10 Things to Consider Before You Hire Content Marketing Help

Content marketing is a critical part of every marketing plan. That’s not surprising considering that content marketing costs 62% less than traditional outbound marketing and generates more than three times as many leads. However, creating enough high quality content and publishing it in the most effective places to reach your business and brand goals takes time.

Most entrepreneurs don’t have enough time to sleep a full eight hours per night let alone create tons of great content! That’s where hiring content marketing help can give you a leg up on the competition. However, not every content marketing provider is equal.

Some content marketers are part of a larger ad agency while others are part of larger writing services companies. Some content marketers are freelancers and others own their own content marketing businesses where they might be solopreneurs or manage teams of employees and/or contractors. There is nothing wrong with any of these business models, but you need to do your research and find the right business and the right person to provide content marketing help to you. Otherwise, you could waste a lot of time and money.

Following are 10 essential things you should consider before you invest in content marketing help to ensure you get the right help from the start.

1. Experience

Marketing experience, writing experience, branding experience, and social media experience are all important because content marketing touches on all of these disciplines. The content marketer you work with should also have excellent strategy development and project management skills.

Many people can write. Many people have marketing backgrounds. Many people can use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and so on. Not as many people have skills, education, and experience in all of these areas, and trust me, when it comes to investing your money in content marketing help, there is a very big difference.

2. Marketing Knowledge

This is so important! I simply cannot stress it enough — marketing knowledge is imperative. If a content marketing provider doesn’t have a deep marketing background, then hire him or her at your own risk.

A great content marketer understands how content is used as part of a comprehensive marketing plan to build a brand and business as well as how it must integrate with all other aspects of your company’s marketing strategy. If the content marketer you’re thinking of hiring doesn’t have a marketing background, pick someone else.

3. Writing Talent

Make sure the content marketing provider you work with doesn’t outsource writing to writers who create low quality content. I’ve seen this happen so many times, and I’m often called in to help clean up the mess.

Low quality content can do so much harm to your website, your brand, and your business. Don’t pay for it, and don’t publish it. The content marketer you work with should provide excellent content all the time or you shouldn’t work with them.

4. Technical Knowledge

Content marketers create content for both offline and online purposes, which means they need to understand how to use technology to effectively create and publish that content. If your content marketer isn’t technologically savvy, then you need to end your relationship with them.

There are simply too many technical things to consider and far-reaching effects of technology to be aware of, and you need to work with someone who has that expertise.

5. Understanding of Your Business, Brand and Audience

The content marketing provider you work with should invest the time to fully understand your business and industry. They should familiarize themselves with the unique challenges and competitive threats that you face, and they should understand your target audience’s needs.

Your content marketing initiatives will have a much better chance of success if your content marketer understands your business, brand, and audience and continuously works to learn more about them.

6. Metrics and Reporting

Some content marketing providers have a large enough staff that they produce content for clients and they can track results. If you pay someone to track results and provide reports to you, those reports should include recommendations for the future. Also, make sure the provider you work with has experience in this area and can actually deliver the type of data you want.

7. Flexibility

You never know when edits have to be made to existing content or new content has to be created quickly. Choose a content marketing provider who is accessible and ready to give you help when you need it. Business operates 24/7 these days, so a provider who only works from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or never works on weekends might not be the right fit for you.

8. Attention to Detail

If your content is published with errors, it won’t help your business at all. Be sure to work with a content marketer who is detail-oriented. That means they should be a good editor and proofreader. Everyone makes mistakes. We’re human. However, content that is often filled with errors is not okay.

Furthermore, your content marketer should think beyond the piece of content they’re working on at the moment to consider how it fits into your overall marketing plan and ensure it’s consistent with your brand.

9. Self-Motivation

You don’t have time to manage every aspect of your content marketing or everything that your content marketer does for you. If you had the time, you’d do your content marketing yourself and save some money! Therefore, hire a content marketer who doesn’t need you to hold their hand. You want someone who takes initiative and gives you great content without your having to babysit them.

10. Strategic Thinker

If you’re hiring a content marketer, you’re hiring more than a writer. You’re hiring someone with writing and marketing skills. Therefore, choose a provider who is willing to give you recommendations, warn you when something could go wrong, and help you take your content and your business to the next level.

Ready to Hire Content Marketing Help?

With these 10 considerations in mind, you can hire the right content marketing help and reach your business goals. Don’t settle for someone who doesn’t have the right skills, experience, and knowledge or your results will suffer. If you need help, contact me.

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Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc. and Founder & Editor in Chief of an award-winning blog, WomenOnBusiness.com. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored 10 books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.