So You’re Considering Hiring A Copywriter?

When we hire a copywriter we can assume we are hiring an individual with at the very least, polished writing skills. The best copywriters however are somewhat more than gifted writers; they are efficient researchers, effective marketers, probing interviewers and more!

When you hire a great copywriter one of the last things that ought to be on his or her mind is pen-to-paper. There are many things to determine prior to the writing bit. The copywriter needs to understand your products or services, your objectives, your current market position, who are your competitors? What makes you better and different than your competition – If your chosen copywriter does not address these issues, if he or she doesn’t ask you the relevant questions, it’s not looking good and it maybe wise to look for another writer.

Here are some of the elements your copywriter must know about – these are imperatives, no short-cuts or in betweens…

Objectives: Define the purpose of the copy, is it informational, sales oriented, awareness, branding, review, consolidation or loyalty. It’s important your copywriter knows and feels your objective. One tip, don’t mix and match objectives, it won’t work.

Prospects: Who are the prospects? How old are they, how much do they earn, what turns them on, what turns them off? Are they familiar with your products or services?

Product or Service specifications: What exactly is the product or service? Is it new? How is it made or delivered? What are the features?

Benefits: Your copywriter must determine the product or service benefits and why your prospect should choose your product rather than a competitor. The benefits need to be broken down into the commonest denominators, the benefits need to be identified precisely and the relative benefits must be pinpointed and targeted to your prospect.

Testimonial Support: Your product or service claims have to be backed-up. Sure, you may have the best thing since sliced bread, but who say’s so and why – where’s the proof honey? Show your prospects the pudding!

Competition: It is essential your copywriter understands and defines who your competitors are. He or she needs to understand the differences and similarities. Your relative positioning and any other competitor intelligence he or she can find – Google search engine is great for this.

Budget: It’s always the bottom line isn’t it? How much money have you got to spend, are there any other budget considerations or limitations?

Marketing and Distribution: What medium are you going to use to distribute and market your message? Is it totally online, email, brochure, direct mail, landing pages, article or review format? Is there an offline element? If so what and where and when?

USP (Unique Selling Proposition): What makes your star shine brighter than any other star in the sky? What is your uniqueness? You must identify at least one thing which makes you so very different from anything and anyone else?

To conclude, before assigning your copywriting project ensure your copywriter adheres to the aforementioned criteria – if he or she doesn’t - go elsewhere. May I suggest you take a look at this copywriting site: http://www.hireonlinecopywriter.com