Content writers are the pillars of every business.

With the rapid changes in this digital era, it is crucial to stay relevant in the competitive market by embracing all changes, whether big or small, as they contribute to the success of your business. Being complacent and old-fashioned has no room in the business world. Businesses often struggle as their marketing strategies are not aligned with the new changes or business trends. Some have great products or services but lack online visibility. While it is not entirely negative to depend on “word of mouth”, it also does not hurt to accept the changes, as they are inevitable.

With the evolution of digital marketing, content writing is one powerful tool that many businesses use in order for their brand to stand out. Today, there are great pieces of content available on the internet. This leads businesses to invest in content writers who understand the needs and wants of consumers and can increase their brand visibility and awareness and therefore sales. 

Content writers have their own specialization that can scale up your business. No matter what industry your business belongs to, there are competent content writers who have honed their skills to fit your business needs. Below are some of the most popular content writers most businesses hire:

1. Social Media Writer

The variety of content uploaded to social media every second brings excitement and engagement. With all the noise that the content and users create, your content, despite its great value, may take months or years before it gains the limelight. That is if your business is not active on social media. Having an account for each social media platform for uploading content but neglecting engagement will only make your core audience frustrated. This is where social media writers come into play. 

Social media writers serve as the spokesperson for your brand. Every day, they put effort into creating impressive content that arouses interactions. Despite the rapid changes in algorithms with social platforms, social media writers are able to understand the formula of each platform that increases followers’ engagement. Through writing in a personal and upbeat voice, the content they produce as well as your business’ social media sites are able to rise above the social media chaos and result in an increase in brand visibility and awareness.

When your business needs a strong voice, a unique personality and growth in your fanbase, social media writers are your go-to. They can help you with interactive content that creates excitement from followers which encourages active engagement such as commenting and sharing. Some of these are:

• Quizzes are short yet engaging where followers can receive a personalized result after answering a few questions. This is also a great way to collect users’ information for future marketing purposes.
• Polls are a cost-effective way to uncover audience preferences. Polls have two types – radio buttons question type (users select one text-based answer from a list of choices) and image select question type (users choose a single image among several possible answers). 
• Blogs that contain compelling content and captions that sell when shared on social media will entice followers to read. These build trust and create loyalty that helps your business generate leads.
• News/Trends are posts about the latest trend or innovation that is related to your business and is relevant to your audience. It may also include posts about events or sponsorship activities your business is going to attend. 
• Personal photographs humanize your brand. By sharing photographs of your employees and your office, it gives your audience an idea of what your culture is and allows your audience to feel a part of your brand.
• User-generated types of content are followers or users’ own content that can be shared across all platforms. The social media writer may encourage users to send in images that the writer can share on different platforms with a stunning copy. Posting user-generated content will make senders feel pleased with themselves and they will most likely spread the news to others. 

2. Scriptwriter 

Scriptwriters or screenwriters understand the specific needs of your business; thus, they are able to develop scripts for videos to be produced. They work closely with video editors, animators, camera operators, and actors who are responsible for creating top-quality marketing videos that convert. 

Screenwriters play a vital role in your business as the text they create for your videos enable viewers to have a clearer understanding of what they are watching which leads them to better retain the message of the video. Further, the deaf community can also watch the video with text where usually they are unable to understand marketing videos.

Screenwriters have a wide range of expertise to create text for different marketing videos to engage with your core audience. Here are the common types of videos where their skills are needed:

• Explainer videos are short-form videos that businesses use to convey their products or services to their target audience. They address pain points, provide solutions by explaining how products or services can resolve customer problems, and provides the benefits of using your products or services.
• Podcasts are digital audio files that consumers can download or listen to online. They are a powerful marketing tool that increases traffic generation and an alternative for videos if your business does not have time to create one.
• Motion graphics are brief types of videos that are informative and tell a story. Whenever you see a video that has text and colorful graphics, then it probably is a motion graphic. They are used by marketers to capture and maintain the interest of viewers. 

