For many small business owners, giving up complete control of the day-to-day operation of the business can often be a difficult, if not stressful, decision to make. This can be felt particularly acutely when it comes to giving up control of your marketing, which has a close connection to the personality of your business and how it appears to your customers.
Although it can be a difficult decision to make, knowing when to outsource and, more importantly, how to do it properly can often be a critical step in running and growing your business.
This is particularly true in the case of content marketing, which can often be a lengthy, highly technical process. Although you might be put off the idea due to the added costs, outsourcing your writing and digital marketing functions can often save you money in the long run.
In this short article, we will set out some of the main justifications for outsourcing your content creation work, as well as providing you with some quick tips on how to do it properly.
Letting go of control: why should I outsource?
There are numerous reasons why you should outsource certain aspects of your digital marketing and content creation strategy beyond simply business efficacy. With that said, here are five sound reasons why you should seek out help with your content creation:
- Focus on other aspects of your business: One of the most compelling reasons why you should outsource your writing and content creation work is because it will free you up to focus on other aspects of the business. Writing and creating content can often be a time-consuming process that involves a lot of trial and error to get things right. If you involve your aspect of the business, you run the risk of decreasing the time you have to spend on, for example, business development, customer care, or improving internal business processes.
- Ready-to-go content: The great thing about outsourcing your writing is that the content you receive will be pretty much ready to publish as soon as you receive it. Provided that you give them a decent brief that sets out everything you want and need, the content you receive back will only need a quick review before being published. This means that you can avoid the arduous editing and proofreading processes you would otherwise have to go through.
- Talent and expertise: An obvious benefit of outsourcing is the expertise and talent it gives you access to. Generally speaking, the writer you outsource to will be a better, more articulate, and more creative writer than you – after all, that’s the very reason they are a professional writer to begin with! So, unless you have the required writing skills, it is best to leave this work to the professionals!
- Content flexibility: Another great benefit of outsourcing is that the writer will be able to turn your ideas into a variety of content types. So, regardless of whether you want an in-depth, long-form article or a quick and easy blog post, the writer will be able to shape your ideas into the appropriate form.
- Knowing how the digital marketing space works: Digital marketing is a technical, ever-changing space. For this reason, it is important to have an individual who has dedicated their professional life to keeping on top of these changes. Outsourcing allows you to benefit from this expertise, without having to expend the time it would take to acquire it. Unless you also happen to have accreditations in this area, it is advisable to engage a qualified professional who knows how to navigate this space.
Tips for finding the best writers
Now that you are fully convinced of the necessity of outsourcing some of your content creation processes, this is a good point at which to discuss some tips on how to make this process more effective and efficient.
With that said, keep in mind the following tips when choosing a writer to outsource to:
- Read samples: An important part of choosing the right writer to work with is reading their work. While this might seem like a time-consuming task – which it definitely is – it is also one of the most important steps you will take. Be sure to choose a writer who can write in the kind of voice and tone that matches your brand. Writing and the writer’s voice are highly individualised, with no two writers expressing things in exactly the same way. For this reason, it is important to get a sense of what kind of ‘voice’ your writer has before signing any agreements.
- Choose someone you can work with: Even though you will not be doing the actual writing, creating marketing content is inevitably a collaborative process that will require you to work together and to provide feedback on what they have produced so far. Given that it is a collaborative process, it is important to outsource to someone you can actually work with. It is a good sign when the writer you have chosen wants to have in-depth conversations not just about the work, but also about your business as a whole. Having good rapport will make the collaborative aspects of the work much easier to undertake.
- Look for skills other than subject expertise: While subject matter expertise is always desirable, this should not be the only thing you look for in a writer. Writers will be able to do their own research and get a grounding in your business or field over time. As such, looking for creative skills in addition to subject matter expertise will ensure that your content reads well and avoids being too technical.
Making the decision to outsource your digital and content marketing work can often be a difficult decision to make. Despite this, as we can see above, the benefits are clear. Not only will it save you time, but it will also help you to publish better content that more effectively engages your customers. For this reason, if you think that outsourcing is the right decision for your business, feel free to reach out to one of our content creation experts today. Our talented team of writers are experts at turning ideas into words – so book a one-on-one consultation and get started today!
