“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get…. especially with copywriting.”Click To Tweet
As we work through these questions, let’s keep this paraphrase from Warren Buffett in mind.
Why?
Because content is very much like stock.
Content is an investment.
The price of content varies widely, as we’ll explore here in a bit.
Content is an asset.
Like the stock market, if you chase low prices, expecting to make a killing… instant Number One Ranking on Google, tons of traffic, boat-loads of leads, and a shower of sales to immediately appear…
I have a couple thousand Facebook IPO shares for you.
What Does Copywriting Cost?
Rates for copywriting range widely.
You can go to Elance or Text Broker and get 250-300 word, even up to 500 word articles, written for $5 per article.
Isn’t original, in fact, it’s most likely completely copied from another article
Has no research behind it so you don’t know if the claims are true or not
Includes obvious spelling and grammar mistakes
Has zero SEO value
Is delivered in a Word document that you’ll need to spend time formatting to post on your blog
Gets no “Likes”, Shares. Tweets, or Comments… well, because it sucks
Why would you even waste one morning’s Venti Mocha on it?
Aren’t you putting your business and your business brand message at a huge risk using this poor content on your website… or on any website connected to your business?
Don’t buy cheap content. It will cost you time and money. (in lost revenues)
Rather than a smart business investment that helps market your business, cheap content is a pure business expense.
So then…
How Much Should You Pay for Copywriting?
The best way to answer this is with another question:
How Much WOULD You Pay to Hire an Employee Who Perfectly Fit Your Business Needs?
And, you had an URGENT need to fill this position ASAP…
And, qualified applicants for this position are limited.
Here’s the thing…
If you realize, that your business NEEDS “Leadership-Quality” Content…
You MUST be willing to pay the price to invest in content that is:
Original
Well-Researched
Clean, clear, and written in a conversational tone that matches your business voice
Free from spelling and grammar errors
SEO On-Page Optimized with Titles, Tags, META Description, keyword and related long tail keywords included, yet still reads well for humans
Already written and formatted in WordPress on your blog so you spend minimal time on formatting and editing to publish
Strong enough to attract social media buzz and spread your message and build natural back links.
As Don Campbell explains in his video (see below the Infographic) review of his Infographic, the sweet spot seems to be $50 an article.
But, you WILL NOT get all of the above for $50 an article.
And, you will not be able to position your business as a MARKET LEADER using $50 a pop articles.
Copywriters who are able to deliver all of the factors on the right side of the Infographic are in extremely high demand.
Why?
1. Very few copywriters can deliver this kind of quality consistently.
2. Most copywriters do not understand SEO and SEO writing under the recent Google Panda and Penguin changes.
3. Crafting original, well-researched copy takes time. There aren’t shortcuts. But, contrary to what the above linked article states, you need to realize that the most experienced writers are able to write faster simply because they’ve written more. Generally speaking, the experienced writer spends less time researching,- especially if they target specific markets- coming up with article angles, and adding the SEO elements.
Why? Simply because they’re more experienced, they have efficient writing processes, and they know what they are doing.
So rather than trying to figure out how much it costs to hire an hour of a writer’s time, your thinking really needs to be, how much value will the writer deliver, and what is the content quality level required to compete in your market.
While Don feels $50 is the sweet spot, it probably is, and this level of quality works for his business.
But, keep in mind, Don is already established in the SEO and social media business so he no doubt has a few advantages he can use to leverage the value of these $50 articles in his business.
To get content that delivers the same value for your business, you will probably need to pay $100-150 or even more per article.
In short, talented, experienced copywriters are in high demand and typically booked solid. In addition, because they must trade time to deliver value, you will pay higher rates to work with a top-quality copywriter.
What Else Adds to the Cost of Copywriting?
Here are a few more important considerations for nearly all businesses when hiring copywriters that Don didn’t mention in his Infographic or video.
These are a few of the intangibles that can easily justify paying double, triple, even ten times the rate to get content that truly impacts your bottom line.
