It’s 2023, and everyone is updating their websites, cutting the fat from their copy, and investing in new content. Should you work with a Bristol copywriter, or should you outsource your content to an online agency with no local footprint?
Obviously, we’d say you should work with a local copywriting agency (err, us), but we’re journalists at heart, and that means we must always take a balanced view. Here, we look at the pros and cons of working with a copywriter in your area or outsourcing to an online agency.
Pros of working with a local copywriter
Here are some of the reasons why you should work with a professional writer in your area:
#1 – You’ll have 100% confidence in who is creating your content
When you work with a local copywriter in Bristol (or anywhere, for that matter), you’ll know who they are and should have 100% transparency in who is creating your content.
Work shouldn’t be farmed out (we certainly don’t) but completed in-house by a writer you can pick up the phone and speak to or even meet.
Working with a local writer means you can meet up, chat, and exchange ideas. COVID-19 may have conditioned us to be wary of in-person encounters; exchanging ideas and chatting about concepts and creative ideas is always better in person.
#2 – They (should) understand your business better
Outsourcing your content to an online agency is cheaper, but as we’ll explain, you don’t know who is creating your content. Employ a copywriter near you, and you’ll get someone local who understands you, your business, market, and culture.
We develop relationships with many of our clients (we even call some of them friends). Working together over the long term enables us to understand their business and use this to create better content.
Plus, if you follow tip #1, you may even get a free coffee…
#3 – Work (should) be higher quality – meaning fewer amends and edits
We can’t talk for other Bristol copywriting agencies, but we know that this city is a competitive place for writers. That means you should get high-quality content and copy from a Bristol copywriter.
While you may pay a little more if the job’s done right the first time. The payoff is less time wasted working with writers to edit, update and amend your words. We reckon that’s a price worth paying.
Cons of working with a copywriting company…
It’s not all sunshine and superb copy; here are some issues you should be aware of when working with a Bristol copywriter…
#1 – You’ll have to pay for the privilege
Is £40 per hour expensive? It is when you compare it to Fiverr or content mills around the world. So, yes, you’ll probably pay more working with a local copywriter – but is that such a bad thing?
Firstly, you can be sure all that money is going to a genuine Bristol copywriter (not being skimmed off the top by an agency). Secondly, you can have confidence that this money will be reinvested into the local economy.
Thirdly (and finally), you’ll get better quality work. Why? Because relationships matter. When you outsource to an online agency, you’re signifying that price is the most important factor when it shouldn’t be.
Want to learn more about the impact this can have on your business, reputation, and SEO? Check out our blog.
#2 – Quality takes time
Content mills can deliver your new website content in 48 hours and a blog in 24 hours. So why wait for a copywriter in Bristol to do their job?
Yes, online content providers with huge rosters of writers can knock out a blog or website content in 48 hours, but can you confidently say you’ll get good results that way? We’ve been copywriting for (checks watch) about 20 years and know that the best work takes time.
If you want something quickly and cheaply, you’re forsaking quality. It’s your choice (but you’re making the wrong one).
#3 – It’s easier (sometimes)
Online content providers don’t ask many questions. They don’t push you to explain why you’re doing things. They won’t ask why you’re doing something and suggest a better way.
Easy = efficient.
That’s quite possibly true. If you have a fixed idea of what you want and can express that succinctly and clearly to someone, then online content providers are great. They’ll rigidly follow your guidelines and deliver the content that you want.
But is it what your readers want or what customers need?
Experienced copywriters don’t accept everything you say as true. They work through a brief identifying opportunities, including ways to sharpen your message, clarify your proposition and add value to the user experience.
Working with a good copywriter isn’t always easy – but the friction is part of the fun, and it usually means the result is much better for you, your business, and your customers.
Are you still searching for a Bristol copywriter?
We’re a Bristol content and copywriting agency, so of course, we’re going to tell you not to outsource your content. But there are good business reasons not to do so. When you make cost the determining factor, you sacrifice quality. To us, that’s a false economy and, in the long term, will do damage to your business or brand.
If you’re happy to do that, then crack on. If you want the best content and copy for your customers (at an affordable price), then contact us today.
