Entrepreneurs are stretched, exhausted, weary, and…Motivated.
After talking to dozens of entrepreneurs over the last couple of weeks, we’ve concluded that while we navigate a particularly challenging marketing environment, there is more energy to make it happen.
So what are businesses facing? And why is it tying up budgets?
- Digital Saturation. Entrepreneurs are expected to maintain a presence across 7+ platforms including social media, email, website, video, podcast, search, etc. Consumers are sifting through content volume that has blown up more than 300% from what it was in 2020. AI has also leveled the playing field for small businesses, making it more difficult to stand out.
- Rising Acquisition Costs. Meta advertising costs increased 43% year-over-year. Google keyword costs in competitive industries are up 27% since 2023.
- Resource Limitations. Marketing teams are expected to handle more functions than ever before, stretching their time and expertise. 68% of marketing departments report a flat or reduced marketing budget compared to previous years. And there’s a big push for immediate ROI for all marketing investments (even when it’s impossible to do so right away).
- Economic Pressures. Inflation, interest rates, supply chain issues, and tariffs have either reduced purchasing power of existing budgets, tightened overall business spending, or increased pricing without adjusting value – ultimately causing decision makers to stall on moving forward.
- Technology Adoption Costs. Businesses are expected to invest more in marketing automation tools and AI to be more competitive in the marketplace. And not every business uses the same automation tools to do so. This also grows the need to find specialized talent who can also manage the increasingly complex martech stacks.
These challenges make strategic prioritization of marketing activities and budgets more critical than ever – particularly when it comes to high-impact areas like professional copywriting that directly influence conversion rates.
Marketing ROI: What It Means For You
Ever heard (or said yourself) any of the following…?
We’ve been at this for 2 weeks. Shouldn’t we see something by now?
Our competitors seem to get faster results.
Can we accelerate these results somehow?
We expect to see results in 3 months.
We need immediate wins to continue this investment.
As the term “marketing ROI” boosts in our general vernacular, many entrepreneurs feel pressured to demonstrate immediate positive returns – or feel like we’ve failed. And that’s simply not true.
Different marketing functions and efforts have different ROI timelines. You’ll be able to measure your ROI a lot quicker on advertising versus branding, for example.
As you look to understand your marketing ROI, there are several things you need to do:
- Identify the KPIs you need to measure to calculate ROI
- Measure those KPIs consistently (and don’t be afraid to adjust the strategy if something isn’t moving in a favorable direction)
- Analyze which efforts deliver the highest returns and the quickest returns
When you do this, you make decisions more intelligently and strategically. It also forces you to focus on what works for your business rather than evaluating what everyone else is doing (which wastes time and resources if it will never work for your business in the first place).
30-second videos, weekly podcasts, and coffee-themed newsletters (like our own) might work to boost your business. But it also might not. So it’s important to know more about the KPIs you must focus on to make your marketing work for you – not just what seems to work for everyone else.
Why You Should Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
As we look at this concept of stretching your marketing budget, we highly encourage you to prioritize quality over quantity.
If you start with poor quality copy (regardless of how much content you produce), you’ll end up with poor communications and reduced conversion rates. What’s worse? Your business comes off as inconsistent, unclear, or even untrustworthy. In a crowded market, that can be the difference between a lead clicking to buy now versus bouncing without a second thought.
Well-crafted copy will always outperform high-volume, low-quality content. Plus, if it’s well-crafted from the get-go, it becomes so much easier to splinter and repurpose those words.
At FocusCopy, we’ve always prided ourselves in developing highly valuable blogs like this one. We do that because it’s much easier for us to scale our marketing when we start with long-form copy. From there, we’re able to splinter and repurpose every blog into at least:
- 1 newsletter (are you subscribed to our Copy Roast?)
- 2-3 new automated emails
- 1 nurture email for entrepreneurs
- 1 nurture email for agency owners
- 8-10 social media posts (but usually more like 15)
As a result, we engage with leads because they see us on multiple platforms and think of us first when they need copywriting.
But when you do not prioritize producing high quality copy, there are a lot of hidden costs, including:
- Increased revisions
- Brand damage (or even the inability to build a brand worth remembering)
- Lost conversions
- Increased stress
- Frantic decision making (because you aren’t making the sales you need to)
3 Budget-Friendly High-Impact Copywriting Priorities
On a budget? Here are 3 budget-friendly copywriting priorities to explore:
- Website Copy. Invest in your highest-traffic pages (or even the pages you want to be your highest-traffic pages) to optimize for conversion. You can also use this investment to increase traffic, build your brand, and start new relationships.
- Email Marketing. You’ve built your email list, but how do you keep them engaged and nurtured so that they are more likely to buy from you? Well-written email sequences can strengthen relationships, shape thinking, and increase conversions.
- Conversion Copy. Launching a new offer or product? Start with the right copy for your landing page. We’ll then help you transform your landing page copy into a multitude of other marketing assets.
At FocusCopy, we equip you with the know-how to stretch the copy as far as possible – without diminishing its quality or impact.
How To Create Your Strategic Marketing Roadmap
How do you prioritize efficiently?
First, you need to audit your current content assets. Going back to those metrics…What assets are not performing as well as you’d like them to? What assets could be optimized?
Then, identify gaps and opportunities in your marketing. This is usually where leads fall through the cracks or where you should be able to re-acquire existing clients.
Finally, create an ideal timeline for a phased implementation. You do not have to do everything at the same time. And if you need help figuring out these phases, we’d be happy to walk you through that process.
How To Maximize Your Copywriting Investment
In order to maximize your copywriting investment, you need to first find a copywriter or copywriting team that understands your vision, needs, and goals. When you find the right person, it makes everything flow from there. As you work with that copywriter, it’s crucial to:
- Put all your cards on the table (even if you don’t think it’s relevant to the copy)
- Be direct in your communications (tell us exactly what you like or don’t like)
- Trust that we know what we’re doing (but also, don’t be afraid to clarify or ask questions if you want to know why we make a certain decision)
From there, gather all your marketing assets, prepare yourself to dive deep into your brand, and prioritize your time to provide timely feedback.
The FocusCopy difference doesn’t necessarily rely on the writing itself. It’s our process that sets us apart from something you can create using generated copy or copy developed by a department outside of your marketing. Our process probes your business and its pain points. Then it analyzes who you are to ensure a maximum ROI. We don’t simply understand language – we understand how people make decisions. And what motivates them to click, call, or commit.
Ready To Stretch Your Marketing Impact?
Copy that converts isn’t accidental. It’s strategic, deliberate, and crafted with you and your business in mind to resonate with your audience at precisely the right moment.
If looking at your website copy and blogs or previous newsletters and email campaigns leaves you feeling meh, you need a well-rounded copywriting strategy to better achieve your goals.
Ready to put your words to work? Schedule a discovery call with FocusCopy to create a customized copywriting strategy that fits your budget.
