16 Nov 2010
So you’re having a house built. It’s a superb design. A grand design in fact. The builders are dedicated and conscientious and they’re on site on time every day. The materials are superb, the craftsmanship is second-to-none and the whole build is going well.
There are some great features including a spa bath, massive walk-in wardrobes, and a huge kitchen that’s perfect for entertaining. It’s got a home cinema and a gym; under floor heating; motion-sensitive lighting; and a garage that takes four cars.
In short, this is your dream home. And when it’s finished you’re going to be the envy of your friends and neighbours.
And then your builder asks what roof tiles you’d like.
“So, what’s it to be? Clay tiles, slate tiles or reclaimed tiles?”
“Oh don’t worry about the roof. I’ll be doing that myself.”
“Errr…are you an experienced roofer then?” Enquires your builder.
“Nope. But seriously, how difficult can it be? I’m going to get a book off Amazon and teach myself. I was always good with my hands at school. And I just want to save a bit of money.”
And so you do the roof tiling yourself. And it looks rubbish. There are cracks and leaks. And soon water is seeping through the holes and down the walls. The carpets are ruined, the electrics are busted and your house is a mess.
You’re not the envy of your neighbours. You’re a laughing stock. And to think – your new house could have been fantastic.
So when it comes to building a new website, why would you pay a designer and developer a substantial amount of money to make your site look great and work well and then ruin it all by writing your own copy? Or worse, getting Rachel the receptionist to “have a go at it” because “she’s good with words”. (And that’s a true story.)
Now, I’m not saying you couldn’t teach yourself to be a copywriter. But why would you? In much the same way you wouldn’t teach yourself to be a chef, when a function at the office needs catering. Nor would you run out and buy Car Maintenance for Dummies when your company car breaks down.
Think of copywriting the same way. Don’t try it yourself at home. If you’re in the process of having a new website you’ll need a developer and designer to build it and make it look nice. And you’ll need a copywriter to put the roof tiles on.
Need copy? Get in touch.
Lorraine
Posted at 14:12h, 16 NovemberCan you hear me cheering from my side of the pond?
Great post.
Today we see “content marketing” increasingly replace “push” advertising. This switch–to content leveraged across multimedia–requires enormous amounts of strong, well-crafted copy. As you note, many marketers wouldn’t dream of designing, coding or formatting their website or print materials.
But somehow they have no qualms about creating their own copy–or outsourcing it cheaply.
The leaky roof analogy is PERFECT.
Lorraine
Posted at 14:12h, 16 NovemberCan you hear me cheering from my side of the pond?
Great post.
Today we see “content marketing” increasingly replace “push” advertising. This switch–to content leveraged across multimedia–requires enormous amounts of strong, well-crafted copy. As you note, many marketers wouldn’t dream of designing, coding or formatting their website or print materials.
But somehow they have no qualms about creating their own copy–or outsourcing it cheaply.
The leaky roof analogy is PERFECT.