Web Writers

In part one of my interview with Dan Finney, President and CEO of BoxCrush, we discussed the benefits of having professionally written web content.  But, it’s one thing to say it’s nice to have professional content development, and it’s quite another to sell it to your clients. Almost all the developers I have spoken to over the past few years appreciate professionally written content, but many have no idea how to go about pitching it to their clients.  I asked Dan how he does it.

Ellen Olivetti:  Dan, many developers don’t seem to be able to pitch content development to their clients. Can you tell us some of the ways you enter a discussion about content with your clients?

Dan Finney: I bring up content development at the very first meeting with any client.  Whenever a client brings up the timeline, I say, “A typical website project for us is 30-60 days.  Usually the ones that get into 90, 120 days or longer are ones where the client is responsible for producing the content because that takes so much time.”

As soon as they ask me how long it is going to take to create the website, that is when I first press back and say that the timeline depends on whether or not you hire a company like WebWriters.

EO:  So, right from the get-go, you are planting the seed that they should at least consider professionally written content?

DF: Yes, and once I mention that the overall timeline for the website development will be much shorter if they hire a professional writer, I follow that up with another important benefit.  I explain that a company like WebWriters doesn’t just sit down and plunk out the copy.  They shepherd the client through the content creation and the organization of content. This is very important because sometimes they have all the information but they have no idea how to organize the content.  I explain how WebWriters works: they come in and interview you about your business; they develop an outline for the content of the site; they research any information that is lacking; and then they write and edit the content.  The entire process is handled smoothly.  And once I start talking about it like that—that it is a process where the writer is really organizing the structure of the site and what content goes where, that is when they start to see the value.

EO:  What do you tell them, if anything, about the way a writer gathers information?

DF: I tell them another value in hiring professional writers is fact checking and research.  It’s been my experience that, if a client specializes in a certain manufacturing process or product, for example, they might say, “We sell x,y,z, metal.”  When I ask them what is so great about x,y,z metal, they say, “It’s really strong.”  That information is correct, but it is certainly not enough to fill a web page.  WebWriters researches the topic, adds content to flesh out the subject matter, and includes technical specs about the product or manufacturing process.  Professional writers can take sketchy information and do their own due diligence to find out more about the product, how it applies to the specific client, and write a website that is informative, interesting and competitive.

EO: One of the objections I’m sure you hear is that an “outsider” could not possibly write about their company or their specific industry.  How do you deal with that objection?

DF: Well, first of all I tell them about the breadth of clients we have worked on together.  I have seen WebWriters write about rare earth metals, tungsten, medical technologies, baseball swings, sweaters, plastic injection molding—the list goes on and on. That’s the skill you bring to the table—to be able to understand, assimilate and write about subject matter you knew nothing about before.

One way I drive that point home is by telling the story of the time you and I went to a manufacturing client to discuss the first draft of website copy.  The sales manager noted that he liked the copy but, he said, “We don’t do this particular process you talk about on this page.”  You told him that you had interviewed the engineer and that they did do this process.  He picked up the phone right then and there, called the engineer and was amazed to find out that the plant did indeed handle this process, that a whole line was devoted to it.  He made an appointment with the engineer to go see the process in action.  And, needless to say, he was duly impressed with WebWriters’ thoroughness in doing the needed research.  When I tell stories like that one, clients’ objections seem to fade quickly.

EO: We do try to being out all the products and services a client offers.  But we also try to weed out extraneous information so the website isn’t bogged down with detail.  Do you find that to be a selling point at all?

DF:  Yes, clients know their company but they have no idea how to organize that information for a website.  They are often too close to the subject matter, and so they think every fact—every nut and bolt—is important.  I explain to them that one of the benefits of using a professional writer who is also an expert in marketing is that the website will include all the information it should and none of the information it shouldn’t.

EO:  Despite your best efforts, we all know that many clients do not opt for professionally written content.  What do you say to the client who is steadfast in his desire to produce his own content?

DF: That is when I mention that, even if he is going to write his own content, I strongly urge every client to take advantage of a professional writer’s expertise to proof and edit their website copy.  A professional writer will make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors, that all the copy is written in the same verb tense and in the same voice, that the tone of every page is unified, and that the treatment of copy (length of pages, type of content, structure of content) is consistent throughout.  A good editor can take website copy that has been written by several people and give it a cohesive voice so that it sounds like it was written by one person.  Having your content professionally edited and proofed is worth every penny—it ensures that you are presenting a professional image to potential customers.

Find out in our next blog whether or not you should put a writer on staff or hire a contract firm, like WebWriters.  Part 3 to come …