Your Marketing Agency Needs the Right Writer
Just because a writer can pen amazing novels, that doesn’t mean he can write a decent blog. It’s a different kind of writing. And just because one of the staff members at your marketing agency comes up with the most creative slogans, that doesn’t mean she can write a coherent webpage. All writers are not created equal; they have strengths and weaknesses.
Novelists, for example, don’t even need to back up their suppositions with reputable resources; they just have to be able to tell a good story. Meanwhile, nonfiction writers have to tell a good story, too, while relying wholly on research. The fiction writer has his creative ability and eye for detail, while the nonfiction writer has the rare ability of translating other people’s words into new, often enlightening phrases. Different writers specialize in certain types of writing. For example:
- Copywriters excel at being able to come up with snappy catch phrases that are used to sell a product or service.
- Journalists combine the talents of a nonfiction author with the brevity of an online writer.
- Columnists convey opinions with convincing alacrity.
- Screenwriters and playwrights mix dialogue with scene-setting.
- And freelance writers are hired guns who often claim to be able to write anything, anytime, anywhere for anyone.
A Place for Every Writer
As long as the human race relies on words for communication, writers of every ilk have a place in the world. And as long as writers continue to populate the entertainment and information pockets of every country’s literate population, all kinds of writers can find places to hone their niche crafts. It’s when publishers don’t (or can’t) differentiate between what kind of writers they need that trouble sometimes arises.
A marketing agency that expects its copywriters to populate their newest website pages with informational content is not going to end up with very clear, valuable pages on their website, for example. A book publishing house that expects a screenwriter to produce a fabulous piece of fiction equal to their latest hit Broadway show may end up sorely disappointed, if not left completely empty-handed.
Get the Right Writer for the Job
Many of the writer categories mentioned above can cross-pollinate various media, but not all can do it successfully. So when you need to hire a writer for your marketing agency, for example, make sure you look at clips (that is, examples) that illustrate the kinds of writing you need to produce for your clients. Hire the right writer for:
- Blog posts
- Website pages
- Advertisements
- Promotions
- White papers
- Newsletters
- Press releases
And if you choose to rely on a freelance team, such as the writers at Ray Access, look for even more proof that they are capable of producing the content your clients need. As a marketing agency, you can’t have columnists writing ad copy that’s based strictly on one person’s opinion, for heaven’s sake. And novelists might be able to take your client to an entirely new level, but can they succinctly put into one memorable line what your client does best?
Background and Experience Prevail
This doesn’t mean that a prolific poet can’t execute a catchy jingle or that a nonfiction writer can’t put together a white paper (also called long-form content) for your client. But it does mean that no matter what kind of writer you hire, don’t assume that just because he can write a clever resume, he can write the kind of writing you need.
Experience and skill count when it comes to writing commercially — especially when it comes to writing that’s designed to be read online. As a marketing agency, you’ll be putting your client’s messages online, so check on both the background and the experience of your writers.
Coming next week: What makes online writing so different?
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.