Six Things Things to Look For When Hiring Your Local Technical Copywriter
February 26th, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized — Marketing Ideas AuthorBased on years of copywriting experience in Gloucestershire, UK, here are six things to look for when you’re hiring your local technical copywriter.
(1) Specific sector experience may be useful (but not always)
Do you require specialised knowledge and experience relating to engineering, technology or the special challenges facing Gloucestershire businesses? Some technology copywriting does require a very specialised writer background (for example, automotive, construction or aerospace experience) and skills. Often, however, the breadth and depth of the copywriter’s business, industry and marketing experience, allied to their personality, learning capacity, and ability to translate product features into engaging customer benefits, counts for more. Whatever your technical copywriter’s background, make sure you feel comfortable with their experience and writing ability.
(2) Can they translate technical features of your business into customer benefits?
Customers in Gloucestershire and elsewhere buy benefits, not features. Over the years working in-house or freelance has revealed how many technical or production people struggle to differentiate between features (what a product does) and benefits (‘why’ what it does is important for customers). Interestingly, many people in the local engineering and technology world will readily admit this and even cite the reason as one of the factors for choosing a freelance tech copywriter. Because copywriters bring objectivity and a fresh perspective, they’re ideally positioned to identify and emphasise hitherto unrealised customer benefits for you.
Any copywriter typically sells their services on the idea of differentiating clients’ businesses, freeing up their time to concentrate on the areas where they can best add value to their business, and giving them the benefits of high quality copywriting when they need it (but without costly overhead when they don’t).
(3) Are they locally based?
Many copywriters make a big deal of working remotely with clients, often at great distance. Sometimes this works (many ‘local’ copywriters periodically work for businesses located hundreds of miles away). But in many technical copywriters’ experience there’s a huge advantage in being able to meet face to face with local clients. To make this viable for a client and their copywriter requires them to be located sufficiently close to each other. Experience in technical selling reveals that ‘people buy people’. It’s the same with copywriting; Gloucestershire technical copywriting clients often cite the convenient local proximity of their copywriter as a hiring factor.
(4) Technical writing experience helps
As well as a broad grounding in business, marketing, PR and copywriting, there’s real value to be had from a local copywriter who’s also worked in a pure technical writing environment. Your technology copywriter doesn’t need to be a career engineer. However, a copywriter who’s also worked in an engineering orientated technical writing environment (for example, the aerospace sector with its strong Gloucestershire connections) is likely to bring with them a valuable affinity with technology subjects.
(5) Will they complement your local team?
From first contact with your prospective technical copywriter, look for signs of enthusiasm, sociability, genuine interest in your work, and the ability to ask intelligent questions about your business. Do they inspire confidence? Will they complement your local team? The first meeting is very revealing. Trust your instincts: if you feel good about a writer it’s generally a good indicator of a long and successful working partnership.
(6) What does their portfolio tell you?
Last but not least, check out the copywriter’s website. Is the content good? Do you see examples of well-written technical work? Can they demonstrate the strong record of working for local Gloucestershire businesses that demonstrates their commitment to the local business community. Projects don’t necessarily have to be for your sector; they should, however, demonstrate broad similarities with the work that you require: clear, engaging benefit-led copy that promotes technical subject matter.
If your local technical copywriter ticks the foregoing ‘boxes’, you should be off to a good start. So get your brief written, sign them up and watch the difference they’ll make to your website, brochures, case studies and other publications at the interface between technical and marketing content.
Al Hidden is a freelance technical copywriter in Gloucestershire, England. His background is in technical sales, marketing management, technical writing, copywriting and PR. He specializes in technical, marketing, PR, website and SEO copywriting and copy-editing for large and small organisations in Gloucestershire and the rest of the UK.
