Content development outsourcing: 8 reasons you should use an agency

Conversion rates are nearly 6x higher for content marketing adopters than non-adopters. Quality content is a vital weapon in your marketing arsenal.

The value of content is incredible. The decision a lot of businesses tend to struggle with is whether or not to use in-house marketers and subject experts or an agency writer.

If you’re leaning towards subject experts or internal marketers, it might be because you think they’re better positioned to write content, or that they are more trustworthy than an agency writer.

But the truth is that external content writers CAN deliver the exceptional quality and knowledge you need to convert customers effectively.

Let’s take a look at why you should consider content development outsourcing in more detail.

Why smart cookies use agency writers

Outsourcing content writing to an agency can benefit your business in many ways. These include:

1. They know how to create content for the marketing funnel

There’s no doubt that your in-house marketer is an expert. But do they understand the intricacies of content marketing that takes the reader on a journey to conversion? The marketing funnel is an agency content writer’s bible.

They use it to perceive the reader’s state of mind so they can write content that speaks directly to them and moves them into action.

They’ll craft:

• Thought-leadership and educational pieces for top of the funnel audiences.
• Problem, solution and comparison pieces for middle of the funnel audiences.
• Customer-conversion-centred pieces for bottom of the funnel audiences.

This ensures that the audience is nurtured along the buyer’s journey.

Outsource content writing to an expert and people with little awareness of your brand can be converted into committed customers, netting you organic, quality leads.

Agency writers also abide by the HubSpot flywheel. This an adaptation of the funnel, or a family member, if you will.

The flywheel as the customer at the centre of every step of the nurturing journey and operates in three different stages:

• Attract
• Delight
• Engage

Like the funnel, the flywheel ensures that your customers are kept at the heart of everything you do. Allowing you to create quality leads.

Image Credit: HubSpot

2. They know how to create content for specific audiences

One of the first things an agency content marketer will do is create and analyse a business’ buyer personas.

This is how they create content that connects with readers on a personal level to build trust. They understand audience frustrations and pains, what they enjoy and dislike, how they like to be spoken to and the way they digest content. 

This in-depth knowledge helps them to write amazing content that drives positive emotional responses.

As a result, businesses are empowered to build a brand based on trust, love and loyalty - the three biggest drivers in customer conversion. 

3. They know how to create content for search engines

Have you ever read an article that looks like it could have been written by a robot?

Where it seems like a keyword has been wedged into every sentence. Outsourcing blog content to an agency ensures you create marketing collateral search engines love without sacrificing your brand’s humanity.

They have the resources needed to understand where to place keywords, which links to include, how to tag images and optimise headlines.

The result is compelling and engaging content that gets a business noticed through effective SEO.

4. They focus on quality

95% of B2B buyers use content to evaluate a company and its offerings. (DemandGen)

So what happens when you publish content that’s laden with typos, grammatical errors and other wince-worthy mistakes?

Your business’ reputation will take a hit and you’ll lose all credibility. 

This can happen when you ask an in-house marketer to write for your business. Because, while they know how to sell your goods, they may be inexperienced writers.

Content development outsourcing is a smart way to make sure the blogs you publish are high-quality. That’s because agency writers require a strong writing background.

They have the experience and knowledge needed to craft content that’s professional, grammatically flawless and engaging to read.

5. They produce cracking content quicker

With 60% of marketers producing at least one new content asset every single day (eMarketer), it’s critical you can churn out quality content fast to stay relevant. 

The issue is, your in-house marketer will have a lot on their plate already. Ask them to push out content faster and you’re risking a drop in quality.

Outsource content writing to an external expert will help lessen their load. Agency content marketers are vastly experienced, so are well-versed in the writing process.

They know what to do straight off the bat and can produce high-value content at speed.

6. They have more resources

When you outsource blog content to an agency, you’re usually matched with one dedicated writer.

But if you need more blogs than any one person can handle, they can enlist a second copywriter (or third!) at the same experience and skill level. So you get more content without jeopardising the quality of work produced.  

You also gain access to other skills fast. It’s likely the marketing agency have easy access to lots of professionals with various abilities, from videographers and social media experts to offline marketing experts and website developers.

If you need additional support, they’ll easily be able to help you.

7. They are persuasion-focused, not product or sales-focused

Agency writers are fluent in the language of persuasion.

They know how to grab a reader’s attention, hold it and tell a convincing story using a blend of logical and emotional approaches.

If you rely on your in-house marketer to create content, you might get product or sales-focused blogs that aren’t customer-centred.

As a result, your business’ voice becomes pushy and overwhelming. Prospects won’t give you the time of day because you haven’t built trust with them. This is why it’s essential to outsource content writing to an expert who knows which buttons to press when it comes to their audience.

8. They know how to sell your brand

Prospects don’t just need to be convinced that your products or services are top-quality.

They also need to know the reasons why you’re a great brand to work with. Or how you’ll look after them once they become customers.

Content marketing agencies know this is key to growing your customer base and building loyalty. So you’ll get content that can effectively maximise your business’ appeal.

Bonus round

The reasons don’t stop there. Let’s dive into the specifics of how an in-house approach can endanger your business’ bottom line and reputation.

1. Subject specialists should support the writing process and marketers should focus on their expert area

The truth is that neither marketers nor subject specialists should be writing your content. Because they need to be focusing on what they’re good at - creating campaigns and offering specialist knowledge.

If you want words that make your brand stand out, attract quality leads and convert customers, outsourcing content writing is the ticket.

It ensures you get someone with top-level writing and inbound marketing knowledge to curate exceptional content.

2. Different tones of writing equals confused content

Without a style guide, if multiple people create content for your blog (e.g. your marketers write sales content while your subject experts curate technical pieces), this can result in completely different tones and styles.

Without consistency, your brand voice becomes muddled and customers or prospects will get confused about your messaging and company image.

This can damage your authority and sabotage the trust between your brand and its people.

3. Heavy edits mean agency fees will rise anyway as you'll be charged at an hourly rate

If you decide to get your in-house marketer or subject expert to write your content for you, there’s a huge risk that their work will need refining heavily by an agency.

This essentially means you’re spending more money on your content then you need to as you’ll be charged for copy-editing.

By outsourcing content writing to a specialist agency with writers who are expert proofreaders and editors, you'll undoubtedly cut costs as you won’t have to pay for additional work.

4. Subject and business experts often complicate the writing process

Subject experts might know their stuff, but they probably don’t know how to break it down in simple terms.

That means your readers have to navigate their way through complex acronyms, jargon and hard-to-understand process explanations.

The consequence? You create negative experiences for the reader because they’re left confused.

Which is the last thing you want, because when your competitors are writing clearer and easier-to-read articles, you’ll inevitably lose customers to them.

5. They don't have the right tools for the job

A content writer has plenty of tools to help them create content bursting with value, from grammar checkers and readability apps to infographic templates and heading analysers.

So, unlike marketers and subject experts, agency writers don’t have to spend time researching different tools or learning how to use them because they’re already familiar with the best ones on the market.

In this sense, content development outsourcing unlocks all the tools you need for fast and quality content production.

Content isn’t king - It’s the kingdom

If there’s one thing you need to nail when it comes to marketing your business, it’s content.

Clear, concise and compelling articles will boost your brand’s appeal like no other medium.

By hiring an agency that specialises in content writing and knows how to collaborate effectively with your internal marketers and subject experts, you gain an elite marketing team that can position your business powerfully.

Discover how we can help you craft game-changing content for your business. Simply contact us via the link below for a free project discovery session.

Or, why not get cracking straight away and download our free content marketing planning template below for expert tips and advice?