Working with a content management company provides you with advanced benefits that an independent freelance content writer operating alone cannot. Find out more about the benefits of partnering with a content marketing agency versus a freelance writer.

Finding the right freelance content writer can be an endless feat.

Content writers often have multiple projects going on at any one time, and they may also be difficult to manage due to time zone differences. Unfortunately, it’s common to receive inconsistent quality from writers tackling multiple verticals solo.

One of the biggest challenges of hiring a writer versus a content marketing team is that there is usually no editor when this happens, which leads to unpolished or poorly structured content.

Skilled editors are a key component of the content production cycle. They bring an often much-needed objective viewpoint to the table to help polish the content for readability.

Businesses must keep in mind they may require more advanced content production management skills to achieve their overall content marketing goals.

Unlike hiring a writer, a content marketing team helps to turn your content marketing efforts into a production assembly line where a piece of content runs through a structured process from ideation to production to editing to publishing.

An individual will be forever challenged by trying to do all of this and be creative and articulate while trying to adhere to a regular publishing schedule.

A content management company offers a full staff of employees who are able to manage the content production cycle end-to-end; including strategy, researching, writing, editing, image sourcing, optimization, publishing, and distribution.

Having access to a team of resources means there are less likely to be information gaps in your blog content. No more scrambling trying to find an available writer to fit the deadlines for your publishing schedule.

Below, we review all the benefits that come with using a content management company versus hiring independent freelance content writers, which includes developing a comprehensive content strategy and the consistent creation of high-quality content.

1. Expert Content Marketing Strategy

A content marketing strategy is a long-term plan for how you create, distribute, promote, and measure content across all your online digital marketing channels.

The goal is to provide valuable information to your target audience and generate new business leads through a variety of channels.

With a content management company comes a team of content experts working together to develop a roadmap to achieve your content marketing goals, which typically includes:

• Researching topics relevant to your business
• Integrating your business goals
• Understanding the content strategy of your competitors
• Creating a robust SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy
• Utilizing expert knowledge in content creation and content marketing efforts

Additionally, quality content management companies will provide you with a content strategy playbook. Based on comprehensive research of your content needs, this will serve as a roadmap for your content strategy moving forward. Ideally, this should be provided upfront, giving you confidence in your chosen content management company.

This is a sharp contrast from the services provided by a freelance content writer. When working with a freelance content writer, you will be responsible for creating your own content strategy and doing much, if not all, of the research yourself. As well as, posting the content created by the freelancer to your site and social media will be your responsibility. Of course, that is only if that content is up to your standards. If it is not, you or someone on your team will be tasked with doing multiple rounds of edits. And not to mention formatting, image sourcing, syndication, and content repurposing.

The list goes on and on for all the services a content management company provides its clients.

2. Scalable Content Development and Production

Consistent content creation is the bedrock of an effective content marketing strategy.

With a content management company comes consistency across platforms. A good content management company has a solid understanding of how each different type of content performs best at various stages of the buying cycle.

Partnering with a content management company allows for consistent, high-quality content creation.

Content production usually follows a basic life cycle, as follows:

• Research on topics and buyer personae that are identified in your content strategy
• Putting a plan together that incorporates your research, target keywords, and topic clusters
• Drafting headlines that map to your strategy, keywords, and topic clusters
• Scheduling your content calendar
• Drafting content briefs that provide direction for each piece of content
• Writing articles based on those findings
• Editing each piece before publishing
• Posting all pieces to social media channels

This process ensures you get quality content every time. It also allows you to focus on other aspects of running your business while having your content created by professionals.

High-Value Expert Content

While there are many freelance writers who are experts in any given subject, they may be difficult and expensive to retain. This can lead to inconsistent results when trying to create content.

A good content management company has an entire staff dedicated to producing top-notch content. They know how to write compelling copy, use keywords effectively, and understand how search engines like Google rank websites and other SEO tools. These skills allow them to produce consistently excellent content.

In addition to being able to generate great content quickly, a content management company will also help you develop and maintain a strong brand identity through consistent, high-quality content.

Expert content can be defined as material created by a subject matter expert, but when it comes to content marketing, there is more to it than that. Expert content provides more than just a simple and superficial look at a given topic.

Here are the four key components of expert content:

Knowledge

Expert content should show depth and breadth of knowledge on a given subject. This means providing general information that appeals to a wider readership as well as in-depth information. Depending on the subject, that might mean statistics, analysis, or insider tips.

