products or services, but a copywriter brings an outside perspective to the table to facilitate your messaging and connect you to your ideal audience.
A Re-frame of Mind
How does a copywriter have that much influence on a business’s marketing strategy? Fortunately, I recently worked with a couple of amazing clients and can share their stories.
First is New England-based human resources consulting firm, HR ROI. Owner Amy Cann came to me in the hopes of updating and expanding on their existing website copy. She and her team are highly skilled in many HR topics, and they are passionate about equipping leaders and their teams with the tools and resources necessary to create their optimal work environment.
We started with a website content audit, where I assessed the current site and made recommendations on how to reorganize the content so that it is easier for visitors to navigate and learn about their robust service offerings. The audit was a helpful first step toward improving the website content and creating a strategy for the new copy.
Next, we dove into the copywriting, which included a mix of rewriting current content and crafting copy for entirely new pages and sections. A few project highlights include:
Highlighting features that make HR ROI unique, including their trained conflict mediators and investigators (not your typical HR skills) and the fact that they have specialists in areas like legal compliance, management and leadership coaching, nonprofit solutions, and HR technology.
Listing more specifics for each service area by creating an individual page for every category and explaining the many ways HR ROI can empower organizations to develop their teams and take their operations to the next level.
Telling potential clients what solutions and benefits to expect from each service area (for example, check out this service page).
Noting the types of industries and organizations HR ROI partners with to showcase examples and experience.
Sharing their process to give prospects a sense of transparency and an idea of what it’s like working with their HR experts.
The goal of this messaging is to better connect HR ROI with their ideal clients and demonstrate to prospects how they can work together. Amy’s overall feedback was that the entire process was “enormously helpful” and provided them with clarity on their website messaging and organization.
On a Mission
Another recent project I had the pleasure of working on was the website update for Hall Educational Resources (HER), featuring branding and web design by SkyHouse Creative. This educational consulting firm is led by founder Elizabeth Hall, who has a rich story of her own about navigating education options and institutions for her children.
HER’s mission is to empower families with the tools and knowledge they need to identify a range of insightful, evidence-based educational possibilities that will engage their student’s talents, intellect, and passions.
The main goals with this project were to better connect HER to their dream clients, showcase their team’s expertise, and build trust with potential clients. I did this by:
Incorporating Elizabeth’s personal story to underscore her passion and experience going through this process on her own for her three kids, each with their own unique learning profile.
Highlighting their success stories and proven results with elements like testimonials and examples that prospective families can relate to.
Providing input and asking questions to help her reconsider how certain service areas are displayed, condensing and even removing some that are no longer in line with her mission and target audience.
Refining their mission and value statements so they are more meaningful and give further insight to what drives the HER team and sets them apart.
Expanding on certain sections like services to give audiences a better understanding of what HER offers, while ensuring the organization and flow is concise and easy enough to read.
Conveying empathy and professionalism while reassuring parents that they don’t have to figure it out on their own, but can partner with expert guides who will always advocate for their students’ best school match.
While Elizabeth is full of passion, drive, and knowledge, she was overwhelmed by the thought of organizing and writing all of her website content on her own. This is where I was able to not only remove significant stress from her plate, but also help her rethink key parts of her messaging and how to ensure it resonates with her ideal audience.
Crafting Powerful Website Copy
Website copywriting is an entire process that involves a number of moving parts and many considerations. As a business owner, you have something unique to offer to your clients or customers: YOU!
But finding the right words can be challenging, to say the least. That’s where a copywriter with fresh eyes and ears plays an important role, helping you capture your voice and put your own spin on your messaging to help you stand out from the competition. If you’re ready to invest in impactful website copywriting, schedule a free consultation with me today to learn more about how I can help you take your website to the next level.