The term ‘juggling act’ could have been invented for small business owners. The amount of tasks that need completing never seems to end. By the time you’ve got through your ‘MUST do’ list and your ‘ABSOLUTELY MUST do’ lists, there’s no real time to consider the ‘nice to do’ list.

Certain areas that big businesses have entire departments dedicated to, get little or no attention in small businesses. The Accounts department? That’ll be you.  The I.T. department? That’ll also be you.

One of those neglected areas is often your content.  You might have a website, social media profiles, flyers and maybe even a blog, but how much love do you give them?

I’m biased of course, I mean you are on a copywriter’s website!  But high-quality writing can be a pivotal tool in the success of a small business. It can get you new customers, grow your audience and ultimately increase your profits.

So aside from the ongoing issue of time, why do small businesses often neglect their content and are they valid reasons?

 

1. Money

Marketing agencies don’t come cheap. The bad news is that even at the low end of the price range you’re looking at well over £1000 a month. That’s money that you either don’t have or can be better spent elsewhere.

For many small businesses, areas such as paid social media, Google Adwords and even local press ads are out of reach. Let alone being able to improve your own website and social media channels.

Writing is a hugely important part of marketing. Even without spending the big money on adverts or marketing agencies, it’s possible to grow your business just by improving its written content.

The second bit of bad news is that according to a recent survey by Procopywriter, the average copywriter charges £349 per day. An eye-watering figure for most small businesses.

Is it a valid reason? There really isn’t a magic money tree. But there are plenty of cheaper options. Many content writers charge a lot less and are happy to negotiate. Sometimes bartering is an option too, most writers are happy to indulge in a spot of mutual back-scratching. Put it this way, I certainly don’t charge anywhere near £349 per day!

 

2. Skills

You’re brilliant at what you do. You may even have a few employees who are also brilliant at what they do. But there’s a very high chance that what they don’t do is write content. They (or you) might have good English skills and be able to write eloquently and professionally, but that doesn’t make them a content writer.

Content writing is about getting the business on the first page of Google.  It’s about writing content that will pique interest and generate enquiries and customers.  It’s about showing off your business, it’s brand and it’s products/services.

It’s probably not a specialism that exists within your business. Unless you’re a freelance copywriter, in which case you probably don’t need to read this!

Is it a valid reason? Yes, but it’s a reason that can be overcome by hiring a copywriter.

 

3. There’s no point

Your small business is doing really well. And that’s without a regularly updated website. You don’t have a blog or a Twitter account and you’ve never even had a mailing list. But business is booming so who cares?

Is it a valid reason? Sometimes. But could your business be even better? Does being in a strong position mean that it’s a good time to invest in growing the business and taking it to the next level?

 

4. Intimidation

SEO, PPC and plenty of other TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms!) can be very confusing, annoying and off-putting.  Listening to an hour-long thinly disguised sales pitch, that you barely understand, isn’t a great use of your time.  Do you really want to spend money on something that you can’t see any tangible benefit to?

Is it a valid reason? It’s an understandable reason. I’ve been in the ‘client’ position plenty of times and switched off at about the sixth acronym. But if the writer makes sense and explains themselves succinctly, then you should be able to see the benefits.

 

5. It’s yours

Quite rightly, you’re proud of your business. You’ve built it up and it’s a success. The idea of a stranger coming in to change your content or alter your look sounds terrible. They won’t understand your business, your ethos or your goals.

Is it a valid reason?  No. It’s just a case of finding the right content writer. That’s not entirely down to their writing ability. Their personality, warmth and sincerity are also important. It’s not always easy to find the right person but it’s worth doing.

 

6. Your customers aren’t online

You’re not an online business. Your target market aren’t regular internet users. They know about you through reputation, word of mouth and past experience. What’s the point of having a beautifully worded website or an engaging Twitter account?

Is it a valid reason? Absolutely not. Whilst plenty of content writing is online, a talented copywriter can also write compelling content for offline channels such as print adverts, newsletters and direct mail.  Plus, more and more older people are getting online, so it’d be naive to assume that your audience isn’t internet savvy.

 

Of course, there will be plenty of other reasons and there will be varying degrees of validity. But all of them can be overcome with a combination of negotiation and collaboration.  Please get in touch to discuss how we can make this happen.