When & Why You Should Outsource Content Marketing

You’ve probably faced the same dilemma that many senior marketing leaders face eventually. When should I outsource my content marketing efforts (if I should at all)?  Even though you might have a general understanding of how to do content marketing, you have a lean team and only so many hours of the day. Something has to give and get entrusted to an external partner. Should it be your content? Here are some content marketing tips to help you figure out why - and when - it might make sense to make this mo

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Allocation of Time

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The primary reason to work with content marketing service providers is because you simply don’t have time to do it yourself. It might just be you running all of your marketing initiatives, or maybe you have one or two folks to help you. Either way, nobody doing your internal marketing has extra time on their hands.

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And here’s the problem with content. Many companies see it as something they can create in-house “for free” because it’s just writing… right? Eh, not really. In order to execute content marketing campaigns effectively, you need to be able to dedicate time to creating it. That means coming up with compelling topics, researching them, identifying keywords, crafting the content pieces themselves and coming up with a plan for sharing them. If a marketing team tries to crank out content in the nooks and crannies of their day, it won’t be high quality - and it won’t work. Also, there’s your own time to consider. If you’re managing campaigns and everything else marketing-related, your time is likely much better spent focusing on all of that. Especially if you’re not a writer by trade, which brings us to our next point...

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Value of Expertise

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One of the best content marketing tips we can give you is to work with a professional. The value of an experienced content writer (and content marketer) is worth their costs in spades for a few reasons:

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1. Your communications are a direct representation of your brand. Putting out content that's not professionally written, interesting, or on brand, can damage your reputation.

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2. The content marketing world is nuanced and rapidly changing. Someone whose entire role is dedicated to this area will be able to keep up and advise you on a strategy that will work.

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3. A good content writer will be able to write high-quality content much faster than a non-writer can write low-quality content. You’ll still be getting a much better deal all around, in terms of time, cost, and quality.

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When Should I Start?

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As you can probably tell (since we’re not so subtle), we’re in favor of businesses working with content marketing experts if they plan to produce any volume of content. But the next question is: “When?” There are a few things to ask yourself:

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1. Do you have buyer personas defined? If not, this needs to take place before you start your content initiatives. This way, you can understand your potential customer’s motivations, pain points and topics that matter to them throughout their buying journey.

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2. Do you know what your goals are for content marketing? There should be something you’re hoping to gain by engaging in content marketing, so you can strategize accordingly (and measure success later).

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3. Do you have subject matter experts? Even though the best content is written by professional content writers, it's fueled and informed by leaders in their given field. You’re not outsourcing all of your content when you work with content marketing service providers. You’re agreeing to give them the ideas, and then trust them to execute from there. This way, your content will remain authentic and informed.

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Content marketing is a really valuable tool in your arsenal, as long as it’s brought out at the right time by the right people. Need help with those buyer personas, or setting digital marketing goals? We’re here to help. Just give us a call!