As a marketer, you understand content is king. However, the dilemma lies in acquiring quality, engaging and informative content that meets all your needs and requirements. While there are thousands of great writers out there, you have to know where to go to find them.
You have two basic options when it comes to getting a consistent flow of quality content that you need to drive traffic to your website:
- Hiring a freelance writer
- Using a content service provider, commonly referred to as the content mill
There are pros and cons to each option and ultimately the decision you make should be based on your business needs and goals. First, however, you need to learn what the pros and cons of each option are, which can be found here.
Benefits of Hiring a Freelancer
Hiring a freelancer allows you to control the situation. For example, you can negotiate a pay rate based on the experience of the one, particular freelancer and you can talk directly with them to ensure they understand your specific needs.
Another benefit offered when you hire a freelancer is the relationship you can build with them. As you work with the individual, they will learn to better understand your website and offerings, as well as your brand voice. Due to this relationship, they will also be more accountable and motivated to complete the work in a timely manner. This is especially true if you offer bonuses or other incentives for timely completion.
Other appealing benefits of hiring a freelancer include:
- They are more affordable than an on-site employee (and in many cases crowdsource writing websites)
- They will get more work done working remotely on their own schedule
- They typically specialize in one area, giving you extremely targeted and informative content
The Downside of Hiring a Freelancer
Unfortunately, there is also a downside to hiring freelance writers, with the most significant being the fact that they can disappear. When they do, this may leave you in jeopardy of having missing content or being unable to fulfill one of your own client’s requests. Other disadvantages of this option include:
- You have to ensure no content is plagiarized (which is easy with modern tools)
- You may wind up paying for unusable content
- You have to keep track of payment details
Benefits of Using a Crowdsource Content Service
There are quite a few crowdsource content websites available; however, you have to choose the one you use carefully, since there are some that don’t screen their writers very well. The benefits offered by this option include:
- Since they have a large pool of writers, you get peace of mind the work will be done
- With some, you don’t have to pay if the work is not up to par
- You can often choose a quality level to ensure you get a writer that can provide good results
- You sign a single contract and have access to hundreds of different writers
- Editing and plagiarism checks are done by the service you choose
Downsides of Using a Crowdsource Content Website
In some cases, using a crowdsource content website will actually cost you more than an individual freelancer, with the end writer only getting a small fraction of what you actually pay. This does not create any sense of loyalty to your brand or desire to go “above and beyond” with the content. Also, you never know if the work is going to be completed on time. Even if it is picked up by a writer right away, they may have it thrown back, which means you have to wait even longer to get the content you need.
Taking some time to consider all the facts can help you determine what is right for your company. If you know you will need content on a regular basis for an extended period of time, it will make more sense to choose a freelance writer. As they continue writing for your website or brand, they will help to develop your voice and ensure it is consistent, which can help to drive traffic and sales.
