Should You Pay for B2B Copywriting?

You've probably seen ads for cheap writing services -- some promising articles for as low as $1.25. At that rate, a writer would have to churn out 50,000 articles per year -- or 136 articles per day -- to eke out a living. So, we can conclude that if you're going to opt in to one of these super-cheap writing services, you're either going to get something that is poorly researched and full of typos, or reads like the writer doesn't speak your language fluently.

Buy Cheap Copy Now, Pay Later

Some companies have hired vendors who provide low-cost writing services, only to bring in additional writers to fix the mistakes that the original vendors made. If they had chosen to pay more for better writing from the outset, they could have saved themselves a lot of money and time. Remember, your website is like a storefront. It gives people their first impressions of your business. Storefronts that look like this are not inviting:

Websites with copy that is confusing, boring or full of mistakes scare people away. You want people to read your copy and feel welcomed, intrigued and motivated.

How to Choose a B2B Copywriter

Aside from avoiding copywriters who offer bargain-basement prices, there are other things you need to consider before hiring someone to write for you. Questions you should ask a copywriter include:

• Does this writer have experience with my industry, product or service? Some industries are difficult to write about, and if a writer doesn't understand what you do, your copy won't be effective. At Ecreative, our writers have a great deal of experience with industrial companies. Our writers understand the traits that are unique to industrial companies. Our writers are not afraid of complex technical information. As a result, we're able to create clear, informative and interesting content for our clients.
• How much experience does this writer have? A writer who has experience with website copy -- and SEO -- will do a much better job that somebody who is new to the business or doesn't specialize in writing for the industrial marketplace.
• Does he/she have writing samples? Always ask to see a writing sample. That will give you an idea of his/her writing style. Better yet, ask to see a sample from an industry that's similar to yours. If the writer doesn't have any samples, the only thing out of your mouth should be, "NEXT!"
• Is this person easy to work with? This ties into the issue of experience: less experienced writers aren't accustomed to having their work critiqued. That can make the editing process difficult. But it's your website. The copy on it should make you proud. Any writer who is worth working with knows this, will make edits and take criticism without batting an eye.
• Do they know when to speak up? Just as a writer needs to be able to take criticism, they need to be able to give it as well. Writers are experts in the written word. They know as much about writing as you know about your industry. If a writer tells you that a change you've made or a paragraph you've written doesn't work, listen. Those suggestions just might make the difference between a site that performs and one that doesn't.

How to Find an Industrial Copywriter

If you're looking for experienced copywriters, start here.