At first glance, outsourcing content creation appears to be a costly exercise. An item of copy produced by a freelancer or an agency can seem, word-for-word, more expensive than the hourly rate of an in-house copywriter. And even if you don’t have a dedicated writing team, there’s probably someone there who can bash out a few hundred words on your latest must-have product or service, right?
We’re asked time and time again why outsourced copywriting services can appear to be so pricey. However, the fact of the matter is that they’re really not. A professional freelance copywriter can be a real cost saver, helping you to minimise your outgoings while bringing true value to every word of your online communications, reaching audiences that you might otherwise have missed. Outsourcing takes away the difficulties associated with the direct management of staff members and ensures that your budget is used solely for output, not for administration, equipment and staffing issues.
To help our clients better understand the value in using outsourced copywriting services, The Content Marketing Team have compiled a list of six simple ways our copywriters will help you to save money and improve your communications:
- We offer in-depth experience and knowledge
- A good copywriter is versatile
- Outsourcing for a different perspective
- An outside team can save you on induction fees
- You’ll only pay for what a copywriter delivers
- We’re there when you need us (and not when you don’t)
1. We offer in-depth experience and knowledge
While we understand that you know your business and your products inside out, nobody knows how to bring your message to life like a copywriter. With years of experience under our belts working with a wide variety of clients, we’re able to quickly understand the message you want to put out there. We’re also skilled in communicating with a wide range of customers, helping to place your business in a variety of different markets.
While writing is, without a doubt, a talent, it also requires learning, practice and skill. Not only does a good copywriter know how to make words sound pretty, they’re also well-versed in writing for SEO. They know which keywords will make your product stand out and they’re up to date with the latest Google trends. These skills can take years to build and require constant learning. Does your team have the time and budget for that?
Not only does a good copywriter know how to make words sound pretty, they’re also well-versed in writing for SEO.
2. A good copywriter is versatile
Copywriters don’t just know the basics of grammar, they’re also skilled in finding the right voice for your brand. Like actors, copywriters can create different written personas in order to reach specific audiences and fit with their client’s preferred tone of voice. This versatility could be especially valuable to you if your company works across a range of brands or where your market research tells you that you should be reaching out to a broader range of potential customers.
Not only do copywriters offer versatility in tone of voice, they’re also adaptable when it comes to subject matter. Skilled at picking out the most important or valuable aspects of any service, a copywriter works quickly to understand a brief and investigate the technical aspects of your product without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. We do this over and over again with an assortment of clients, meaning that we can be writing seriously about the technicalities of a vitamin supplement in the morning and working on a light-hearted piece about household storage in the afternoon. That chameleon-like ability to quick-change a tone of voice and get up to speed on a project helps us to work fast while producing pinpoint accurate copy.
Skilled at picking out the most important or valuable aspects of any service, a copywriter works quickly to understand a brief and investigate the technical aspects of your product without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail.
3. Outsourcing for a different perspective
Many companies prefer to keep their writing in-house. In many ways it makes sense – one voice for one brand. However, using the same one or two writers month in, month out can result in stale output. Creating the ever-changing, up-to-date content that good search engine rankings requires can mean repeatedly going over well-worn ground. That’s not easy, even for the most talented writer, and can mean your copywriting team lose motivation or find it tough to figure out new ways to express themselves, even when they know a product inside out.
Outsourcing your copywriting means using writers who are always full of new ideas. Even if you’re consistently working with the same freelancer (and we think sticking with someone who ‘gets’ you can be important), they’ll always find ways to keep things fresh. Alternatively, working with an agency like The Content Marketing Team means a carousel of uniquely talented writers who can pick up the slack when its time for a change.
Outsourcing your copywriting means using writers who are always full of new ideas.
4. An outside team can save you on induction fees
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) the average cost to hire a new member of staff is well over £4000. From paperwork and administrative time to what experts call ‘deferred productivity’ –the reduction in output when moving over to a new hire who’s getting up to speed on a project- costs can quickly add up. This could have a big impact on your department’s yearly budget, even more so on those occasions when a new employee doesn’t work out and you find yourself going through the whole process again within months.
Experts encourage employees to seek pastures new every three to five years with younger employees tending to begin job hunting sooner than older team members. Additionally, recent research suggests that Gen Z employees, new to the work force, are changing jobs at a faster rate than the Millennials that came before them did when starting out. All of which means those induction fees for new employees are going to start hitting you even more regularly. Choosing to work with an outside team, though it may appear costly compared to a regular staff wage, means cutting out the hassle and investment involved in hiring and training new staff.
Choosing to work with an outside team means cutting out the hassle and investment involved in hiring and training new staff.
5. You’ll only pay for what a copywriter delivers
Think about all the things you pay for as part of your employees’ wages. Their lunch breaks, their coffee breaks, their holidays and sick days and the time that they spend discussing last night’s Love Island by the water cooler. You’ll also be investing in desk space and equipment, including costly computers. And with home working on the rise, employees are increasingly calling on companies to contribute to the cost of their broadband connections and appropriate home office furnishings.
A third party copywriter’s expenses are covered by their fee. If we choose to spend an hour catching up on Netflix or take a long lunch that’s time out of our day, not your pocket. When we take a long weekend in Edinburgh it doesn’t cost you a penny (and we keep checking our emails while we’re gone). In short, all you pay for is the fruit of our labours – the feature you’ve paid us to produce. There’s no hidden costs, no additional fees and no wasted time when it comes to a our copy. You pay, we write. That’s it.
You pay, we write. That’s it.
6. We’re there when you need us (and not when you don’t)
We’ve all been there. Three months of intense work with barely a break and then all of sudden…crickets. Your superstar employee has gone from fingers on fire to twiddling their thumbs and you’re paying for them to play Solitaire or carry out admin work that’s well below their pay grade. It’s frustrating for an employee and employer alike, costing your company money and making staff retention tough.
Choosing to use an outsourced team for your copywriting -one of the easiest aspects of your business to pass to a third party- means that you’re only paying for a copywriter when you need one. So when that big budget is signed off and you have cash to spend on advertising materials or SEO content, we’re lined up at the starting gate. But when the money temporarily dries up or you have less products to launch, we can be stabled without complaint and with no idling cost to you and your business. And of course, once a supplier is set up on your system, getting them in again for more work when it’s needed is a real piece of cake.
You’re only paying for a copywriter when you need one.
Contact us to find out more about our copywriting services
When it comes to producing engaging copy, The Content Marketing Team really knows its stuff. Drop us a line to find out more about how we can help you to supercharge your content to reach a wider audience while making the most of your copywriting budget.
Call us on +44 (0) 808 145 4416 or use our contact form.
