7 Myths You Believe About Freelance Copywriters
While 92% of marketers believe custom content is “very effective” for their business, only 62% outsource their content creation. What’s with the 30% who like content but don’t use freelance copywriters?
There’s a good chance they fall into the category of people who believe one or more of the most common myths about freelance copywriters. Individuals who think that copywriters are unprofessional or don’t have the right business background. Others remember the early days of SEO, and shudder. Regardless of why you’ve avoided using freelance copywriters so far, here are 7 of the most common myths, debunked!
1. They Aren’t Professionals
It’s true that many freelance copywriters work in the peace and quiet of their own home. However, that doesn’t make many of them any less reliable or professional than yourself. As a recent analysis of the “contingent workforce” by Jo Constantz found, large and medium-sized companies are actually hiring freelancers in droves. A great deal of top talent has made the choice to work for themselves, and organizations are finding that choosing to outsource provides a great deal of flexibility.
2. They’re Not Reliable
Unfortunately, far too many organizations and content managers have been burned by the handful of freelance copywriters who can’t adhere to deadlines. While it’s enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth, keep in mind that these people are the exception. Unreliable freelance writers won’t be at it very long, because they’ll quickly lose contacts.
What can you do? I recommend assigning tasks well before they’re due if you’re testing a new writer. Alternatively, you could opt for a freelance writer network that offers reliability and timeliness ratings.
3. They’re Not Experts
Many of us remember SEO attempts around 2006, where many websites hosted just really awful content. It was often stuffed with keyboards, and just wasn’t informative or valuable. Rest assured, any freelance writer worth their salt isn’t concerned about keyword density these days.
If you value expert-driven writing, you’re correct. Charmaine du Plessis research has found that consumers are increasingly using content for decision-making, but only when it carries some expertise. Regardless of whether you need a medical doctor or equine enthusiast for your brand, connecting with the right kind of expert is worth your time.
4. They’re Unmotivated
Freelance copywriters can’t possibly be motivated people, right? After all, they don’t even have real jobs.
Actually, today’s leading copywriters are incredibly motivated and dedicated to self education. Daily topics of study can range from writing best practices to SEO, and will often include a great deal of research for each piece of content they’re engaged with.
5. They’re Not Native Speakers
Many people believe that native English speakers are well outside their price range. Even worse, some people have been deceived and accidentally purchased content that clearly was authored by someone from their own country.
Search engines are not pretty effective at semantic search. Many SEO experts believe you could get penalized for posting unnatural or hard-to-read content. It’s pretty important to hire freelance copywriters with native English fluency, and some could be far more affordable than you think.
6. They’re Not Multi-Talented
There are definitely some freelance copywriters out there who can’t do much more than pen pretty words. However, as the discipline of content marketing continues to grow, that is changing. If your freelancers have a background in content marketing, they should be well-versed in SEO, image-sourcing, formatting for humans, and user-experience. Hiring a writer with a broad knowledge of inbound marketing can ensure you receive content that’s literally ready to publish.
7. They’re Not Team Players
Are you guilty of believing this pervasive myth? Do you think that freelance copywriters are self-interested, and won’t work for your brand? Are you concerned about inappropriate content, or low-quality work, or failure to follow directions? While all of those things are possible, they’re not even likely. Let me tell you why.
If you’re willing to commit to training the right freelance copywriter, they could become a long-term team member. Someone with background in marketing or business can adhere to your brand standards, collaborate with other team members, and generally help you reach your goals.
Do you believe any of these myths about freelance copywriters? Why? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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