5 Things I Wish I'd Known When I Started
Ever since I can remember, it has always been my dream to become a writer. I knew I wanted to be a writer with a purpose, but I was unsure how to make that dream a reality. My lack of experience as a professional writer made becoming a freelance copywriter seem out of reach at first.
Although I was hesitant, I finally built up the courage to dip my toes into the proverbial waters. Surprisingly, the initial experience was warm and inviting, and I quickly gained self-confidence and began to acquire real-world experience as a writer with a purpose.
Here I will share with you five things I wish I had known when I first started on my journey as a freelance copywriter. I hope it will inspire others to find the courage to take that first leap.
Networking Isn't Only For Established Professionals
For an introvert like myself, the idea of networking is intimidating, and it can feel like being the new kid at school all over again. The good news is that it isn't all that bad once you decide to put yourself out there.
Fortunately, social media platforms help facilitate the seemingly painful process. For me, LinkedIn has been indispensable for establishing contacts within the world of copywriting and developing my portfolio.
Social media platforms geared towards professional development can help you discover other writers in your particular field of interest - giving you access to mentorship to help you along your journey and find your niche as a copywriter.
Be Aware of Imposter Syndrome - Don't Let It Hold You Back
What exactly is imposter syndrome? I was unfamiliar with the term until recently. Imposter syndrome is experiencing perpetual self-doubt despite personal qualifications such as education, work experience, or other accomplishments and can lead to an unhealthy degree of perfectionism.
While you should never stop striving for self-improvement, the idea of perfection can also be detrimental to your creativity. From my personal experience, imposter syndrome is real, and anyone can fall victim. Being aware of the warning signs can help you avoid this harmful thought process. Don't be afraid to celebrate your achievements and demonstrate your talents!
Copywriting Isn't Only About Marketing Trends
To be honest, I first thought copywriting was a rigid field that revolved around trends in marketing to boost profits by creating generic content based solely on numerical data. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised to find out otherwise.
I discovered that I could combine my copywriting skills with my desire to serve a greater purpose by creating socially-conscious and purpose-driven content. As a freelance copywriter, you can select to work with clients and companies aligned with your values, allowing you to make a tangible difference by reaching your desired target audiences. My work at Seven Oaks Consulting has proven to be an excellent outlet for crafting genuine content that allows me to combine the art of marketing with my passion for writing with a purpose.
Don't Be Afraid to Explore Different Markets
Copywriting can range from developing easily understood technical manuals to compelling content that inspires a particular call to action. Some popular markets include small business development, health & wellness, travel & leisure, and the financial sector, to name only a few. Finding your true passion is key to being a successful and effective copywriter, no matter your chosen niche. Copywriting is a creative art form, and having a genuine passion for your work will make a tremendous difference in your quality of writing and your ability to connect with your readers. The world of copywriting is vast and exciting, so don't be afraid to explore and try new things!
Copywriting Isn't as Competitive as You May Think
While a certain level of competition is healthy and can push you to improve yourself, no one wants to work in a cut-throat environment. I feared that the world of copywriting would be overly competitive and that you had to know the right people to be successful, particularly in a specialized niche.
Based on my recent experience, the professional writing community is welcoming and supportive. Once I started to practice my networking skills, I quickly established my presence as a novice yet ambitious copywriter who was eager to gain real-world experience. Finding a mentor was instrumental in developing my "voice" as a writer and building my self-confidence.
For me, the world of copywriting has opened doors that I didn't even know existed. Although this realization can seem overwhelming at first, it can be empowering as well. As a freelance copywriter, you have the power to evoke strong emotion in your readers and inspire real-world action in your community.
Content Marketing Benefits: Why It Works for B2B Companies
Content Marketing Benefits: Why It Works for B2B Companies
Content marketing has been around for decades, but its impact has never been more significant than it is today. Buyers expect useful, trustworthy information before they ever speak to a salesperson, and companies that consistently publish high‑quality content are the ones earning visibility, leads, and long‑term customer loyalty.
If you’ve wondered whether content marketing is worth the investment, the answer is yes. But the real value comes from understanding why it works and how it supports your business at every stage of growth.
Below are 13 benefits of content marketing, rewritten with clarity, depth, and a focus on practical business outcomes.
