Outsourcing content creation or editing is a way of having an outside party do the work. When you have someone else produce content for your content marketing channels, it is called outsourcing. You would usually hire freelancers, agencies, or use a marketplace.
When Should You Consider Outsourcing Content Creation
Keep Your Focus on the Funnel
This is because it is easier to outsource content creation when there is less pressure to be precise and when the goal is to create large amounts of unique content that is optimized for search engines.
This relates to writing that is at the “top of the funnel” or TOFU level in the marketing funnel scheme. Some companies do not use this marketing technique to generate traffic, but if you use a lot of lower quality content pages to improve your SEO ranking, this is often a good place to start outsourcing.
If you want to keep improving your team’s performance, it’s still a good idea to look for help from outside sources. However, you may have to trade off between finding someone who is good at what they do and someone who is conveniently located. So look for content creators you can rely on.
Monitor In-House Team Work to Detect Overload
It is important to recognize when your team has taken on too much work and can no longer keep up with the demands of your business. If sales rapidly increase or web traffic suddenly becomes high, it can become a problem for further development.
If you notice a decline in the performance of individual pieces of content, or if your return on investment in content is lower than it should be, you may want to consider outsourcing your content creation. An overworked team is usually a poorly-performing team. If you supplement your work with experts, you can work smarter.
Outsource After Creating a Solid Marketing Plan
Having someone else create your content is not enough to be successful. Companies should also have a vision of how third-party content will fit into their overall SEO strategy. This will help them determine what content to add to their site and how it will impact their ranking. If this is not done, then more content may end up duplicating what already exists or not meeting the goals that have been set for the brand.
You should never outsource content before you have detailed plans about how each piece should function. It does more than just keyword research, including brand reputation, site architecture, and how texts connect with existing pages.
This plan also provides content creators with a clear idea of what you want them to do. If you want your work to be polished and refined, you should commission detailed but easy-to-follow briefs and supporting documents.
Top 3 Reasons Why Outsourcing is a Better Idea
Outsourcing is an easier method to go about content creation and marketing because it allows you to delegate tasks to someone else. This way, you can focus on other aspects of your business.
Every company’s content marketing strategy is different, and it can be hard to figure out what works best without doing a lot of research and experimentation. The most important reason to outsource content production and marketing is that it is a win-win situation for any company.
The list of benefits that outsourcing brings to the table includes:
High Quality Content
As a buyer, you should only accept content that is of the highest quality. Most of the time, the people that these companies hire to write are very good at what they do, and have a lot of experience. Companies that have a combination of a professional work ethic and a dedication to writing tend to produce great content regularly.
Delivery on Time
Content agencies that outsource are usually more strict about delivery times than in-house or freelance writers. This is because companies that are professional deliver quality content to their clients. If the client’s needs always come first, then it follows that the content must be delivered on time to meet those needs.
A Wide Range of Expertise
When you stand too close to the trees, it is hard to see the forest. This is especially true for businesses that have a content department that is solely dedicated to one subject. An external agency can help you see your business from a different perspective. An in-house department can have a very limited view compared to what a professional writer can bring to the table in terms of expertise and experience.
Increases Content Publishing Frequency
Outsourcing your content marketing means that you can publish more content more often without having to hire a new writer. Marketplaces like greatcontent have a lot of freelance writers, so they can easily do what you need.
You can get specialized help from agencies or third parties when you outsource, which can improve your business. Do you want to publish more content more often? Outsourcing is the best solution if you want to avoid sacrificing quality or hiring another writer.
Build Relationships with Your Audience
Content marketers should aim to create a bond between their company and its consumers. The best way to advertise is through content marketing. This is where companies provide customers with helpful and useful information instead of directly promoting their product. When you invest in content marketing, you are indicating that you are interested in helping your customers solve their problems.
Most customers today won’t buy anything until they have done a thorough online investigation. You should create awareness about your product using various content types, for example: blogs, infographics, white papers, etc.
How to Know When to Outsource SEO
Not All Businesses Are Equipped to Master SEO
The main reason to outsource SEO is that most companies lack the expertise to create digital content that will reach their target customers.
This is because SEO is complex. Achieving high search ranks is about more than keywords. As Google’s algorithms shift and new technologies like voice search become more popular, the route to success in SEO changes constantly. To stay updated with those changes requires dedication and knowledge – two qualities that typical businesses can’t ensure.
If your writing style isn’t on par with the professionals, focus on your own strengths instead.
Outsourcing SEO content production can help ensure that content meets the necessary skills and quality standards. Writing well comes naturally to many marketers. But the vast majority of organizations have relatively few people who can write well. Most companies have only a few people who can write well. But writing that satisfies SEO requirements? That’s a different story.
If you’ve had difficulty promoting your corporate blog or your landing pages have been unsuccessful, you’ll understand the importance of writing that is appealing to both human readers and search engine crawlers. The only solution is to find an outsourcing agency that can provide a balance between these two areas.
