As an established business owner, you probably already have existing marketing content: descriptive web copy, effective sales letters or 4-color brochures with matching pens to mail with your thank you notes and promotional campaigns.
But there may be a few more pieces to add to your marketing puzzle including an article campaign, a press release to distribute news of your latest product launch, or an auto-responder series for your newsletter sign-ups.
Sticker-shock is common among the clients of copywriters and copyeditors.
As word artisans there is a great deal of skill and time involved in creating captivating copy that both meets your expectations and delivers results.
You want true professionals on your team and yet although the expense is an investment in your business, sheer economics may mean the difference between being able to hire them or not.
If you know you need the services of a competent editor, but struggle with the hows of paying for it, you are not alone.
At the risk of singing the very tired "in these economic times...
" song, it is important to find innovative ways to stretch every resource to its max.
This is one insight is the key to maximizing your editing dollars: Hiring an editor for the finishing touches of any marketing piece is the most cost-effective method of securing their services.
Essentially: give your editor a near-finished document.
So, what does this mean?

1. You (or someone competent and knowledgeable of your company and products or services) write the content.
   
2. At least two people with an intimate understanding of your business review the materials to ensure the message: 1) speaks directly to the target market, 2) is easy for anyone within that target market to understand, 3) communicates succinctly and effectively, and 4) flows naturally.
   
3. The document has been reviewed by at least two sets of eyeballs for grammatical, spelling and punctuation accuracy.
   
4. One final review by someone competent who hasn't seen the document before.
   

By the time you complete these four simple steps, your document is near-finished.
Now it's time for an expert editor to step in and work their magic...
at a fraction of the cost of a comprehensive editing job, which may even involve aspects of copywriting depending on the strength of the copy.
As you know, time is money.
When you save your editor time (by doing the labor-intensive action steps of getting content into polished form), you save money.
And yet you are still able to hire them for the best part of what they do so skillfully: to ensure your message is clear, direct and effective before it is mass-distributed.
Here are a few additional tips for maximizing the expertise of a seasoned editor:

1. Establish a budget based on a real-world assessment of your circumstances and give this figure to your editor.
   Ask what s/he can do for that amount.
   You'd be surprised at how much can be accomplished in a mere hour.
   Let your editor tell you what's possible based on their knowledge, not your assumption.
   
2. Ask about terms.
   You never know how flexible your editor might be unless you ask! As a consumer, there has never been a better time to negotiate all aspects of delegating work to other entrepreneurs.
   However, let fairness for all parties be your approach.
   What diminishes one, diminishes all, no matter how screaming the deal for the one.
   
3. Be creative! Black-and-white approaches to life are not only limiting, they're a pure bore! Make the art of delegating and negotiation fun.
   You'd be amazed to discover the multitude of ways to collaborate with other fabulous entrepreneurs by stepping out of the proverbial box to dance on the top of that box.
   It starts with the willingness to be creative and explore ALL the possibilities.
   If you want to work with someone, find a way to make it happen with ongoing, open dialogue until you reach an agreement that leaves everyone smiling.
   

As the old adage goes, where there's a will, there's a way.
Will yourself to enjoy the services of true pros.
Not only can it work into your budget, but it makes a colossal difference in the quality of your marketing copy, which is your representation in the world.
And you want it to be the most effectual imprint possible.