1. Content Marketing Improves SEO and Attracts Qualified Traffic
Search engines reward websites that publish helpful, relevant content. When your articles answer real questions and match search intent, your pages earn higher rankings and attract visitors who are actively looking for what you offer.
Not all traffic is equal. A strong content strategy helps you attract qualified visitors—people who are more likely to convert because your content directly addresses their needs. This is the foundation of sustainable, long‑term organic growth.
2. Content Marketing Generates High‑Quality Leads
Content marketing works because it gives before it asks. Instead of pushing a sales message, you provide information that helps prospects make informed decisions.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing generates significantly more leads than traditional outbound methods. When prospects trust your expertise, they are more willing to reach out, subscribe, or request a consultation. This creates a steady pipeline of warm, high‑intent leads.
3. High‑Quality Content Builds Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E‑E‑A‑T)
Google’s search quality guidelines emphasize the importance of Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trust. Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate all four.
When you publish content that reflects your knowledge, experience, and understanding of customer challenges, you signal to both search engines and readers that your business is credible. Over time, this positions your brand as a trusted resource in your industry.
4. Content Marketing Increases Brand Awareness and Visibility
Consistently publishing helpful content keeps your business visible. When your articles appear in search results, social feeds, and industry conversations, your brand stays top‑of‑mind.
This visibility compounds over time. A single high‑ranking article can put your business in front of thousands of potential customers every month, building awareness without additional advertising spend.
5. Content Helps Move Buyers Through the Customer Journey
Every buyer goes through stages: awareness, consideration, decision, and advocacy. Content supports each step.
• Educational content helps buyers recognize their challenges
• Comparison or solution‑focused content helps them evaluate options
• Case studies and testimonials support decision‑making
• Post‑purchase content strengthens loyalty
When your content aligns with the buyer’s journey, prospects move from awareness to purchase more quickly and confidently.
6. Content Produces Long‑Term, Compounding Results
Unlike paid advertising, which stops working the moment you stop spending, content marketing continues to generate traffic and leads long after publication.
Evergreen content—such as how‑to guides, glossaries, and case studies—can rank for years with periodic updates. This compounding effect makes content one of the most cost‑efficient marketing channels available.
7. Content Marketing Showcases Your Brand Personality
Content gives your business a human voice. It communicates your values, your perspective, and the way you approach customer challenges.
When your content reflects a consistent brand personality, readers feel more connected to your business. This connection builds trust and encourages long‑term loyalty.
8. Content Opens More Communication Channels
Publishing content across multiple platforms—your website, email, social media, and more—creates additional touchpoints for customers to engage with you.
When people rely on your content as a trusted resource, they are more likely to reach out with questions, subscribe to your updates, or contact you directly. This strengthens your relationship with your audience and increases opportunities for conversion.
9. High‑Quality Content Increases Engagement and Time on Site
Engaging, well‑structured content keeps visitors on your website longer. This improves dwell time, reduces bounce rates, and signals to search engines that your content is valuable.
Topic clusters, internal linking, and related‑content recommendations encourage visitors to explore multiple pages, deepening their understanding of your expertise.
10. Content Marketing Is Cost‑Effective
Content marketing costs less than traditional advertising and delivers significantly higher long‑term ROI. Once published, your content continues to attract traffic and leads without ongoing spend.
According to industry research, content marketing costs 62 percent less than outbound marketing and generates more than three times as many leads. While there is an upfront investment, the long‑term payoff is substantial.
11. Content Works for Any Industry or Business Model
Whether you’re a B2B consultancy, a SaaS company, a nonprofit, or a local service provider, content marketing can be tailored to your audience and goals.
If content marketing hasn’t worked for a business in the past, it’s usually because the strategy wasn’t aligned with the audience, the content wasn’t high‑quality, or the execution was inconsistent. With the right strategy, content works across industries.
12. Content Fuels Social Media and PR Efforts
Content is the foundation of effective social media and public relations. Every article, case study, or guide becomes material you can repurpose into posts, newsletters, pitches, and interviews.
Statista reports that billions of people use social media worldwide, and that number continues to grow. High‑quality content gives you something valuable to share, helping you reach new audiences and strengthen your brand presence.
13. Content Marketing Is Less Invasive Than Traditional Advertising
Consumers increasingly avoid intrusive ads. Many use ad blockers or simply ignore promotional messages.
Content marketing offers an alternative. Instead of interrupting people, you attract them by providing value. This builds goodwill and positions your business as a helpful partner rather than a pushy salesperson.
