Should we employ a Corporate Copywriter or hire a Copywriting Agency (Service)?

Should we employ a Corporate Copywriter or hire a Copywriting Agency (Service)?

The article analyzes and compares the advantages and disadvantages between employing a Copywriter or hiring a Copywriting Agency (Copywriting service company)? Analytical steps help businesses choose the right plan.

Many businesses are often confused by the choice of whether to employe a Copywriter or hire a Copywriting Agency (Copywriting service company). If you are in this situation, this article can help you make the right choice.

Advantages and disadvantages of Corporate Copywriters and Copywriting agencies

Advantages Disadvantages

Corporate Copywiters

  • It is possible to stick with the company for a long time if this person has good qualities, resonates with the good training process and high remuneration from the enterprise. In the long run, the business benefits from employee development and dedication.
  • Thanks to the working position in the corporate environment, Copywriter employees deeply understand the brand, vision, mission, core values of the business, the value of products/services, thereby producing products. Copywriting has content closer to the business.
  • Can concurrently hold some other jobs of the company
  • The company needs to spend time, effort and expense on recruitment & training, insurance.
  • Employees can take a leave of absence if the company offers a salary or remuneration mechanism that is not satisfactory with the workload. The cumbersome process, disorganized environment, and weak training system of the enterprise are also the reasons why employees quit early.

Copywriting Agencies

  • Can provide Copywriting products to any business (large or small) for a specified time, whether long term or short term.
  • Copywriting product quality is stable from the very beginning.
  • Businesses do not need to spend money on recruitment / training because the nature of Copywriting
  • Agency is an organization specializing in Copywriting.
    Costs can be predicted in advance.
  • Because this is a type of service, Copywriting Agency can issue VAT invoices.
  • Businesses are difficult to manage and control because Copywriting Agency is an independent organization, separate from the company. The business depends entirely on the Agency in the working process.
  • Product content Copywriting can hardly delve into the brand value of the business because it is difficult for an outside organization to understand the business as well as the employees working on the spot.
  • In the long run, the cost that the business has to pay may be higher than the option of hiring Copywriter staff.

How to choose between Corporate Copywriter & Copywriting Agency

Obviously, both options have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, to be able to choose the optimal solution, businesses should follow these steps:

Step 1. Identify Why Your Business Needs Copywriting

Make a list of the reasons your business needs copywriting. (Prepare for new product promotion campaign, support for SEO campaign, support for long-term Content Marketing campaign...). Among those reasons, which is the core & most important reason.

Step 2. Estimate the time your business needs to have Copywriting activities

Estimate how much time your business needs to do Copywriting (1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, many years...).

Step 3. Consider budget & business environment

Review the monthly average budget that your business can spend on Copywriting activities? Is the current corporate environment suitable for recruiting new employees (rules, processes, culture, training system...).

Step 4.  Summarize & finalize the plan

Finally, synthesize the information from the above steps to be able to come up with an appropriate plan. Based on the experience that I have had in many businesses, the option is highly likely to be suitable if it accounts for the majority of the criteria according to the table below:

You should choose to empoy a Corporate Copywriter if at least 3 criteria below are met You should choose to hire a Copywriting Agency if at least 3 criteria below are met

- Your business needs Copywriting for long-term activities (overall Marketing campaigns, Content Marketing campaigns, SEO activities).

- Your business needs Copywriting activities for 6 months or more.

- Your business has a stable budget to pay salaries, benefits, and promote employee development. (The average salary of the current Copywriter position can be taken as a reference).

- Your business has a good environment with (culture, professional & lean processes, methodical employee training system)

- Your business only needs Copywriting for short-term purposes (promoting new products, boosting sales during peak season...)

- Your business needs Copywriting activities within the past 6 months.

- Your business has a limited budget, it is difficult to pay salaries and bonuses in the long term.

- Your business has a bad environment (no rules, procedures and staff training system)

Backup plan: Freelance Copywriter

In case the above determination still does not help businesses choose the optimal solution, businesses can still consider a backup plan: Freelance Copywriter.

Freelance Copywriters are freelancers who practice Copywriting, not belonging to any organization. In terms of form, Freelance Copywriter is completely different from Copywriting Agency when one side is an individual, the other is an organization. But in terms of nature, the two have many similarities. Both Freelance Copywiter and Copywriting Agency provide copywriting services for clients and independently (not dependent). With the differences in nature, we can look through the following comparison.

Freelance Copywriter Copywriting Agency

Only accept jobs with a small amount of work due to the limited capacity of an individual.

In case the business cooperates with famous Freelance Copywriters, the work efficiency will be very high because the Copywriting product is handled by that individual.

The cost of hiring Freelance Copywriter is often cheaper than Copywriting Agency.

Businesses can be more proactive in negotiating terms when coming to an agreement with a Freelance Copywriter.

In some cases, the productivity of Freelance Copywriter can fluctuate wildly (for many reasons: health, psychological, emotional...)

Can take on high-volume work based on the size of an organization.

Organizations often use images of famous Copywriters as representatives, while the direct person in charge is more likely to be new employees or interns.

The cost of hiring a Copywriting Agency is usually higher than a Freelance Copywriter.

Businesses are often in a passive position because most Copywriting Agencies have service contract provisions in place.

The productivity of Copywriting Agency is more stable because Copywriting products are made according to the process and industrial model.

It is a good thing that a business has a prior acquaintance with one or more Freelance Copywriters, when both parties know each other well, thereby creating the initial step of trust to come to a quick agreement.

In some cases, many Freelance Copywriters have agreed to become a full-time employee of the business (Corporate copywriter) when they feel like the working environment of the business, as well as realize the development potential of the business. there.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

A corporate copywriter is an in-house writer who works exclusively for a particular company.
A copywriting agency is a company that provides writing services to multiple clients.
Hiring a corporate copywriter can result in better brand consistency, faster turnaround times, and greater understanding of the company's products and services.
Hiring a copywriting agency can provide a wider range of expertise, flexibility in terms of project scope and scale, and potentially lower costs.
Consider factors such as budget, project scope and scale, expertise required, and company culture before making a decision.