Content Development: In-house or Outsource, that Is the Question

Content is the thing but coming up with original content on a regular basis has its challenges. However, you are never stuck with only one possible approach to content. You have other options, including using a combination of created and curated content, outsourcing your content, and any other possibility that you can imagine.

Content is king–now and forever

The challenge that you face when it comes to producing top-quality content that will help you to reach the people you want to reach is how you are going to successfully manage to create consistently effective, amazing content with each post that you write. One of the options that you may wish to consider if you are finding yourself dealing with a writer’s block is outsourcing some of the writing to someone else whom you know and trust. After all, you wouldn’t trust your content needs and your business to just anyone.

Even if you outsource some content, your main focus should be what you write in-house.

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When it comes to outsourcing versus writing the content in-house, there are a lot of different people with a lot of different opinions. Depending on your resources, you may be able to either write or have the larger part of the content written in-house. One really good thing about doing that is that you have total control over it. Of course, if your content is outsourced, you can still have control over it. You will certainly have final approval over what is written. It is just that it may take some extra editing to get the content to be in the shape that is exactly what you want.

The challenges of dealing with outsourced content

If you insist on outsourcing some (hopefully not all) of your content, you will need how to deal with the challenges that arise. 

• Control: You may find that it is more difficult to maintain control over your content if it comes from outside of your business. However, this issue is far from impossible to overcome. You just need to pay close attention to what the content is saying and how the writer communicated what you wanted him or her to express. Just remember that you are the decision-maker in this process. If you don’t agree with something that is being said, you have total veto power.

• Acquaintanceship with your brand and offerings: It is true that nobody knows your brand as well as you do; however, that doesn’t mean that you will not be able to teach your potential writer to learn enough about what you do to write about it in a coherent, comprehensive manner. However, it is advisable that you keep a close eye on the content (preferably as it is being written). You should not automatically assume that the writer just won’t be able to really knock it out of the park. Some of that depends on the writer’s ability to write and some of it depends on how well you communicate what you want to content to say.

• Return on investment about feelings: There certainly are business people who place money above the needs of the clients. Sadly, those people don’t seem to understand that those two things are tied together very closely. If you have hired a writer who feels that way, you may want to rethink your association with that person. It is probably a really bad idea to work with someone who doesn’t share your professional vision and values. Those are basic but they are exceedingly important. The bottom line is that without your clients, you would have no business. Before you can get what you need, you must give your clients what they want and need. 

Now that we have discussed the challenges that come with outsourcing your content, let us look at the challenges that you may face with content that you have written (or write) in-house.

• Identifying subject matter experts (SMEs): If you or other people in your business have some knowledge about the particular topic that you want to discuss, you may need someone who really knows his or her stuff to support you. That person may not be that easy to find. It is a really good idea to establish a connection with some influencers at this point (or before this point). You definitely need them to help you to bring your business to the next level.

• Finding writers who are passionate about what you are communicating: There are many writers who have excellent writing skills but who are not so passionate about what they are writing. You don’t want one of those writers to create your content. You want the person to be passionate about the subject matter so that they ultimately do an excellent job with the content.

• The appeal of the content: Content needs to be appealing to your readers. It is important to keep in mind that many people are visual, which means that they respond much more effectively to content that also contains some sort of graphic element. Of course, words are extremely important; however, the images are just as powerful and important and sometimes, having the images as part of your content will make all the difference to your readers.

Conclusion

Considering whether to outsource your content or to keep it in-house is not an insignificant decision to make. It will require quite a bit of thought on your part. In the end, whatever you decide, it will be the right decision for your particular business. You may find that a mix of outsourcing and in-house works most effectively for you and your target audience. If you find the right balance, the quality of the work will not suffer. In fact, you will be introducing top-quality, exciting, compelling content to be shared and treasured.

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