Why Content Marketing Matters
Search engines prioritize high‑quality content because users want high‑quality content. When you consistently publish valuable, trustworthy information, you earn better rankings, more traffic, and more opportunities to convert readers into customers.
Content also strengthens every other marketing channel—email, social media, PR, and even paid advertising. It is the foundation of a modern, effective marketing strategy.
Is Content Marketing Worth It?
Yes. Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to build visibility, trust, and long‑term growth. The key is to start with a strategy aligned with your business goals and to consistently produce high‑quality, helpful content.
Strengthen your content. Strengthen your business. If you’re ready to build a content marketing program that actually supports sales, improves brand trust, and drives long‑term results, Seven Oaks Consulting can help. We specialize in strategic, high‑quality B2B content that reflects your expertise and speaks directly to your customers’ needs.
Contact Seven Oaks Consulting to start building a smarter content marketing strategy.
About the Author
Jeanne Grunert is an award-winning marketer and writer. She’s the founder of Seven Oaks Consulting, and a fractional CMO, senior content strategist, and RFP consultant with over 20 years of experience. She holds an M.S. in Direct and Interactive Marketing from New York University and helps fast-growing education, technology, and business services companies grow through her work as a marketing leader.
Long Form Content Ranks Better
A new report from QuickSprout underscores what many content marketers have known all along: longer copy ranks better with Google's search engines.
The report, available from the QuickSprout website, provides details on the company's study of page length, ranking and conversion. Among their findings:
- The average page length for content that ranks among the top 10 search results Google is at least 2,000 words.
- The better a site ranks, the more content it has.
- Overall, Google's search engine algorithm prefers content rich sites.
Why should longer content help with search engine rank? Longer content keeps people on your website for greater lengths of time than shorter content. If I can see at a glance what you're trying to say, I might click away quickly, resulting in low time on page and high bounce rates. But if your content requires me to focus on what you are saying, draws me into the page, provides insights or useful information, and keeps me reading, I'll stay on your site longer.
Longer website content also tends to get more inbound links. These inbound links are strong signals to Google's search engine algorithm that a web page has merit.
Lastly, social media users tend to favor longer content, even if they're not aware they're doing it. By studying sharing patterns on Facebook and Twitter, QuickSprout determined that a post with 1,500 words or more received 68 percent more tweets and 22 percent more Facebook likes than a post under 1,500 words.
Are You Ready for Long Form Content?
Long form content for content marketing programs takes skills and finesse. You can't just keep blabbing away and stuffing keywords and expect to get the same results as a thoughtful, in-depth and insightful long form article.
As a long form specialist, my freelance writing services include extensive research. I have a gift for finding excellent original research from well-regarded and reputable sources to support the theme of your article. My writing is also creative, engaging, and insightful, which will make your content highly shareable, too.
If you're interested in receiving an estimate on your long form content projects, please contact me.
Irony: This post is under 500 words.
But you now what? Sometimes you only need a few words to say what you want. Sometimes, short copy is appropriate. Know when to use long form or shorter copy in your content marketing programs is what I do best.
B2B Content Marketing for Customer Acquisition
I generally think of marketing in three phases: acquisition, retention and loyalty-building. Content marketers tend to focus on the tail end of that three-phrase cycle, loyalty building. B2B content marketing is ideal for building brand loyalty. Magazines, long-form content, case studies and similar content marketing strategies are often used to great effect by B2B marketers to boost loyalty. However, B2B content marketing for customer acquisition can be equally as effective if it’s done well.
Why Are Customers Looking for Your Products or Services?
All good marketing programs, including content marketing programs, begin by answering the question, “What do my customers want or need?”
People shop for products and services based upon needs. Those needs may be physical needs; you need milk for your cereal, so you go to the store to buy it. Needs may also be psychological. I made an appointment with my favorite hair salon a few weeks ago, and the first words out of my mouth to my stylist were, “Blonde me.” I needed a psychological “lift” for the new year, and my naturally ashy blond hair had turned dark brunette over the past year. An hour or two at the salon and I left with lighter hair and a lighter spirit. In that case, my needs were psychological.
Before crafting your content marketing programs, know what your customers want or need. Conduct surveys, listen to their comments on social media, visit with them, hang out with them, but do understand what they need. That understanding flows into the first segment of a three-step acquisition program.
