Tips on Outsourcing Your Web Content Needs
It might be that you have too many websites that need content and not enough time to feed them regularly. You’re starting to make money from these sites so you don’t want to shut any of them down at this point, but you just can’t do it all. It’s time to start outsourcing some of your content writing.
You are not alone; this is a problem many marketers face. Trying to do everything in your business means you’re resourceful and a go-getter, but actually you are stunting your growth. You need an extra set of hands typing away creating content, and the good news is you can outsource it rather than hire an employee.
There are many places where you can find writers to do the work for you:
* Elance – Spend a little time checking out how the whole process works. You will be posting your job, reviewing proposals and hiring the person you want.
* oDesk – The process is similar to Elance.
* Warriors for Hire – This is a section on the Warrior Forum where writers post their rates and samples of their writing.
* Recommendations from others – Ask around and find out who others are using and are happy with.
* VA – One of the tasks a virtual assistant will do is write articles. Be sure to get a quote and samples of their work.
* Journalism school. Contact your local college with a journalism department. There you may find students eager to help you out while adding to their portfolio.
Good communication with the writer is key. Don’t make the mistake of assuming they know what you need. Give them your keywords and tell them how often you want them to include the keywords in the article, how long the article should be, who the audience is, what the subject, and where you want the article to go. This last one is very important to communicate or you’re going to be rewriting the articles. If you want it to head for and conclude with a product you want to promote, then the writer should be made aware of that.
The price of having content written for you is not the same across the board. The cost tends to be much lower on sites like Elance and oDesk because people are bidding for your job. Warriors for Hire will be more expensive, but still reasonable because they are offering their services at a discount, often to get their name out there. Sometimes the price is negotiable if you place a bulk order.
Keep in mind you can start small by just requesting a bundle of 5 articles to try out a particular writer. If you don’t like the writer’s quality of work, which is always possible, move on to another one. Once you find a gem, hang on to him or her! Tipping can make you a favorite client and put you at the top of the queue.
Moving forward quickly in your business means getting the help you need. Consider outsourcing your content as an alternative to hiring an employee.