8 Things To Keep In Mind Before Hiring A Content Writing Services Company

In the fast-moving world of content marketing, you need online content on an everyday basis. Thirty-nine percent of B2B content writing services entrepreneurs anticipate their content marketing expenditure to increase throughout 2017. For many businesses, that money will go into hiring content writing and development companies along with freelance writers and other content creators outside the company.

But, of course, you need to ensure your money isn’t going to waste and is genuinely being used to fund high-quality and powerful content that generated leads and boosts profits. If you’re about to outsource your content development, consider these 8 points before you sign up on the dotted line and hire a content writing services firm.

What To Look In A Content Writing Services Company?

1. Do they’ve experience in your industry?

One of the most crucial things to remember with regards to outsourcing content creation is what type of experience the organization or writer has in your industry. It will pay to work with a writer who is familiar with your readers and the sector you operate in. If they don’t, content ideas are much more likely to be surface-level.

It will also be difficult for the writer to produce in-depth content in order to be useful to your readers. You’ll find that much bigger content writing services companies are wildly versatile. Don’t be afraid to speak to them to request one of their writers with specific industry experience.

2. Do they specialize in the form of content you need?

It’s easy to anticipate that any writer can perform any writing job. That’s definitely not true. A firm that focuses on technical writing might not have writers on its team who can produce quality weblog posts. The same is going for the press releases, speeches, grants, whitepapers, and product description writers.

Each form of writing is absolutely different and it’s difficult for writers to cross over when they don’t have experience in multiple formats.

3. Are they able to fill the gaps in your content strategy?

When hiring a content writing services firm, don’t simply focus on the writing aspect. Content marketing doesn’t work on the “post and pray” approach. You additionally need a social foundation and you must be employing different search engine optimization tactics.

Your content writing services must align with your advertising and you need to be engaging to your own blog and social media by having someone monitor and reply to comments. You must additionally be measuring metrics like comments, followers, backlinks, and more.

4. Did their content perform in the past assignments?

Looking at samples of what the writing company you’re shortlisting has produced already offers you an idea of how successful your own content should be. Look at metrics like social shares, comments, and wherein the content ranks on search engines. If engagement is high, it suggests the company is aware of how to attraction to the audience they’re writing for. If the content ranks high on search engines, it shows they’re effective at optimizing their content for search engines. That said, it’s crucial to be aware that the outcomes of a content writing services firm’s content must not fall solely on them.

A client may hire them to sincerely write the content but then not share it on their very own social media channels or in their newsletters, or the customer may not do their part in their SEO strategy. Keep in mind negative engagement can be the customer’s fault instead of the content creator’s, but make certain to ask the question anyway. Also, look at the content itself. Is it suitable for the purpose and tailored to the audience? Is it well-written and adapted to the customer’s personal tone of voice?

5. Do they provide a trial period?

Nothing’s worse than getting into an agreement only to find you hate the work or that it doesn’t align with your brand’s image. An excellent content writing firm will permit you a trial period before asking you to sign a longer-term agreement. During this trial period, you’ll agree to a charge and a certain amount of content. Your organization will be able to keep the content produced in that trial period because you paid for it.

6. What’s their turnaround time like?

If you work to strict deadlines, you may need to ensure the writing agency you hire can adhere to those deadlines as well. Most content writing firms are very accommodating and will help you based on your needs. Others set their own deadlines and turnaround times, which means you need to comply with their content writing schedule. That might not be a trouble for you if you’re willing to be patient or if their deadlines are faster than you need. Either way, make certain their turnaround times can accommodate your needs too while required.

7. What’s their revision policy like?

At one time or another, you may have suggestions for changes to the content and ask for major or minor revisions. Some content writing services companies and freelance writers charge extra for revisions. Others see them as their own errors and revise them free of charge. Each content writing company additionally differs in the turnaround time for corrections. For example, one organization may have a 48-hour turnaround policy for revisions. Another may take a week to get revisions back to you, which may slow down your publishing calendar.

8. What do their past customers say?

Take a look at online reviews or ask to talk with a person who’s worked with them in the past. Their portfolio and samples can say a lot about the content writing services company’s writing skills, however, they can’t let you know what it’s like to work with them. It additionally facilitates looking through their client portfolio to see what brands the agency has worked with. If they’ve worked with huge brands you recognize, that’s an excellent signal they’re a quality firm.

Final Thoughts

With the above points in mind, you shouldn’t have trouble finding a content writing firm that suits your needs. Do you intend to outsource content creation this year? Have you found a content writing services firm you enjoy working with? Tell us about your experience.