3. Technical writer

Technical writers have the ability to simplify a complex idea so that readers, regardless of their background, will be able to understand the technical information. For example, a simple article about the functions and features of a product or service, allows consumers to fully understand the product or service and eventually have an improved user experience. Content, in its simplified form, helps consumers in their buying decisions. The simpler the explanation, the easier consumers decide whether to hit the purchase button or not. 

With the skills that technical writers have, they are also responsible for writing reports, executive summary statements, system manuals, end-user manuals, training manuals, and other information that requires technical knowledge. Most of them work in engineering, aerospace, biotech, information technology, financial, and energy industries, as such they write about:

• End-user documentation which refers to product manuals, user help guides, assembly guidelines, and technical books that are written in simple terms for every consumer to understand the proper way of operating a product.
• Case studies refer to a report that contains details of how a business becomes successful through your product or service.
• Proposals are created after discovering what a client’s main problem is. They are sales documents that outline the solution to the client’s concern.

4. Long-form content writer

Long-form content normally contains 1,200 or more words and it helps businesses get direct traffic and brand searches. As one would expect, long-form content is “meatier” as they contain more details about a certain topic; thus, readers are able to gain more knowledge that they can use in their decision making. 

If your business goals include increased user-engagement, higher time spent on the website and a higher ranking in search engines, then hiring a long-form content writer is what your business needs. Long-form content writers are well-trained; hence, they are capable of producing content that your audience is searching for. Hiring a long-form content writer yields a massive result in the long run. When your core audience reads your article and believes it brings value, their trust and loyalty to your business will increase. Additionally, satisfied readers will surely be eager to share your content with others which brings in new clients. 

To have a better idea of what long-form content writers do, here is some of the content that they produce:

• Case studies
• eBooks
• White papers
• Pillar blog posts are well-written content that serves as your foundation when trying to gain the trust and loyalty of your consumers. They include audio or videos that support your claims. As pillar posts are longer and contain in-depth details of what your prospects and clients need, it is sure to provide long-term ROI. 

5. Ghostwriter

A ghostwriter is a qualified writer who is willing to write content that is credited to another person. This can be extremely beneficial when a company or professional is trying to improve its legitimacy but do not have the time to create their own content.

Ghostwriters are experts who can write in different styles and tones depending on what message they need to convey to the audience. They understand the importance of producing resourceful content, which the audience can relate to, and influences their buying decision; hence, they ensure that the content they produce is of high quality and speaks to the core audience. The main thing you need is to orient them with the topics they should write about for your website. They also need to gain familiarity with you and the subjects relevant to your business or profession. 

Hiring ghostwriters also offer a great opportunity for your content to be found among the sea of content as they are armed with SEO knowledge. Another great benefit that comes with ghostwriters is that you have the legal rights to the content. You get the chance to use your name as the writer once the content is uploaded on your website. To find out whether a ghostwriter would fit your business needs, here are some of the content they create:

• Articles contain valuable pieces of information that are focused on one topic. A professional ghostwriter is equipped with the right skills to produce engagement-driving content that fosters a solid relationship with your brand. 
• eBooks are similar to printed books but are converted into digital form to make it easier to consume through an electronic device such as a tablet, computer, or phone. A skilled ghostwriter can produce a quality book that showcases your expertise which guides people in decision-making. Through ebooks, your business can increase website traffic to boost your sales as well as collect email addresses that you can use to send updates and information regarding your products or services. 
• White papers for marketing have three types: backgrounders, which feature the technical aspect of a certain product or service; numbered lists, which contains tips about a particular product or service; and problem white papers, which provide readers with the solution to a business problem. All types are in academic style and aim to provide factual evidence that encourages the audience to engage with your business.
• Website copy is the written content on your website that helps educate and inform readers. Website copy has two types: static, which refers to how-to guides and sales pages; and dynamic which is essentially blog posts.

The Takeaway

Start investing in content writers as text-based content brings value and attracts readers which can convert to customers. 

Before investing in content writers, determine what your business needs. What are your long-term and short-term goals? How do you want newly hired content writers to contribute to the success of your business through the content they are going to deliver?

After analyzing what your key objectives and goals are, select the type of content writer that best fits your business’ needs. 

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