How Freelance Writers Can Boost Your Content Marketing Efforts
Your content is going to speak for your business, brand value, and team's professionalism. So, you have no other option than to establish a digital presence that excites the audience.
Zapier, a SaaS company, earned over 600k users by including freelance writers to meet their content goals. If their marketers are smart enough to use the skills of people across the region to their benefit, you should too.
Besides, why indulge in the tedious endeavor of hiring, sustaining, accommodating, and in-house staff training, especially in this age of remote work?
What Writing Services Do Freelancers Provide?
Freelancers can make it easy to meet your content marketing goals by addressing your ongoing content needs like:
- Blog posts or articles: Today's consumer base is content-oriented, be it visual or verbal. Therefore, companies seek freelance writers for blog posts and articles to keep their websites active and rank higher on search engine result pages.
- Social media snippets: Writing catchy posts is not for Google ranking only; it is a crucial element of any company's social media campaign. Freelancers can help you create intriguing snippets to earn maximum engagements from ideal prospects on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- On-page SEO: No matter how amazing your content is, it will be incomplete without on-page SEO. A ghostwriter will help you write H2 tags, meta titles, and snippets like meta descriptions to rank better on Google's result pages.
- Pay-per-click advertisements: A Google ad or other paid ad expert can intelligently curate ads to pique viewers' interest. Where it is necessary to have a pay-per-click manager to evaluate and optimize your ad campaigns, a writer who knows how to use keywords in ads to drive more clicks is equally important.
- Conversion rate optimization (CRO): Companies looking to improve conversions and click-through rate (CTR) seek CRO copywriters to write compelling posts for people. Hiring a freelance writer for this task costs only a fraction of an in-house CRO copywriter.
Freelancers are the professionals that work for you just like an average in-house writer, but on a contractual basis remotely. Think of them as your secret weapon because you would not have to spend a fortune to accommodate or train them. Instead, you can invest that resource in other areas that need consideration.
5 Reasons Why Outsourcing Your Content Is a Wise Choice for Your Business
Having an in-house content team can be costly for businesses in the initial phases of development, which is why they prefer outsourced services. However, this is not the only good part about working with freelancers; there is a lot more to it.
You Can Avail Just the Right Expertise and Skills
Mere words on a page do not make sense; you need a specific skillset for specific requirements, which are easier to find when outsourcing.
Fishing for freelance writers gives you the margin of hiring the right expertise and skill for the type of content you require. For instance, if you need to cater to your social media needs, you will contact someone with expertise in designing social media posts.
On the contrary, while hiring in-house staff, it is nearly impossible to land a writer skilled in writing all forms of content. You will definitely need to hire one to meet each content goal.
Consistency Across the Content Is Guaranteed
When businesses do not have enough resources to invest in branding and content simultaneously, their digital presence is at risk. Today, having a professional and strong digital existence is not even open to debate.
In such circumstances, it is a wise choice to outsource your content to relevant professionals. At least, your team should have one person to address each domain of your content marketing.
Having one individual for each area will ensure consistency in that specific domain. For instance, if the same person writes blog posts for you, your website will have a consistent tone and look professional. Your audience will start recognizing the tone of your content and develop a rapport with you.
Achieving More Goals Within Less Time Is Possible
Outsourcing your content to a freelancer is an efficient way to scale your marketing goal in less time.
Several marketers struggle with their content goals because research, production, and optimization of content take time. Then, there is a tedious phase of editing and proofreading what your writers have produced. In addition, devising a strategy under a tight budget is also a limitation for many.
Time is a precious commodity that ghostwriters can help you save so that you can focus on doing what you do good. Consequently, you will be able to keep up with the cut-throat competition in the market and outrun your competitors by driving more engagements.
Ensures Content With Fresh Perspective
Yes, consistency is great, but most in-house content writers get caught in the vicious cycle of monotony across the content. If worst comes to worst, the posts start looking forced and promotional and become unreadable.
Consumers crave quality, and rightly so, as there are innumerable websites loaded with content.
