Should You Outsource Content Writing, Develop Talent In-House, or Both?

content writingQuality content is quickly becoming a brand differentiator for businesses trying to compete for online visibility. Companies able to maintain a steady stream of great content can capture larger online audiences, earn higher search engine results rankings, position themselves as thought leaders and strengthen the overall performance of their marketing funnel.

 

The question for businesses, then, isn’t whether they need a content writer but rather how they should go about working with one. Hiring a full-time writer (or a stable of writers) as part of your in-house marketing team is one option while outsourcing the work to various creative agencies or freelancers is another option. Some business also choose a mixture between the two.

 

Deciding which route to go for your own content marketing needs depends completely on your unique goals, how you want to portray your brand online, and how those requirements might shift as time goes on.

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6 Huge Advantages Hiring a Content Writing Agency Can Have for Your Business

content writingWhen weighing your options for creating content marketing pieces, don’t overlook the significant benefits outsourcing your workload to an agency can have. While on-boarding content writing staff or working directly with a freelancer can both be viable options, they barely scratch the surface of what a content marketing agency can offer.

 

When working with an agency, you have the ability to dramatically upscale the quality, quantity and overall reach of the content created for your digital marketing campaigns.

 

For instance, a content writing services provider can give you a set cost for creating a high-quality asset like an eBook that includes all the services you need like graphics and a paid social media promotion budget. When managing such a campaign in-house, each of these services and the tools required to make it happen are an individual cost.

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Is Your Content Not Performing? Here’s 5 Things That Could Be the Problem

content marketingContent marketing has gotten bigger than ever, but not every business is reaping the benefits. When looking at their targeted marketing metrics, many are finding that their content marketing efforts fail to make the needle move.

 

According to a recent survey, 89% of B2C companies and 93% of B2B companies say that in 2017 their content marketing campaigns performed better or the same as in 2016. Yet, there are still 4% of B2C businesses and 2% of B2B businesses that say their content is performing worse.

 

So what can these organizations do to improve? They can start by considering the following five common mistakes below. Therefore, these can cripple your content marketing performance and stand in the way of building audiences who can become business leads.

 

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How Big Should Your Content Marketing Budget Be? Industry Benchmarks and Three Examples

content marketing budget

The size of your content marketing budget dictates a lot of things. It controls the level of performance you can expect. It also influences how scalable your overall content reach can be — bigger budgets have the infrastructure behind them to reach exponentially more people with just some marginal extra spending.

 

At the same time, money doesn’t grow on trees. Most businesses operate on a very tight budget, and they have little wiggle room when it comes to how much they can allocate to marketing.

 

Another complicating factor is that many professionals are unfamiliar with the amount of work that should go into content marketing and the overall output they can expect. Setting a content marketing budget therefore requires you to clearly understand your content marketing goals and the types of marketing activities you need to make those goals happen.

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50+ Eye-Opening Video Marketing Statistics for Small Business Owners in 2018

video marketingThe internet is quickly reaching a point where small business owners need to embrace video marketing in order to survive. In just a few years, ignoring video content will be on par with not having a business website.

 

To explain why this will be the case, we’ll let the small business video marketing statistics do the talking.

 

Consider the following eye-opening statistics when weighing your options for incorporating video content in the year ahead.

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10 Experts to Follow for Growing a Small Business Using Digital Marketing

digital marketingSometimes, all you need to achieve breakthroughs in business is a good mentor. The path to growing a small business using digital marketing is never easy nor obvious. Yet, by following the guidance and advice of others, it can quickly become more clear.

 

Business owners these days have more advantages than ever when it comes to finding great marketing insights online. Whereas a few decades ago you’d have to buy books and attend talks in person, now mind-blowingly great advice is just a few clicks away.

 

To help you find the information and inspiration your small business needs to achieve greatness through digital marketing, we’ve compiled a list of 10 of the best digital marketing experts worth following. Their content and vision will help you cut out bad habits, embrace change and start engaging in strategies that grow your business reliably.

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Boost Blog Traffic Using These Techniques for Promoting Your Posts on Facebook

facebookPromoting your blog posts on Facebook is one of the most cost-effective, efficient and smart strategies you can use to drive traffic back to your blog.

 

First of all, Facebook audiences are huge! 68% of Americans use a Facebook account regularly, which equals nearly 220 million people. Facebook also remains the most-used mobile app. 81% of devices have it installed.

 

And, since the majority of internet traffic is now mobile and the majority of mobile time is spent in-app, Facebook represents one of the best chances you have at getting views, shares, likes and new followers for your business.

 

If you’re a business owner wondering how to drive traffic to your blog using Facebook, here are eight airtight strategies you can use to get maximum visibility and a higher rate of readers with each post.

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Eight Types of Blog Posts Every Business Should Use

blog postsSo you sit down to come up with topics for your next couple of blog posts and…nothing. You draw a total blank.

 

Sometimes business blog post ideas come hard and fast like a heavy rain. Other times you have a total mental drought on what to write about next.

 

Don’t sweat it! There are a couple of blog formats that can work well for just about any subject. Adding them to your repertoire can make coming up with your next blog post topics as easy as falling off a unicycle.

 

In fact, you can use this list to plan your blog strategy for months in advance. If you make some of these blog post types a recurring monthly series, for instance, you can know exactly what you’ll write about at least half the time.

 

So get out your notebook or spreadsheet and jot down the following eight great blog post formats that have a way of working well in just about any context.

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5 Ways to Revamp Your Social Media Marketing Strategy in 2018

social media marketingWith just a few improvements, your social media profiles could become the crown jewel of your digital marketing strategy in 2018. By switching up your approach and committing to a higher level of quality, you could soon be generating more leads. This switch could also lead to more revenue, and interest in your company with minimal effort.

 

The great thing about social media marketing is that it doesn’t have to take a lot of your time to work wonders. If you plan ahead and use social media to reinforce your other marketing activities, you can achieve huge ROI. This can be achieved through both organic and paid social campaigns.

 

Try implementing the following five highly effective social media marketing improvements in 2018. This will inspire you to improve your social presence and go beyond expectations.

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Thinking About Hiring a Blog Writer? Watch Out for These 6 Common Mistakes

blogFew business owners have both the time and skill with words needed to do their company blog justice. Business blogs need to look polished and represent the brand well, yet learning to write professionally is a trial-and-error process.

 

Considering all these personal limitations and high expectations, outsourcing blog writing makes perfect sense. But there is a right way and a wrong way to hire a writer. Many business owners commit hefty mistakes when offering someone the chance to take the reins on their business blog.

 

Here are six of the biggest of those mistakes. Watch out for them when hiring a blog writer to avoid frustrating setbacks and to ensure your blog is as great as it deserves to be.

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