Why your content writing can make or break you

“When ideas fail, words come in very handy.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
 
The title of this piece makes a simple statement. Whichever way you look at it, whether through the lens of a CEO, like “Heck, yeah, they do!” or via an entrepreneur’s eyes, “Well, of course! This is all about ‘My’ business,” it depends on where you put the emphasis. Either way, this statement should give you pause.
 
Content writing, aka “words” is all about crafting marketing, sales and digital products with purpose and intent, with the end goal of growing one’s business.
 
The times, they are a changin’
In this tenuous time of lockdowns and brick-and-mortar closures, getting a leg up in the digital world can mean the difference between success and failure of your business. The persuasiveness of the words you choose has a direct impact on your bottom line.
 
Do you have what it takes to literally (pun intended) compete?
 
Catch phrases and keywords
If there’s one thing top execs understand, it’s how using the right words can influence the customer. Slogans, buzz words, and catch phases are all explicitly designed to grab our attention. Sometimes we don’t even know we’re being sold to because the power to emote and captivate has been crafted so well. Successful ad agencies know this and pay writers top dollar to use their creative talent to get you to part with your cashola.
 
Creating brand awareness for your business should always be on your marketing task list. One way this can be achieved is by inserting keywords into content on the homepage of your website to optimize searches by potential customers. You must be easy and fast to find on the infinite landscape known as Google, and words make it happen.
 
SEO is important because it helps prospective customers zero in on you via your funnel marketing, banner messaging, web copy, social posts and/or blogs. The goal of SEO is to target your audience using words that your customers are thinking of when they are trying to find your product or service. Frankly, when writing, it’s not about you, it’s all about them. Do you know what your keywords are?
 
If you’re not using these valuable tools, you’re likely not getting maximum exposure. Worse case, you could be writing for an audience of one.
 
I’m a crossword wizard
You might think that because you received straight A’s in high school English, can find typo’s on restaurant menu’s, and beat the pants off of anyone in a game of Scrabble, that you’ve got this. Powerful content writing goes far beyond spell check and punctuation.
 
• Do you know how to reach your target market with just one headline?
• Are you convinced that if you take an expensive online writing course, you will then be able to write content that will get you more sales?
• Do you think you will be making bank with selling a multi-level marketing product without powerful writing skills?
• Do you fully understand the psychology surrounding sales and marketing in the digital world?
 
But wait, there’s more
I admit that wading through the Google pond has its benefits, and I assume you’re here because of that. But a clever writing style, combined with the knowledge of how Internet searches work, and the ability to insert keywords into copy without sounding like the late pitchman, Billy (Google him) Mays, is a skill most of us don’t possess and it’s a skill worth its weight in gold.As in more profit for you.
 
You break it, they buy it
The basics can be learned by studying and understanding the rules. Unfortunately, knowing how to expertly break, bend or massage words to increase customer loyalty and awareness is an extra special gift some folks just have. I know it’s unfair, but if everyone were clever, no one would be, correct?
 
Copy and content and blogs, oh my!
Keeping your website constantly cooking with new and creative content can be as daunting as keeping the house clean. It takes time and energy to create order out of daily chaos. Your business is the same. If you want customers to continue to come back, you need fresh content. If the restaurant you love had the same fish every day, you’d eventually find somewhere else to get your sushi on.
 
How much is your time worth?
Wouldn’t your time be better spent doing the tasks you’re great at?
 
Wouldn’t the loss of revenue while you burn the midnight oil be more wisely spent hiring a professional?
 
I believe it would.
 
Every one of us can write, right? But not everyone’s a writer.