Availing of freelance writing services can help you gain an objective look at your content, enabling you to post content that actually excites the audience. As they are not in-house marketers and can be one of your target customers, they can evaluate your content from the reader's perspective.
Freelancers Have Knowledge of the Outdated
There is a high chance that most of the content that appeared on your search engine result page or social media newsfeed was from the keyboard of a ghostwriter.
Most website owners prefer these individuals because they are up-to-date about modern practices and new trends in SEO. They have enough skills to impress search engine algorithms and attract ideal leads for your business at the same time.
Another reason why they are a perfect choice for your business is that they deliver quick, responsive, and tailored content specific to your needs. They are not a permanent part of your company, so they will try their best to produce the best results because they cannot afford to disappoint you.
5 Tips for Working With the Freelance Writers
Having freelancers onboard for your marketing practices can be challenging, especially if you have not worked with them earlier. No doubt, it is a tedious job coaching an outsourced team on how to engage with your business's ideal prospects without them having much of an idea for doing so.
Therefore, here are a handful of tips for you to make the process slightly less complicated for you and your content team.
Estimate a Budget Before Outsourcing
There is no way you can start a project without having a budget in mind. We understand that you want to start working on the content as soon as possible, but it will become a nightmare if you do not estimate your budget from the very beginning.
If it is your first time outsourcing your content, do some market research to get a general idea of how much freelancers charge for the type of content you require.
Remember! At this stage, you will also need to determine KPIs and long-term goals for the project, which include:
- An elaborate list of expectations from the project
- How your marketing strategy will help meet those expectations
- The criterion for the project's success or failure
Always Have a Clear “How-to” Book
Before delving into curating actual posts, it is necessary to have an elaborate guide for your team of ghostwriters.
The document should begin with all the facts pertaining to your business and your website. Making these details clear at the start will help the writers understand the mood and format of the content you expect from them.
In addition, your “how-to” guide must make it clear:
- Whether you want a blog, newsletter, social media post, or an online ad?
- Who will read your content, and what are their expectations?
- What kind of tone and narrative must the writer use?
Addressing these points will establish the expectations and objectives of content creation with your team.
Create a Timeline That Your Writers Know Beforehand
One of the most overlooked requisites of content creation is organization. There are so many websites with excellent content but poor management and scheduling. Consequently, the value of their posts drops, and their efforts are multiplied by zero.
Not only is a schedule necessary for you but the writers as well, as it makes it easier for them to plan tasks. So, once you have identified the topics you intend to cover in your posts, develop a calendar. The calendar can be annual but with the flexibility to adapt to situational changes.
Plan how frequently you want to publish and how you want to set deadlines for your writers. Revisit your roadmap every few weeks and keep your writers updated.
It is an effective way for you and them to visualize and plan your future assignments. Also, it ensures smooth communication, emulating your target audience by showing a bias for action.
Ensure Consistent Communication Between Writers and Editors
Whether your content is in the planning stage or the publishing process, there must be a consistent loop of feedback between your writers and the editing team.
Including your writers and providing them with a safe space to put forward their suggestions and concerns during the planning process increases their productivity while content creation. Use project management tools, content management software, and communication channels to your benefit, and be a stellar communicator.
Once you have assigned the tasks, do not assume they have understood everything; encourage the team to clarify doubts and express their concerns. You can hold biweekly video sessions to analyze their work progress and professionalism.
Have Them Promote Your Website
In addition to providing their writing services, freelancers can help you promote your content, thus benefiting your marketing strategy.
Most companies terminate communication once the content gets published. In actuality, they can make the writers a part of the next step—content promotion.
Use their professional profiles to your benefit; encourage them to post their work and earn passive engagements for your website. You can do this as a part of the communication process that we discussed above. Writers will always appreciate the opportunity to see their published work, so send them a link as soon as you post it.
Here Is the Bottom-line
Hiring someone on a freelance basis does not mean you have to work with someone far-off who you have never met in life. If you can handle a team based in multiple regions of the world—that is the best possible outcome. Consider using an All-In-One Platform to assist in managing a global team, with vetted freelancers and AI-enhanced tools that put you on the cutting edge of content creation.