Copywriting Samples from the start of 2014, by Lora O'Brien, our lead writer. If your freelance project type is not featured here, please just ask!

Marketing Land studies show that 25% of US companies currently hire a copywriter to write professional content, but all trends suggest this number is on the rise. Content Marketing is where it's at.

And who has time to run a professional blog for their own business these days? Do you?!

• Who is your ideal customer? 
  
• What do they want to read? 
  
• What problems do they need you to solve? 
  

Answering these questions is the ESSENTIAL first step to any content marketing for your business. Any successful content marketing strategy, at least.

Seriously folks, you won't get quality content - marketing focused writing that will make a real difference to your business profits - for €5 or even €10 per post. Or from a writer who's native language isn't the same as yours. 

Effective, game changing, quality business development copywriting costs money. It comes from your marketing budget, the same as the print or radio adverts you run in traditional media. 

The good news is it usually costs less than your traditional media ad campaigns, and is much more effective. People switch off from ads - if you run 10 adverts, you're lucky these days if your brand name sinks in by the 9th or 10th repetition. 

When you run a Professional Blog, people are ACTIVELY LOOKING for your content to help them solve their problems, and are grateful to your brand name for doing that, rather than irritated by the intrusion on their media enjoyment.

Here is a guide to Typical Professional Copywriting Fees by Project, and here's another article on How Much Does Professional Web Content Writing Cost. For quality blogging, expect to pay from €50 per piece for short, regular blogs - right up to €1,500 for SEO article full length in-depth blog posts. 

If it was quick or easy to achieve, why aren't you doing it yourself? If it didn't work well, why would Coca-Cola or Apple be moving in this direction with their marketing?

Your Professional Blogger knows how to write, but doesn't necessarily know you or your business at first. Taking a little time to communicate regularly (if it's a medium to long term arrangement) will pay dividends. 

Providing in full any relevant materials your copywriter requests is very important. Being available to chat or brainstorm, or ensuring your employees are, is essential for your copywriter to learn your business brand 'voice', and remain true to your business goals and ethics.

You're looking for correct use of industry specific terms, or any similar mistakes. Unless the posts are truly badly written (it's a good idea to check with a trusted friend or colleague, if you think this is the case), there is no need for you to re-write or edit.

Trust that your copywriter knows what she is doing, even if you don't understand why things are a certain way, or even why they are necessary on the blog. She is an experienced professional and this is why you hired her. DON'T NIT-PICK!

Whether your copywriter will be writing for you long term, or simply establishing a pattern for your regular employees to take up at a later stage, be sure there is a regular schedule for your blog, and STICK TO IT.

Take your copywriter's advice on frequency, length, and timing. She has done this before and knows what's best for blog scheduling. Do not deviate from it once it is established, or you will lose your following - and the business profits you are building towards will not come to fruition.

A big part of the usefulness of Content Marketing is tied up in customer/audience engagement - building relationships and trust for your brand.

You will want to be certain that somebody is directly responsible for answering comments and checking feedback on your blog, keeping an eye on post traffic, and reporting regularly on what's working and what's not for your audience or industry.

This is not a standard part of the copywriting contract, so if you want your professional blogger to take care of this, it will have to be negotiated and paid for separately.

If you feel confident doing it yourself though, or delegating to a staff member, the data collected will be useful to provide to your copywriter on an on-going basis, to ensure she stays in touch with your developing business needs.

Unless you have negotiated (and paid for) public relations and social media management as part of her contract, it is your job, not your blogger's, to promote your blog through all available channels. 

• Encourage people to read or subscribe to your blog with contests and free gifts.
  
• Spread Blog Posts through your Social Media channels, eg Facebook & Twitter.
  
• Tell your customers about your blog in any way you can - in your premises, at point-of-sale, email signatures, printed on receipts and invoices, etc.
  
• Make sure your staff are all doing the same thing!

The more enthusiastically you spread the word about your fabulous new blog, the more value you get for your clever content marketing  investment.