As the Internet continues to evolve, marketing strategies have had to advance along with it.
While producing and placing advertisements still has its place in an overall marketing plan, content strategies have grown to become a significantly important piece of the marketing puzzle.
Recent statistics published by Demand Metric say 90 percent of organizations use content in their marketing efforts. Additionally, 78 percent of CMOs believe custom content is key to the future of marketing.
This is a significant percentage, but while many firms integrate content marketing into their plans, decision makers often find they do not have the time or resources to fully flesh out and commit to content production. But not doing so can lead to lower web traffic, disinterested readers and penalties from search engines.
When internal time and/or resources are limited, many companies look for help with their content strategies. Demand Metric also reports that 62 percent of companies are outsourcing content marketing, and there are many benefits to taking this approach.
Affordable costs
Hiring a third party can be more cost effective than setting up an internal content production team. Companies that keep content development in-house have to spend precious marketing dollars on payroll and employee benefits. Recent statistics suggest B2Bs waste approximately $958 million per year “in inefficient and ineffective content marketing.” These inefficiencies include missing deadlines, redundant content creation and the time spent coordinating staff.
Enjoy consistent and timely content
Hiring a third party to produce all or part of a content strategy ensures that firms can keep content flowing. When creating content in-house, you need either to hire a new dedicated person or to ask existing employees to juggle writing and publishing content with their other daily responsibilities.
As a result, if a staff member is out or those designated to oversee content management get overwhelmed with other tasks, deadlines may be missed or quality can suffer. This does not even take into account the support needed to promote and track the results after content has been published.
With an expert managed services provider, there will always be a pool of experienced and dedicated writers. If one writer becomes unavailable, another writer can pick right up and ensure client content remains timely. It is true outsourcing content does mean not having total control but, by finding a trustworthy content provider, any fears can be alleviated. Quality content will always be delivered — and on time.
Share a variety of content with readers
Writer’s block is a problem many experience from time to time. When in-house resources are lean, this could mean the ideas may dry up and/or new ideas not generated. Firms want and need content to stay fresh and interesting.
If a firm does not want to completely outsource all of its content needs, it can take the hybrid approach by picking and choosing what it prefers to keep in-house. Hiring a third party to assist with content can fulfill total or partial needs (i.e., handle social media or white papers in-house but have a third party provider manage blog posts, press releases and informational articles).
With a third party handling some or all of a company’s content needs, a variety of perspectives can be integrated into a content strategy. Firms can have one dedicated writer they choose or they can go with a blend of writers. Some may be expert bloggers, others may be specialized in eBooks or other longer informational posts. With a content provider, the variety of content pieces and ideas will be abundant. Fresh eyes can bring new energy and insights to content.
Use another company’s technology
Technology is a big expense and many companies are not equipped to have all the pieces in place to produce content. A managed services provider already has a streamlined platform in place and can seamlessly start with topic generation and end with completed product.
Making the decision to outsource content needs is not one many firms take lightly. When exploring this option, considerations to think about include:
• Identify content needs. Can the provider handle these requirements?
• Seek a provider that possesses the right expertise and can demonstrate a proven track record.
• Work out budgets, get quotes and make the comparison vs. in-house.
Inc.com points out that of all marketing tasks, content marketing is one of the easiest to outsource. Many firms outsource some of their processes and it makes sense to hold onto core competencies. With content, agencies can outline what the client needs and a managed services provider will ensure it is done.
If you have a content marketing program, or are planning one, download our ebook: 100 mistakes businesses make when starting, optimizing and scaling content marketing programs. Learn from the mistakes of hundreds of other companies. 100 mistakes walks you through common and uncommon challenges that they faced with their content marketing programs.