Insight

Content that provides insight on a topic is essential for getting readers to stay on a page and read your content. If a piece of content is too general and does not offer solutions, readers will quickly look elsewhere.

Relevance

The content you produce must be relevant to your audience. Therefore, it is essential you know who your audience is. A content management company can help you identify your audience and craft content around this readership. Also, different types of content might appeal to different segments of your audience.

Ease

Expert writers and editors will be able to ensure that your content is easy for your readers to read. This will depend on the audience and the technical aspects of writing. Publishing poorly researched or written articles can hurt your brand reputation.

3. Consistent Content Delivery with a Content Management Company

A content calendar helps lay out when the content needs to go live so it can be scheduled for publishing, accordingly.

A content calendar helps keep everyone on track. The content management company creates a schedule outlining which days and times specific types of content should be published to establish a consistent publishing cadence.

Additionally, working with a content management company allows for:

• Accessibility from anywhere: no matter where you live, you’ll always have access to their services
• Flexible scheduling options
• You don't have to worry about missing deadlines because they're already set up

Content Promotion and Distribution

The most popular channels for posting written content are blogs and social media.

A blog (a term coined from joining words, web-log) allows users to read articles written by experts within their industry directly on their website.

Blogs often contain useful tips and advice that help readers improve their business. Creating your own blog section on your company's website establishes a hub for information sharing. It also helps build trust among customers because they know where to go when they want to learn more about your products and services.

Some examples of popular business blogs include Entrepreneur Magazine’s Small Business Trends and Forbes’ Forbes Small Biz Daily.

Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, LinkedIn profiles, and Instagram feeds allow consumers to interact directly with brands.

Social media platforms give businesses another way to share information and connect with their potential customers. Having a social media presence online gives credibility to your brand and increases awareness.

How to Choose: Content Management Company vs Freelance Writer

Content Management Company Benefits

Content teams work together to create well-researched, written, and edited pieces of expert content. These teams comprise content managers, researchers, expert writers, subject matter experts, and experienced editors. Each member contributes his or her own unique skill sets to make sure every piece of content meets its goals.

The end result is a cohesive team that produces quality content efficiently. It's not uncommon for companies to spend thousands of dollars per month hiring freelancers only to find out later that they didn't really get value for their investment. By contrast, a content marketing agency is part of a larger organization. Their goal isn't just to provide one service but rather to offer complete end-to-end solutions for clients' needs.

Instead of the inconsistent results from freelance writer-generated content, the type of content created by the team at a content management company will be consistent and help bolster your company's image. This leads to increased confidence in your brand from existing customers and clients, as well as helping to generate new conversions.

When choosing between hiring a freelance writer versus partnering with a content management company, here are a few important factors to consider:

Value

Hiring a freelance writer may sometimes cost less upfront than working with a content agency, but you risk wasting your investment on poor-quality content.

Quality of Work

Because a content management company has experienced content team members, the quality of content produced is higher than that of an individual freelance writer.

Consistency

Each piece of content produced by a content management company will be scheduled and finely edited, making for consistent, high-quality content.

The Downside of Hiring Freelance Writers

Freelance writers are rarely engaged in all the stages of content creation.

Instead, they are simply responsible for generating a piece of written content and submitting it to you for review. You must do everything else involved in managing your online presence, including research, editing, scheduling posts, responding to comments, etc.

If you choose to work with a freelance writer, there is no guarantee that they will deliver the work that was agreed upon. In fact, it is common for businesses who hire freelance writers to pay double for a final draft—once for writing the article and then again for editing it to prepare for publication. That’s a lot of unnecessary spending!

When hiring freelance writers, there’s a risk of the writer disappearing!

Indeed, it isn't uncommon for a hired freelance content writer to disappear without notice, leaving clients scrambling to find a new content writer on the fly. This is essentially unheard of with content management companies. Contracts and protecting the company's reputation help prevent this.

Final Thoughts on the Benefits of Partnering with a Content Management Company

While freelance writers may seem convenient, they can't match the comprehensive services of a content management company. For an effective content marketing strategy, consider working with a content management company tailored to your business needs.

Partner with WriteForMe for All Your Content Management Needs

The WriteForMe team understands that every business is different, with unique content marketing goals.

Our team of content experts can help you find a content strategy that works for you and your company. We write blog posts for SEO purposes, focused on in-depth, informative articles. Whatever your content needs may be, our content team is ready to take them on!

Contact us today!