Is a Copywriter Beneficial

[D856C]

Of course, but you're still making the assumption most businesses who have "I can't even get my clients to pay me" problems does.

You're believing the budget is $X because the client is telling you it's X. And the client is telling you it's X because you're only selling web design and that's the budget for web design -- minus copy.

Because you've had such trouble selling web design for $X it might seem like $2X is out of the question ...impossible. Yet I bet I can find designers charging more ...3x and 5x of what you charge.

Let me tell you what the guy selling the shaving mugs for $9.95 said. "If you knew the market like I do ....."

And he is absolutely right. If I knew the market like he did, I would also be trapped into thinking I couldn't sell the product for more than he was getting. Frankly, if I knew the market like he did I wouldn't sell any of the product at all. Luckily nobody hires me to know the market like they do. If a copywriter knows the market like you do, hiring them is redundant, and just about pointless.

And -- if you really believe copywriters were invaluable -- you'd have one on your staff. And you'd have joint ventures with two or three more. And you'd be selling copywriting services along with web design services right now. Why? Because that's what invaluable means. People have a funny way of managing to do what they believe. And that includes buying behavior.

Rule number one in copywriting: What People Say They Can Afford Is Different From What They Actually Spend.

Zeldman was talking about the trouble he was having selling people on web standards. The excuse invariably was "I can't even sell my clients on regular web design. How can you expect me to get them to pay for web standards?"

Then, web designers made a crucial realization. They realized they should have been designing to web standards all along. That's when they stopped selling clients on web standards and started making it plain old standard web design. Because that's what happens when something is really invaluable.

[maritsaki]

My first question is whether we should assume people go for standards, nice design, a conversation about Schopenhauer or a spice girls song. The second is whether I am just starting to make money and coming out of a hole or I am an established businessman that can spend time following psychology trends in the population. I was not trying to say something philosophical or oustanding about what a designer should or shouldn't do. Only that I found hard to sell. Sell anything, good ,bad, with a copywriter or without. Full stop. Now, that we actually did have close relationships with copywriters as if it had been a joint company is also true.

[Cwilk]

As a copywriter I have ideas but I don't pretend for a minute that I can design, so why is it so often the reverse with designers?

Mainly my answer to this question would be because while I'm a designer, I'm also a very good copywriter. There are 3 additional warm bodies in my office as well so I also utilize the creative juices of those individuals.

Sometimes being a not only a copywriter, but a regular writer yourself works. I've authored many publications, articles and I'm in the process of publishing a novel. And yes, it's one that I wrote all by myself and just hired an editor for the things I overlooked.