By their nature, business people are busy. One minute might involve sifting through the finer-details of operations, and the next might involve accounting, or marketing.

There’s a finite amount of time in the workday, and lets face it, not everyone is a writer. Between website content, blogs, articles, white papers, social media and more, there’s no question that writing has become a crucial skill in marketing your business.

Here’s a quick checklist for when you know you need a copywriter:

• You don’t have the time to keep up with your marketing.
• Potential clients or customers have pointed out problems with your copy.
• Blogging on top of your regular business duties feels like a chore.
• Your own business copy is riddled with grammar and spelling mistakes.
• You are looking for content that is geared toward producing results.

Hiring a copywriter does not have to be expensive. It does not have to be painful. Talk with the writer beforehand, and make sure they understand your project.

You’ll get more from hiring a copywriter than witty prose.

Hiring the right copywriter will help your business generate money. I bolded that sentence for a reason. It’s not an expense, it’s an investment. Successful copy produces results. This can mean many things. It can mean a sale. It can mean someone filling out your contact form. It can mean more money in your pocket.

A lot of times it is easier to farm out your marketing, than hiring a full time employee. A good copywriter will put the same care and effort into learning about your business.

Once the project is complete, they go away until you need them again. When you evaluate your marketing, be honest with yourself. It needs to work as well as be functional.

Matt Brennan is a Chicago-area marketing writer and copy editor. He is also the author of Write Right-Sell Now.