Ellen de Vries: Freelance copywriting, Brighton

I’ve had lots of requests (from some of the great minds in Brighton’s New Media Industry) for advice on how to convince new web and social media clients that professional copywriting is vital to any website-building process - not just a cushy extra.

I’m a copywriter for the web, so writing this is a bit like blowing my own trumpet (toot!)…but the next few blogs I’m doing are going to be super-helpful if you ever get the urge to tell your clients that you’re getting a copywriter involved (and that they’ll be worth more than their weight in gold).

So here’s the first ‘Science Bit’ to help you dispell the myth that anyone can write their own web copy:

1. Straight to the heart
Good copywriting can easily make sales and hits go up by several hundred percent. Copywriters use creative woo-ing devices that help you to build a relationship with your audience (like Cupid and his bow and arrow). Words are the most precious tools you’ve got for this, so it’s worth putting money into getting it done professionally.

2. Word-Digestion
A good web copywriter understands the way people’s eyes scan when they come to a website. They know how much text the eye can take in one sitting and use special tactics to keep them happy to hang around and read more.

3. Happy skeleton, happy days
Words, benefits and the creative concepts are the starting points for all the website architecture to hang on - like the skeleton. That’s why you should always take the copywriter with you to that first meeting where the architecture gets discussed. The copywriter can help you build in creative devices that grab attention, build relationships and make sales.

4. Objective eyes
You might be very close to your product, but it’s difficult to stand in your own audience’s shoes without help. The best person to do this is a word-smith with a marketing background. Copywriters are experts when it comes to working out what your audience wants to hear. They understand what messages work best and where to put them so that the audience stays interested.

5. Technology Psychology
Web copywriters know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to marrying technology with words. There’s lots of technical psychology when it comes to user-experience design, so you’ll want someone who knows what their doing.

…That’s not to say that you can’t let them go for DIY copywriting, there’s alot they can do by themselves, or that you can help them with. Some research and web marketing theory will go a long way if they do decide to tackle it alone.

Comments and your previous experiences with this are useful, and greatly appreciated. :)