Everything You Need To Know To Hire A Killer Content Creation Team
Content Marketing is the bane of the business world. Though it’s benefits are undeniable, few business owners would say that they actually enjoy the laborious process of brainstorming topics, writing content and distributing it across the web.
Fortunately, there are a plethora of content marketers (like this handsome fella) who not only enjoy creating content, but are also surprisingly good at it. Keep reading to learn how to outsource content marketing and hire a killer content writer.
You Definitely Need Content Marketing
It’s ok. You don’t have to say it. I already know you hate writing content. That’s probably why you’re reading this article in the first place. You likely heard somewhere that you need content marketing for customers to find you in the search engine results page (SERP), which is true.
You need content marketing because Search is the number one driver of traffic to websites across every industry (SEMrush, 2019). I’m not telling you this because I am a content marketer and want your business (which is also true, but neither here nor there).
I’m telling you this because study after study (after study, after study, after study) has proven without a doubt that content marketing is the most effective way to drive traffic to your website. It’s also incredibly time consuming; deceivingly complicated and surprisingly expensive if you do it in house.
Why You Should Outsource Content Marketing
You should outsource content marketing for the same reason you outsource everything else, because there is an expert who can do it better, faster and cheaper. Don’t get insulted. It’s not about who’s the better writer.
There’s a science to content marketing that goes above and beyond turning a phrase. Unlike traditional marketing efforts, content marketing is not just promotional, it’s educational.
Content marketers don’t write ads (though we can and often do). We create blog posts, e-books, videos and any other content asset we can think of to provide answers to the questions that customers type into Google.
The more concise, authoritative and informative your content, the higher it will rank in the SERP and the more likely a customer will be to click on your webpage. That’s why 70 percent of brands and 84 percent of B2B marketers now hire an expert to manage their content creation and distribution. But, if that isn’t enough to convince you to outsource your content marketing, here are 10 reasons that will.
1. Save Time and Resources
The primary reason brands outsource content creation is lack of time, resources and motivation. It’s not rocket science – most professionals would rather practice their craft than write about it. It also takes a lot of time to sit down and crank out content on a regular basis.
Trust me. The process of researching, writing and publishing content is a full-time job in itself, and that’s before you promote it on social media and optimize it for search. You have better things to do then worry about all that. Stick to what you do best and let a content writer make you look better than all the rest.
2. Save Money
Hiring in-house writers is expensive, $7,221 per month on average. That’s why companies who outsource content marketing experience a 61 percent lower cost per lead than those using traditional methods (HubSpot, 2012).
It is simply more cost effective to outsource content writing because it enables you to hire writers on an as-need basis at a fraction of the cost of the same service in house.
3. Introduce New Content Formats
When you outsource content creation, you are tapping into the expertise of various writers who develop different types of content that spans a range of topics, industries and formats.
The best freelance content writers not only specialize in certain industries, they have experience creating specific content formats that are proven to boost audience engagement.
4. Post More Frequently
Effective content marketing comes from frequently posting quality content that is as informative as it is engaging. But creating high-quality content takes time, and there’s a limit to how much one person can write in a day. A professional content writer’s limit is substantially higher than most, but it’s not about throwing words at the page and posting what sticks.
Anybody can write 500 words about a product and post it to their Facebook page, but it’s unlikely to have any impact on your audience or benefit your content marketing strategy in any way.
If you want to publish content more often without sacrificing quality, you have to hire more writers. It’s that simple. Fortunately, it’s also super easy. All you have to do is click here.
5. Improve Flexibility
When you outsource content creation to a freelance writer, you’re choosing the more flexible option, as you can always hire more writers if you need to produce more content. You can always scale back or scale up as seasonality or production demands.
6. Introduce New Talent And Ideas
It’s extremely beneficial to your content marketing strategy and your brand to introduce new talent and ideas with content writers who can express new concepts in a format you may have never considered.
Freelance content writers are also very likely to have worked for several different clients in a variety of industries. That experience is invaluable, as it enables content writers to spot emerging content marketing concepts; forecast trends in your industry and come up with new evergreen content ideas.
7. Hire Industry Experts
Though you’re likely the expert in your industry, you can’t know everything about every facet of a specific subject. Let’s say, for example, that you produce and sell athletic equipment for children and you want to write an in-depth article about the dangers of riding a bike without a helmet.
You could hire a qualified writer with experience in pediatrics and sports medicine to write that article and imbue it with greater authority, than if you had written it yourself. The same goes for any industry or profession.
8. Reach a Wider Audience
Freelance content writers are experts at reaching a wider audience. Many industry spheres intersect, which makes it easy for content writers to expand into new demographics and engage with an audience that you may not have considered.
There are endless ways to make content more appealing to a wider audience. All you have to do is hire a writer who knows how to speak to the people that you want to reach. Get started by clicking here.
How to Outsource Content Marketing (Questions You Should Ask)
By now we’ve determined that you not only need to implement a content marketing strategy, you also need to outsource content creation. Before you can do that, however, you need to answer the following questions, so you don’t end up with a writer who can’t help you in the way that you need.
What are Your Needs and Budget
Before you outsource content marketing to a content writer, you need to determine your needs and your budget. The question is not “what can we do with this budget?” it’s “what are our goals and how much are we willing to spend to achieve them?” If you tell a writer that your budget is a million dollars, they will provide you with a million dollars worth of work.
What Kind of Content do You Want to Create
It’s important to determine the content topics, formats and platforms the writer will work with, as well as expected word counts and the specifics of how you would like your content to be written. Will you be providing the research or will they need to conduct topic research themselves?
All of these details and more should be hashed out before you outsource to a content writer. It also saves time and effort, as any competent content writer is going to ask you those things anyway.
What Role Will a Content Writer Play in Your Content Creation Process
Will they content writer be expected to work with your company systems or should they be prepared to function on their own. You can also plug in their services when needed or add them as a fully integrated member of your team, if you prefer.
At What Volume and Frequency do You Want Content Delivered
Expected content volume and frequency are very important facets of the outsourced content marketing process, as it determines how much content will be created and how fast it will be delivered.
What is Your Brand Voice (Do You Have Style Guidelines)
Regardless of your industry, you need to determine your brand voice and convey your style guidelines to the writer or everything they write will sound off or, at worst, offend the audience you’re trying to win over.
Professional Blog Content Writing Services
There are thousands of content agencies out there and thousands more freelance content writers, but only a handful that are writing for your business. When looking for a professional content writer to implement your content strategy, be sure to ask yourself “what makes this writer different from the next?”
If the answer is “price”, move on to a writer that values the quality of what they write, over the quantity of the words on the page. Contact me today for a consultation and discover the difference quality content can make for your business.