Often, when we first start courting a potential client, one of the things we hear is “Well, there’s no way you can write for us because what we do is very specialized and you can’t possibly learn it. It’s too technical.”
That’s fair. As I’m sure it is often very technical. That said, I’m a strong proponent of hiring out for content marketing work. Don’t get me wrong, the best content often comes from inside the company. But when you find the right industrial content marketing agency, they can get you where you need to be faster, more cost effectively and much more strategically. While certainly not a comprehensive list, here are three quick reasons I think it makes sense to hire out your B2B content marketing.
1. Get out of the weeds
Your team is smart. There’s no doubt. We completely understand and believe you. However, are they too smart?
One of the biggest issues we find with B2B industrial companies is that when they try to write their own website content, they write too technical. Technical is great, but the buyer is not always at that level.
For instance, if you’re a construction company targeting a healthcare CEO, what do you think he cares about? In-depth analysis about the best concrete to use on his new ambulatory clinic? Or a more top-level article on the methods a company uses to deliver their project on-time and on-budget, meaning a successful construction project at ribbon cutting?
A theory in which I believe, one that has been proven right again and again and again, is that sometimes, like in the case of content marketing, less is more. I’ve found that it’s harder for an expert to write intermediate-level, but still very good, content. In journalism school, we were often told to write at a fifth-grade reading level. The same is true when trying to provide content for marketing purposes. Sure, fifth-grade might be too elementary, but the idea is that simpler content is often better content.
2. The cobbler’s kids never get their shoes
I don’t know what it is, but when we try to do work for our own company, it never gets done. BUT, if we hire that work out to a vendor, we make sure it gets done. On-time, every time. The same is true with content marketing.
As you know from reading this piece, we’re a content marketing agency. We have, at time of writing this post, four Mizzou journalism majors on staff. Yet…we struggle to keep up with our own content needs. In fact, this blog post, a short “three-reasons” why post, has taken me three weeks to write! That said, when it comes to our clients, we meet deadlines and often deliver early. Why? Well work for oneself is often not a priority. But, when we pay for something, we make sure it gets done as promised.
When you hire out your content marketing, part of what you’re paying for is accountability. That alone can make the engagement worth the price – provided the work is strong and good and professional and all that stuff.
3. Get more for your money
When you hire out for content marketing, you get a professional writer that understands the ins and outs of writing for the web.
You also get a strategist, an account person, a designer, etc. For the price of the one-employee you’d absolutely have to hire to do content marketing correctly, you get an entire agency. An agency that’s constantly staying up on web trends, search engine updates and more.
To me, that alone is a compelling reason to hire out for your content marketing needs.
So, tell me what you think. What other reasons do you know of to hire out for your content marketing needs? What reasons do you have for keeping it in-house?