Well, look at that: it’s time to whip up your annual content marketing plan!
Let’s see…you just need to start with a cup of content strategy development, a little sprinkle of SEO keyword research, a dash of schedule creation, and a 9-inch pan to hit yourself over the head now that you see the amount of writing you’ve just committed to.
While it would be easy to put this work aside for a little longer, there’s no ignoring the fact that for every dollar spent, content marketing generates approximately 3x more leads than traditional marketing. Maybe, just maybe, you need to get a content marketing agency to take this off your hands instead.
Don’t worry, we have the arguments for hiring one all laid out here for you, so you can let your CEO exactly why hiring a content marketing agency will save your company time and money.
They Can Start from Scratch
A great content marketing agency can start from square one for you. If you haven’t had time to build a time-phased plan, they’ll get you all caught up!
To get started, they may offer a content audit of your existing materials, analysis of your closest competitors, and SEO keyword research.
They’ll ask all the right questions too, like your buyer’s persona, the content that has resonated with them in the past, and if there’s a specific marketing goal you’re trying to achieve.
And if you don’t know the answers right off the bat, they can often help you gather this information. For example, they may kick off the content project by conducting audience research for you.
You’ll Gain Valuable Email Marketing ROI
Email marketing has an incredible ROI, estimated at $36 for every dollar spent. (Yes, you read that statistic correctly). Making an investment in it will reap rewards many times over.
A content marketing agency can make sure you’re taking advantage of your valuable customer email list by writing regular email blasts that will keep you connected with them. This alone means you should see a measurable ROI.
On top of that, the agency can help you create the landing pages and lead magnets that will gain you that email list in the first place.
You Can Put Your Team on Other Projects
Your team is fantastic at a multitude of things, but maybe content writing isn’t their strongest suit.
Or maybe the demands on your small team already have their schedules filled up. Writing one blog post alone can take 2-3 hours to complete. Do the math on creating those weekly for your brand, and it quickly adds up.
Hiring a content marketing agency is like hiring a second team of specialized employees, without the hassle of training and managing them. In fact, if you do the leg work to find a great agency partner from the start, you’ll grow together for years to come. More hands on the account from the agency side means more hours for your in-house team to keep things running smoothly.
They Can Track Results
Sometimes we just keep doing what we’ve been doing, without ever checking the analytics to make sure the time invested is getting us a good return.
But this is a surefire way to later learn you’ve spent way too much time chasing a marketing tactic that was never fruitful.
This is why you have to track results.
Ask the agency to help you determine the best metrics for measuring the success of your writing projects. This may mean an increase in website traffic (oh yeah!), higher email click-thru rates (score!), or eventually increased website conversions on your brand’s calls to action (woo-hoo!).
They Can Go Beyond Blog Posts
A lot of marketers hear about content writing and immediately think of blog posts. But there is so much more you can delegate to a content marketing agency. Think about case studies, customer testimonials, and ad landing pages too.
Since content marketing covers a broad array of marketing materials, hiring the right content marketing agency means you can get help with everything from your website copy to email campaigns, landing pages, and ads.
We’re convinced once you’re working with a content marketing agency, you’ll quickly realize how much work they can take off your plate.
So, Where to Start?
While many content marketing agency teams have a mix of writers with expertise in various industries, you’ll want to find out if the agency has any writing experience in your niche.
Because writing for your brand has to be a good fit. There really are no shortcuts here. As we all know, Google favors high-quality content (as do the humans that read it). Great writing is imperative.
Review all the websites of your prospective agencies closely. These are often the best examples of their work that you can find. Read through their blog posts, website copy, and news features to get comfortable with their writing style. Then, give them credit for their SEO skills if you reached their website through a Google search!
Most of all, look for the content marketing agency that feels like the best partner for you and your team. You’re looking for a long-term marketing partner that you can count on to meet your ongoing writing needs.
