Outsourcing Without Losing Control Of Your Content Creation

If you want your business to start getting more attention and traffic online, then it might be time to scale up your content marketing.

In order to do this, you need to create more content.

But what if you don’t have the time?  

The solution? It’s time to look at outsourcing.

What’s that? You’re worried about losing control? No problem. Just follow our easy guide and you’ll soon learn how you benefit from outsourcing without losing control.

Content creation: outsourcing without losing control 

Well-written, educational, informative, and valuable content is a must for business success online. Not only does it help with your ranking in the search engines, especially if it’s optimised for Google, but it helps build trust, loyalty, and confidence in your brand for customers and potential customers. 

Outsourcing your content creation not only helps with this, but it can also save you heaps of time and money. 

So, if you’re struggling to plan and write enough content for your business, and the thought of struggling through another blog post is filling you with dread, then outsourcing is the answer. Here’s how to embrace outsourcing without losing control. 

1. Choose your writers carefully

Even though you’re outsourcing, you should still select your writers as if you were hiring permanent members of staff. This person needs to be able to work as part of your team, take briefs and run with them, and you need to be able to get on well with them. But, yes. You can have differing opinions on Squid Games!

This person should also have experience in your industry (although this isn’t always necessary), a solid writing style with samples to share, and prior writing experience. 

By taking the time to choose the right person or agency, you’ll feel confident knowing you’ll get the results you need. 

2. Be part of the process

Once you have chosen the right person to tackle your content creation, you need to be clear from the very beginning of every project that you’ll be part of the process. This will help you maintain control of the content being created at all stages.

We don’t mean micromanage. After all, you’ve hired a professional. They don’t need to be micromanaged. But they do need to have a complete understanding of your wants and needs. Once they have this, don’t disconnect from the project. Define your role from the very start and let your contractor know how much you plan on being involved. 

3. Create a brand style guide

This is essentially a set of guidelines that you can share with your team and your contractor. They keep everyone on the same page and set a clear idea of what your brand is about, your tone of voice, style, language style, image, font, sign-off, etc.

It helps identify the brand and should be consistent across all your content (website, blog, social media, etc.)

Include in your style guide information about your business, such as your mission, vision, and goals. It’s also a good idea to include information about your ideal client/customer, and any demographics your content writer might find helpful.

By creating a brand style guide, you’ll always have control of the content being created and be assured that it’s in line with your standards.

4. Be specific

Nothing is worse than a vague brief!

When you outsource your content to a professional, you need to be as specific as possible. You need to get them on the same page as you. And that means giving clear, precise instructions. Make your outlines specific and easy to understand. If you want certain keywords, anchor texts, headings, etc, then make sure those are outlined in the brief.

It’s also helpful to give your writer any examples of work done previously (or from another website) that you’ve liked. This shows your preferences and the kind of message you want your content to portray, and gives you control over the end result.

5. Be reachable 

If your contractor can’t reach you to ask specific questions or have a discussion on the way a piece of content is going, then you run the risk of being left out of the process.  

Unless otherwise agreed, it’s important that you respond to emails or phone calls within a reasonable period of time and don’t leave messages unanswered. Remember, your writer is working to your requirements. So, if you’re not around then there’s a chance you’ll lose control of the content.

6. Schedule check-ins and keep up communication

Following on from the last point, ensure that you have regular catch-ups and chats with your content writer. Keep on top of the project (again, without micromanaging) and make sure you address any queries or concerns well before the deadline date.

This will prevent any issues from arising and will help build a great working relationship with your writer. You can always plan a weekly check-in and then either scale back or add in extra time depending on how the project is going or how long it’s planned to last.

Get quality content without losing control

Just remember, when you outsource your content properly, not only will your visibility go up and your overwhelm go down, but you’ll be partnering up with a skilled content writer. Someone who knows their stuff and can take your vision, voice, and plan, and create something beautiful from it.

Outsourcing without losing control means you’re passing on the wordy stuff to someone who can take the weight off your shoulders, all while developing your content plan.

If this sounds like a dream come true, then let us be your content knights in shining armour. Just get in touch and let’s have a chat about how we can conquer your content burden.