Outsourcing SEO Can Lead to Cost Savings
You’ll need to pay for SEO marketing even if you don’t outsource SEO. That’s unavoidable in today’s marketplace. In-house marketing is not always less expensive than outsourcing. If internal teams are not efficient and properly trained, they may make mistakes that could cause duplicated work and sub-optimal outcomes. And that will dent your bottom line.
Outsourcingto a third-party can ensure that even large batches of work (like product description databases) are processed with high skill and for a low cost. Although you may have to sacrifice a bit of control, the financial savings will be significant.
Outsourcing your SEO can be a more efficient
Speed is another benefit associated with outsourced SEO. This is mainly due to differences in skill levels. A team of 20 professional writers and SEO analysts working together can usually get through bulk content orders faster than internal marketers. This is because all of their focus can be devoted to the task at hand.
External agencies and marketplaces can provide employees with more flexible working practices than those who are salaried. It allows content to be created quickly whenever it is needed. And in a dynamic, ever-changing marketing environment. That is a huge advantage.
Reasons You Should Invest in Outsourced Content
Simply put, outsourced content is better. It does what in-house content would do, but it does it much better and on a much larger scale. The content that is outsourced is generally of a higher quality because it is created by professionals who are experts in the field. Outsourced content is usually better than in-house content because it is well researched and directed at a target audience.
Teetering on the edge of doing it or not?
Content agencies spend a lot of time learning how to reach and engage different demographics so they can cater to any company that wants their services. Outsourced content usually results in a number of benefits to a business such as:
Wider Reach
Content agencies can help you create a content marketing plan that covers all aspects of content creation and distribution. An agency can estalish a rapport with a company’s target demographic by understanding what is known about the company and engaging the reader in a way that allows them to spread the message.
Expert Opinions in Clear Language
Communication can be a major problem for some companies. To ensure that their message is received by the public, it must be communicated in a clear and concise manner to avoid misinterpretation. It can be helpful to break down complex jargon into simpler terms, or to completely re-imagine an analogy. Content agencies are skilled at clearly communicating messages to users in a way that is easily understood.
It can be tedious for managers in medium to large companies to constantly have to check up on a department to ensure that it’s doing what it’s supposed to do. An agency’s dedicated content team can work independently and doesn’t need much supervision. This allows you to have more time to dedicate to other tasks.
Cost Effective
The primary concern for a business is always profitability. Hiring someone to produce content for you can save you money both immediately and in the future. Creating a separate department for content is something that major corporations have the budget to do. Small and medium-sized businesses typically do not have the financial resources required to maintain a dedicated content creation department and still be profitable. The most straightforward solution is to hire a company that specializes in this type of content, thus absolving yourself of the need to maintain a full-time content creation department.
Outsourced content is developed to match or complement your company’s ideas for their content. Content agencies have authors who write about a variety of topics, so they can find a writer who is competent and can create high quality content for a client. The best content agencies hire writers who can prove their knowledge of writing in general, so that all content will be of the highest quality.
What Are the Challenges of Outsourced Content Production?
Difficulty Finding Suitable Writers
Outsourcing content can be difficult because it can be hard to find writers who have the right skills and knowledge. When it comes to finding writers, it is difficult to find those with industry-specific knowledge or hands-on experience. Outsourcing your content marketing to another team can result in high-quality content; however, the content may be disconnected from your company as they haven’t worked extensively in your industry. If businesses don’t have quality control, it becomes an issue because then it’s difficult for employees to understand all aspects of the business.
Too Much Communication and Explanations for External Writers
More and more organizations are looking to outside writers to help them create content. However, this can often be challenging for the organization, as the organization should provide clear instructions and explanations to the writer. It can be time-consuming and frustrating for both parties.
Brands should:
- Provide clear briefs
- State their writing goals
- Explain who is their target audience
- Low Content Quality
Businesses expect high-quality results from content writing agencies, but the results can be disappointing. The main reason for poor quality content is usually a lack of communication between the company and its outsourced content providers, or else the pressure to produce a large volume of content for multiple clients.
When businesses outsource content writing services to an agency, they should expect that some editing will probably be necessary. The reason why most agencies have a team of writers is because not all writers are equally skilled in editing. Additionally, your project may be assigned to new writers who are just starting out. If you didn’t hire an editor from the outside, read over the content carefully before you put it on the website.
Lack of Consistent Writing Style
When you hire someone to write content for you, they may not be familiar with your brand’s voice or style guide. This can cause problems with the consistency of your content and how well it flows together. It is not surprising that it is difficult to maintain a consistent tone when there are various voices and different opinions involved in the production stages.
Missed Deadlines
If your content partner doesn’t deliver quality work or meet deadlines, it can reflect poorly on your company. Freelancers are working for other clients in the same way that agencies do. Content marketplaces offer an opportunity to connect with writers and offer them exclusive terms for their services.
