If you’re thinking of hiring the services of a good content writing agency and wondering – Do businesses need a content writing agency? – here’s some data to answer your question. According to a survey conducted in 2020, 81% of marketers across the world outsource content writing, making it the number one outsourced content creation activity. And there’s more than one good reason for it. Outsourcing your content creation activities to a good content writing service with experienced writers on their team saves you in terms of costs, resources and time.
1. Is the content writing agency genuine and reliable?
The first thing that you would want to verify before anything else is whether the content writing agency you’re considering is credible or not. Most content writing agencies today operate remotely or online. There are undoubtedly huge benefits to it as you can order content and have it delivered from any part of the world. But it also has its downside. For instance, if someone wants to scam customers, the remote setting makes it very easy. There could be many fake agencies out there that you should steer clear of.
2. What does their client base look like?
Once you have ascertained that the content writing agency is genuine, you need to do some digging on who their client base includes. This information can prove to be very useful. Firstly, it will tell you whether they are working with any reputable brands and businesses. If yes, it indicates that the content agency is reliable – if big names in the industry trust their work, you can too.
3. What kind of experience and expertise do they have?
Even if you do find an agency that works with clients from your industry, it is important to know what experience and expertise they bring along. When it comes to creating content for a business, there are a lot of factors to consider. Some writers specialize in writing short-form content like witty social media posts and ad copy. Others have a flair for blog writing or other long-form content. Some agencies specialize only in PR content or research reports.
4. How is their past work performing? Can they provide samples?
No matter how experienced or how reliable a content writing agency is, ultimately it all boils down to how the content they create will perform for you. Of course, it is hard to tell as content marketing takes time to show results but the performance of their past content for other clients should be a good indicator of their quality.
If you know of any brands or businesses they create content for, you could see for yourself how their content is ranking on search engines like Google. In fact, if you can find the right person to contact in the said business, you can also chat with them to find out how the content created by the agency is faring and if they have seen any positive results from it.
5. What else can they offer other than content development?
Content marketing involves a lot more than just content creation. If you can find an agency that offers something beyond content creation for blogs and articles, it could be a jackpot. Most important on our list of priorities would be SEO content, website content, and support with content strategy.
6. Do they offer a trial or a discount on your initial orders?
Outsourcing content creation to a content writing agency is a huge investment and, in most cases, a long-term relationship that your business is going to build. So you cannot dive into it without testing the waters first. If you have chosen the best content writing service, they should ideally be providing you with a free trial or a discount on your first order.
