The last time I stopped by, we talked about the importance of hiring a copywriter for your marketing materials. This time, let’s talk about something different—content writers. Content writers are not the same as copywriters. Instead, content writers create authority content that is engaging and informative. They may include a brief call to action in their articles and blog posts although their goal is not to overtly sell like a copywriter but to build your visibility, establish your authority and help potential clients build a trusting relationship with you before you’ve even spoken to them.

Agent vs. Agent

Whether you realize it or not, many of your potential clients are Googling you. That means they are searching your name on the Internet to find out who you are within your industry and the more professionally placed content they find when Googling you, the better.

Consider this, a consumer has the business cards of two different insurance agents. Each agent works with the same insurers, they’re both likable and they both seem to have the same dedication to their career. In order to decide which agent they should take out their insurance policy with, the consumer types in the first agent’s name in Google. In the search results, they see that the agent has a blog, quarterly newsletter and an agency website. The consumer also finds that the agent has several guest blog posts on popular financial blogs, has written several articles for online magazines and has been a featured contributor in an insurance industry trade magazine. When the consumer searches the other agent’s name in Google, all that comes up in the search results is a link to his running time for the last Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5K that he entered; no insurance articles, no blog posts, no newsletter, no guest articles or posts around the Internet, nothing of substance to show what an authority in his field he really is. Which agent do you think the consumer will choose to work with? The one who is has authority content on the web focused on helping consumers, or the one who finished the Thanksgiving 5k in 30 minutes?

What Would You Use a Content Writer For?

Your best use of a content writer will vary based on your goals and target clients, but content writers can be hired to ghost write almost anything including:

• Newsletter articles
• Articles for article marketing
• Trade magazine articles and queries
• Web content
• Agency Web articles
• Glossaries
• Guest blog posts
• Agency blog posts
• Press releases
• Books and e-books
• LinkedIn news articles
• Seminar materials

What to Look for In a Content Writer

Experience and knowledge: Because your content writer is supposed to ghostwrite authoritative content that makes you look like the most knowledgeable professional in your field you should hire a content writer with significant insurance writing experience. You don’t want content that ends up being nothing more than a rehash of a basic Wikipedia article and you want someone who has your back and can consider all the angles and questions a reader might have.
Versatility: You should look for someone who is willing to invest the time necessary to read your existing material or talk to you over the phone to capture your voice so that the content has that You spark. Your clients should be able to anticipate what it will be like to talk to you by the content your writer creates.
Samples: This one is tricky. There are a lot of really good ghostwriters out there with few samples,after all, they are ghostwriters. But your potential writers should have at least a few samples to show you with different writing styles so you can get an idea of their range.
Compliance understanding: Because of the professional liability involved in putting things in writing, you should hire a content writer who has an understanding of compliance issues and knows what should, and should not, be written or implied.
Tiered services: Your content writer can work in many ways. He or she can simply be a writer providing you with content or they can act as an extension of you, finding blogs to host your guest posts, uploading articles for article marketing and handling all aspects of your own agency’s newsletter or blog for you.  Look for a content writer that offers a range of services so that all your needs can be met without you having to search for additional support.

Yolander Prinzel (www.YolanderPrinzel.com) is a financial writer as well as a series 7, 66 and 2-15 licensed representative. During her decade of financial industry experience she has been an insurance agency director of marketing and director of operations, a life insurance underwriter, and a trading service specialist for Raymond James Financial Services. She was a featured speaker at the 2006 Hartford National Sales Conference and the 2006 Brookstreet Securities Annual Conference.

Disclaimer:

This article is for informational purposely only. There is no legal advice being suggested or proffered and the author assumes no responsibility or liability for the actions take or not taken by the readers based upon such information.

Thank you,

Ryan H.

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