Any business needs to communicate effectively with its intended target audience - whether that's through more traditional communication channels such as letters, direct mail and brochures, or through online channels such as websites and social media.

You know your business best, and who your customers are so surely you must be the best person to do the writing? Actually that's not always the case. Knowing what you want to say isn't the same as understanding what your customers, or potential customers, want to hear. Sometimes you need ‘fresh eyes’ to see what’s important to your customers and to help you sell the features, not the benefits.

You may only have a few seconds to grab someone's attention in an advert, exhibition graphic or Tweet so it’s common sense to make your message as clear and succinct as possible.

A copywriter can help cut through the ‘blood, sweat and tears’ behind what you do to extract the key message, add a clear call to action and drive traffic to your website, retail space or call centre.

With online communications, incorporating keywords to appeal to search engines is another skill. All too often, keywords are shoehorned into website copy when they can – and ideally should – be woven carefully into the copy in a natural way.

And don't forget it’s also about creating the right impression of you as a business or service provider. Giving you a ‘tone of voice’ that your customers can recognise and want to do business with – one that runs throughout the business and becomes the ‘voice’ of your brand.

Finally there’s the question of time. Is it really best use of your time to be writing copy for your latest newsletter or sales brochure when there’s a business to run? A good copywriter can make words work harder and in today’s time-starved climate, that’s a handy skill to have on your side.

Lisa Christmas has over 22 years’ communications agency and copywriting experience. She has been providing freelance copywriting services since 2012, including social media management. You can contact Lisa via thebestofFleet if you need help creating an engaging or compelling message for your audience.