October is Women’s Small Business Month, a time to celebrate and empower women entrepreneurs who are making a mark across industries. As a small business owner, you’re likely juggling multiple hats—CEO, accountant, marketer, customer service lead, and everything in between. However, marketing, particularly copywriting, is one area where you shouldn’t spread yourself too thin.
Marketing content is the voice of your business. It’s how you connect with your customers, build trust, and inspire action. Yet many small business owners try to tackle it themselves, often with mixed results. Worse, with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for content generation, some may think they can bypass hiring a professional copywriter altogether. While AI tools are impressive, they cannot replace the human element and the deep understanding a copywriter brings to the table.
Here’s why hiring a professional copywriter could be the best decision you make for your business this month.
Make Time for Business Priorities
As a small business owner, your time is precious. Writing your own marketing content can be time-consuming and mentally draining, particularly if writing isn’t your expertise. By outsourcing this task, you can focus on growing your business and leave the content creation to an expert.
Writing is a Specialized Skill
Copywriting is about crafting messages that resonate with your target audience, convert browsers into buyers, and align with your brand’s voice. Professional copywriters are trained to use storytelling, psychology, and marketing principles to create compelling narratives that sell.
Why Artificial Intelligence (AI) Isn’t the Answer
In recent years, AI tools like ChatGPT and other content generators have become popular for creating content quickly and affordably. While AI can be a helpful assistant, it doesn’t replace the need for a skilled human copywriter. Here’s why:
AI Doesn’t Know Your Brand
AI lacks the intimate understanding of your business, values and unique selling points. A great copywriter will immerse themselves in your brand, learning your vision, voice and goals to create personalized content that truly represents you. AI-generated content, on the other hand, tends to be more generic and less aligned with your specific brand identity.
AI Prompt Engineering is Complicated
AI is only as good as the questions (prompts) you ask it. Crafting those prompts to produce high-quality content requires an understanding of prompt engineering. A professional copywriter knows how to use AI effectively, inputting specific instructions to enhance the creative process rather than relying solely on automated outputs.
AI Lacks Emotional Intelligence
One of the most important elements of marketing is emotional connection. Storytelling, tone, and empathy are key to creating content that resonates with your audience on a human level. While AI is good at generating data-driven responses, it struggles to capture the emotional nuances that turn words into compelling stories.
How to Choose the Right Copywriter for Your Business
Check Their Experience
A good copywriter will have experience in your industry or, at the very least, a strong background in digital and content marketing. Look for someone who understands your market, your audience and the challenges unique to your business sector. Their expertise should extend beyond writing; they should also understand how their work fits into your overall marketing strategy. Learn more about my experience here.
Review Writing Samples
A professional copywriter should be able to provide writing samples that demonstrate their ability to craft engaging, clear and persuasive content. As you review these samples, consider whether the writing resonates with you, aligns with your brand and uses a tone that could speak to your audience. Review my writing samples here.
Assess Their Storytelling Ability
Great copywriting tells a story. Whether it’s a product description, blog post or sales email, a skilled copywriter will weave in elements of storytelling to create a narrative that captures your audience’s attention. This storytelling ability sets the best copywriters apart from the average ones. Look for samples where they’ve turned complex ideas into easy-to-understand, engaging content. Learn about my storytelling coaching.
Hiring a professional copywriter is an investment in your business’s future. By leaving the content creation to an expert, you can focus on what you do best—running your company.