Would you ask your mail carrier to cut your hair? Think your tax accountant would do a good job detailing your car? Then why are you leaving the writing of your sales pitches to your account manager? Why are you expecting your office manager to oversee your social media channels?
Creative skills are specialized for a reason. The people that go into these careers bring to the table ways of thinking your other team members don’t. Whether or not you believe it, your company – every company – needs access to the following creative professionals.
“Remember this about what creatives do for a company: they make your teams proud of where they work. Everyone wants to work at a cool-looking company. Creative professionals are the ones who will get you there.”
Copywriting
We’ve said it before. Hire a real copywriter. Lots of team leaders believe copywriting is a skill anyone can do. Everyone writes emails, after all. Don’t mistake the ability to type for the talent to write persuasive copy founded in marketing and brand development principles.
It’s true a copywriter doesn’t come cheap. They shouldn’t. After all, they’re crafting the narrative your prospects are reading. They’re the ones laying the groundwork for revenue. A reputable freelance copywriter will cost somewhere between $50 and $125 per hour (or more). Not a high price once you realize they’re the ones who know how to shine the best light possible on your brand and your teams. Don’t sell short your chances of winning your next pitch by leaving copy to just anyone.
Design
A graphic designer is a major asset to any company. There is a technicality to this skillset. While anyone can use Microsoft Word, certainly not everyone has the knowhow to use Creative Suite. From brand identity work, to changes to your website and yes, sales pitches and presentations, – design talent is a must for any real company with more than two staff members.
And don’t design your logo yourself. A proper brand identity is so much more than simply a drawing you like. A real graphic designer will know the branding principles a logo needs to represent your company the right way. They’ll have opinions about its proportions, colour, and linework. The skills a designer will bring to your company will go far. What you invest in them will pay itself back tenfold.
Social media
If your company is making any sort of go on Instagram or Twitter, you need a professional to oversee your social channels. We used to call this person a community manager; now we say content strategist or social media strategist.
It’s a hybrid sort of role, often successfully filled by a creative unicorn. Typically the person will have good writing skills. They might have some light design experience too. And of course they need to be digital marketers at heart, skilled at converting visitors to followers, and in turn, followers to customers.
And yet this is typically the one role companies leave to the front-desk receptionist to perform, or the intern. (Pay your interns, by the way.) Most companies don’t want to burden themselves with regular social output, which does take time and commitment. But if you’re going to even try here, hire a pro.
Worth its Weight in Gold
Remember this about what creatives do for a company: they make your teams proud of where they work. Everyone wants to work at a cool-looking company. Creative professionals are the ones who will get you there.
Not sure where to start when it comes contracting creatives? Think you don’t have the budget to hire someone full-time? Talk to your favourite agency (ahem). Start small with a per-project freelance agreement. Once you start generating professionally elevated creative work, you’ll never go back.