1. Does the copywriter deliver the work on time and hit deadlines? Is the copywriter willing to GUARANTEE deadlines will be met?
2. Does the copywriter understand your specific project needs? Work with a copywriter who asks good, relevant questions… and listens… to your responses.
3. Does the copywriter keep you posted of progress on the project? How well does he/she communicate? How quickly does he/she respond to “reasonable” email and phone call requests and questions? Is it easy, friction-free, and pleasant to work with the copywriter?
(NOTE: DO NOT try to micro-mange a freelance, independent copywriter. But DO hold him/her accountable to promises made to you.)
4. Does the copywriter bring marketing strategy, experience, and knowledge to the table? A copywriter who sees the Big Picture of how your content fits into your overall marketing approach is an invaluable member of your team. He/she can offer advice and craft content that adds thousands of dollars in bonus value to your business.
5. Does the copywriter understand your marketing and sales process? Is he/she able to incorporate effective Calls-To-Action within you article to move readers to opt-in to your list, sign up for a webinar, or call you to schedule a consultation?
6. Does the copywriter understand psychological triggers and human nature? Is the copywriter able to write content that engages and connects with readers emotionally?
This one is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. A copywriter with this talent and skill transforms your article into a 24/7/365 sales letter working in your business.
There is tons of information floating around online about every subject. Some of it is quite useful.
But content that delivers a solution, that offers up a result… AND… is interesting, entertaining, and emotionally engaging is truly “Leadership-Quality” Content.
It’s content that your competition is unable to create, unwilling to invest the time to produce, or will not invest in creating.
So, again the question isn’t how much more does a top-quality copywriter cost, but how much more value will an investment in building a relationship with a true pro copywriter deliver to your business?
Why Should You Even Pay a Copywriter to Write Your Content?
If your objective is to survive and thrive in business today, having a blog filled with top-quality content that “oils” your lead generation engine is a MUST.
If your goal is to CRUSH YOUR COMPETITION, a blog filled with top-quality content is your answer.
Yet, businesses still resist it…
I’m a B2B business and my products and services are too boring.
I’m B2C and my customers already know all about the products I sell.
I’m local and everybody knows me.
I don’t have time to write.
I’m not a good writer.
I don’t know how to produce blog posts that are both search engine friendly that people want to read…
Consider this reality of how marketing works today.
Or to put it another way, if you use “Old School” marketing approaches, it costs you THREE times MORE MONEY to generate a lead.
Content drives your inbound marketing.
Here’s more of today’s marketing reality…
This is from Aaron Houghton, co-founder and CEO of BoostSuite:
“Our research shows that adding one new optimized article to your website every week for one year generates an amount of free search engine traffic that would have cost around $100,000 if purchased through paid search engine advertising.”
And finally consider this…
Even if you have some writing chops yourself, from a business standpoint, often times it makes sense to hire a copywriter.
You really have three choices:
1. Do nothing and go out of business.
2. Figure out how to Do It Yourself and commit your time to consistently create content.
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.
You’ve worked hard to build a quality reputation in your business. Cheap content that doesn’t reflect the quality of your business brand can destroy your reputation in a flash.
What will you do differently to create quality content?
In a sea of content floating around all of us online, most of us simply keep walking, minding our own business.
Only when your marketing message says the same thing, but with different words, will your message get MORE people to stop, pay attention, and ultimately act.
The Content Quality Bar Has Been Raised
Back five years ago, before all the social media noise, when Facebook and Twitter were just gaining traction, getting top search engine rankings and driving traffic to your website from Google was pretty easy.
Lots of people knew how to “game” Google and made easy money.
Today the online game demands you play at a higher level.
Google is no longer the only game in town to drive traffic to your website.
Social media spreads and amplifies your content.
Now your content must be Mobile-friendly. SmartPhone and Tablet access changes how people interact and respond to content.
The “New” SEO is all about Market Leadership
Rather than keyword density and “gaming” Google, your focus is now on becoming the leader in your market. (Make sure to scroll down the post and spend time watching the video. There is a brilliant 5-minute a day marketing hack here)
