High-quality content is a top-ranking factor for Google. And it’s fair to say there’s no brand at the top of its industry that doesn’t have exceptional content.
The best ones — every single one — regularly publish a trove of helpful, entertaining, unique content that helps their target audiences solve their problems and live better lives.
But you already know content marketing works because here you are. The question isn’t whether to do it, but rather, how do you find the writing talent you need? Should you outsource your content creation? Are there content outsourcing services to help manage the process? What IS the process?
Help is here. Learn the benefits of outsourcing content development and which types of content to outsource.
Why should you outsource content creation?
The case for outsourcing is excellent. Take a look:
1. It’s less expensive than hiring an in-house writer
This one is a no-brainer. With all things equal, it will always be more affordable to outsource your content creation than hiring a staff writer. Promise.
The median annual salary for writers in May 2021 was $69,510, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course, this doesn’t take into consideration the costs of:
- The candidate search, onboarding, and training
- Benefits — in 2020, the average annual employer contribution for one worker’s health insurance was $15,574, Zippia reports
- Taxes on their wages, worker’s compensation insurance, and Social Security contributions
There are additional considerations, too. Hiring someone who is a good fit for your company culture is important, no matter the role. And, of course, your hire could decide to move on at any point, and you have to start the process all over again. It’s less expensive to outsource.
2. It’s faster and more efficient
When you outsource content, you can produce content at scale. You can hire more writers as you need them and pull back when it’s light. It frees up your time and that of your colleagues, too. How many first-draft deadlines have you missed when you promised to write for the company blog?
By outsourcing your content writing to a steady team of freelancers, you receive consistent, high-quality content created by people who aren’t trying to squeeze it in with 100 other marketing duties. This steady flow of reliable content is the cornerstone of all content marketing campaigns.
3. You get more SEO bang
When you keep content creation in-house, you’re at the mercy of the SEO skills of whoever got tapped to write for the company blog. If your writer isn’t going to perform keyword research or doesn’t know how to optimize copy for search and user experience, there’s little point to posting it at all.
Of course, you could hire someone to edit and optimize it, do it yourself, or see if anyone else has time to do it. Or you could just hire an experienced SEO content writer in the first place.
4. You can hire subject matter experts for different topics
Outsourcing content is great when you need a variety of SMEs. One in-house writer likely won’t have deep knowledge of a number of topics, but you can readily find a niche writer when working with a managed content services provider. Freelancers can fill knowledge gaps and help your in-house team.
When shouldn’t you outsource your content?
There are times when a freelancer is not your best bet. Keep content creation in-house when:
- You’re dealing with sensitive information. This might be information related to your competitive advantage or the personal identifiable information of your customers. If it requires access to this information, keep it in-house.
- You want more in-house employees. There’s a certain camaraderie and loyalty among full-time employees that contributes to the greater company culture and ultimately, success. If you’re in growth mode and it makes good business sense, you may wish to develop in-house writing talent.
Which types of content should you outsource?
1. Blog posts
Businesses that blog have 126% higher lead growth than those that don’t, HubSpot reports. And, fortunately, blog posts are the perfect content type to outsource to freelancers. Ideally, you develop a relationship with a few solid writers who can supply you with a steady stream of content. Don’t forget to give them a comprehensive content brief that outlines your needs.
2. Infographics
Infographics are the fourth most-used type of content, according to HubSpot. They are also excellent choices to outsource, especially if you lack strong creative and design skills on staff (or that person is too busy).
3. Social media posts
Seventy-two percent of American adults use at least one social network, according to Pew Research Center. Managing a brand’s presence across social media is an important job that should be done by a skilled professional, not a one-off task to whoever drew the short straw. This is a good task to outsource to a freelancer with social media management experience.
4. Product descriptions
Writing any kind of microcopy is a special talent — add a star if your writer can do it with sass or personality (if that’s on-brand, of course). This is another category where you don’t want someone with no SEO writing experience at the helm.
5. Email lead nurtures
Almost nine in 10 brands disseminate content via email, Content Marketing Institute reports, making email the most popular content distribution channel. Writing emails that inspire users to click is another specialized task that can be outsourced.
6. Video
Eighty-four percent of consumers have made a purchase after watching a brand video, Wyzowl reports. Lower-tech, quickie social media content can be created by anyone with the capability to go live, but for packaged, lasting video content, get it to a professional freelancer for creation.
Ready to ramp up content production?
High-quality content naturally helps you drive brand awareness, increase site traffic, and earn backlinks and social shares. If content production is something you need to improve, talk to us — we can put together a team of freelance writers and manage the process to get you fantastic content that gets results. Read some of our success stories.