Good B2B Content Marketing Begins with Education
Once you understand what your customers want or need, you can begin to think of how your products and services might fill that need. But don’t rush right into an advertising campaign disguised as content marketing. Instead, educate them first on how your products or services solve that need.
How do you educate customers via B2B content marketing? You have many choices:
- Educational content: This type of content tends to revolve around industry facts. Statistics, facts, data, product information are all forms of educational content marketing.
- How-to articles: Teach your customers how to tackle simple tasks that solve their problems and win their attention and loyalty. How to choose an accountant, how to tackle a computer-based task, how to do something smarter, better or faster are all great how to article types for B2B content marketing.
- Advice: I like using personal advice from an authority or expert to educate customers. This works best when your brand is already well-known or you have a strong ‘voice’ in the industry. I’ve used this successfully with manufacturing clients and those who have a very unique, specialized area of expertise. Customers are hungry for advice from a true ‘expert’ in their industry, especially industries where products are more prosaic and functional.
B2B Content Marketing as an Acquisition Funnel
All steps along your B2B content marketing program should act like a sales funnel, gently leading and guiding prospects to make that final decision to call, contact, or complete a sales action. Once you educate prospects, it’s time to introduce solution-focused content. Such content takes the educational information shared in step 1 and introduces your firm as a solution for whatever problem led them to your content in the first place. By helping, advising and guiding instead of hard-selling them on your product or service, you can share useful, actionable information without clubbing them over the head (figuratively, of course) emotionally with hyperbole charged rhetoric. Instead, you’re selling to professionals in a manner that appeals to them as business people.
Jeanne Grunert is the president of Seven Oaks Consulting, a content marketing writing and services firm based in Virginia. She hopes you found this article educational and informative.
Improve Your Business Blog for More Sales
One of the hallmarks of my unique "strong sales through gentle marketing" program is the use of writing, especially blogging, to help businesses promote their products and services. Does blogging work? Yes, it can -- but like any marketing activity, you must be prepared to invest time and effort into your blog. If you don't want to (or cannot) invest time and effort, then be prepared to invest money in someone who CAN invest time and effort for you. It's a trade-off. If you can write, and you can devote a half hour to an hour per day to content marketing, then blogging may make sense for you.
Blogging is more than just spewing out your ideas and information online. A good blog engages readers and retains their loyalty in the future. A good blog is search engine optimized; it attracts the popular search engines, who like the original posts they find on the blog, archive and index them, and provide them to online searchers. A good blog has personality and style. It is original. It speaks from the heart, person to person, and shares information not easily obtained elsewhere.
Sounds like a tall order, doesn't it? Fortunately, there are alternatives to creating a blog entirely from scratch.
- Hire a freelancer: You can hire a freelance writer to create you blog posts for you. Be prepared to search for a good writer and pay him or her a fair rate. Rates for good bloggers start at $25 and go up from there per blog posts. Where can you find bloggers? Craigslist, Guru.com, Elance.com are three places that immediately come to mind. Be sure to include the topic of your blog and your expectations in your advertisement. The topic is important. You want a writer who has experience in your area, and who is eager to contribute. A fashion blogger may e ill at ease writing financial advisement tips, and a legal blogger unsuited for home and garden topics. Ask for their resume, three writing samples, and see if you like any writer who applies.
- Work with a third party site: Post your request to a corporate site such as Writer Access: Writer Access allows companies to post writing work for hire on their site. Writers apply with their ideas and you hire, through the Writer Access site ,the best writer for the job. The catch? They take a cut out of the fee, so you have to pay a little bit more in order to attract a good writer. But it may save you time and effort screening applications and some good writers can be found there.
- Buy rights: You can purchase already written content through Constant-Content.com. Writers (including myself) write and post articles with a price tag. When you buy the article, you purchase certain rights, depending on the level you buy. Read the contract carefully. You can also find writers for hire through their site.
- Work with a company: Marketing agencies provide writers who can craft excellent blog copy. They also have on staff researchers, SEO experts and others who can help you get your content out there. They are probably the most expensive option among these four, but if you are working with an agency you like, why not ask about blogging services?
Some pundits claim that blogging is dead, but I don't believe that for an instant. A good blog, one that engages, entertains and informs, offers readers another venue to obtain useful information. If blogging is part of your marketing plan this year, try boosting your blog's quality through one of these resources.