Originally published October 22, 2019 , updated on September 6, 2024
One of the latest business debates appears to be centred around whether or not outsourcing is better than in-house work. Especially when it comes to content creation. In order to weigh in on this topic, we need to understand how outsourcing works, and the advantages it can bring to the table.
Like any specialist, outsourced content creators are best viewed as an investment for the future of a business. It can be daunting to give control of a specific project to a third party. However, it is a minor sacrifice to make when considering the benefits that come from this kind of business relationship. Here are some advantages to outsourcing that may sway the debate.
1. Saving Costs with Useful Content Creation
It is far from a secret that businesses are created to make money. It would make sense, therefore, for a business to do what it can to keep costs low, and in turn, increase turnover. Outsourcing of projects has a simple knock-on effect. It saves you the cost of employing people full-time for the same job, and providing all the employee benefits related to the job. Furthermore, during peak times of the year, the business does not need to hire seasonal workers in order to keep up with demand.
Temporary workers and full time staff can require specialised training. The need often results in a cost to the company, and time taken off to do the training. Thankfully, outsourced specialists are already trained to do the job and. Therefore, they do not require the business to invest further than the actual work itself.
By outsourcing content creation to outsource partners, you are able to be more flexible with the money that would have been spent on in-house employees. It frees up the budget for more important office investments – such as a new office coffee machine, perhaps? If your business is looking to enter a new market, or be more experimental in how they approach content, outsourcing is a way to maintain current projects in-house. You do it while allowing the outsource partners to take on the more creative projects. That way, if you decide to go in a different direction, you will not have lost valuable time on necessary work, and the cost of the experiment will be low.
2. Multitasking and Fast Turnaround Times
Simply put, outsourcing saves time. The majority of outsourcing partners have quick turnaround times, often completing small to medium sized projects within a week. What could potentially take an in-house employee longer to complete, due to a build-up of other projects, will take an outsource partner a shorter time. Freeing up time on smaller content projects will leave the in-house employees with more time to complete the more important aspects of their work.
Multitasking is another benefit of using outsourcing. With outsourcing firms employing a multitude of talented people, you can outsource multiple projects to the firm, without concern for when and how they will be completed. What may take one in-house employee longer to complete, can be done by multiple outsourced creators. It saves you time and effort.
3. Experience and Expertise
It would make sense, in any type of business, to hire a person who is best suited to the job. This can be difficult, however, when hiring of new employees is not an option. This is where outsourcing is a good choice. Outsource firms offer employees with extensive knowledge and experience in a multitude of fields. It means that you are able to hand-pick the best person for the content creation job. There is no need, therefore, to worry about hiring new people, or training current employees. The expert you need is right at your fingertips. Furthermore, outsourced content creators are inclined to keep up to date with the latest trends and practices, in order to remain relevant in the industry. This is a major benefit for your business, as it means that the work you will receive will be current and on trend.
4. No More Burn-Out
Trying to keep up to date with market trends, content preferences, and how best to use content, while still creating the content itself, can be taxing on anyone. It makes it difficult to remain excited about the content you use, and in turn, about the general operation of the business. Outsourcing is an easy answer to this problem. Outsourced creators can take away the monotonous aspects of content creating. They leave you to complete the more important, and often more exciting tasks. Maintaining enthusiasm for your work can increase productivity, and overall job satisfaction. This is important for any business, as happy employees work better for longer, and are less likely to seek other employment.
5. Higher Return on Investment with Professional Content Creation
Outsourcing content creation often helps a business to get more online traffic, more engaged readers, and more leads. The people employed by outsourcing firms are experts in how to use content to get more traffic, and how to manipulate content for search engine use. By using outsourced partners, your business can become more visible online, thereby encouraging new readers, and increasing potential customers. Furthermore, the more readers you get, the more likely it will be for a search engine to trust and promote your site. It further increases online presence, attracting more clients in perpetuity.
6. Maintain a Strong Content Marketing Strategy
Due to the fact that outsource firms know and understand how best to use content marketing, they can assist you. They strengthen or even create an effective content marketing strategy for your business. These firms have extensive industry knowledge and experience, making them well-versed in which types of content are best suited to marketing. Also, they may have a great potential of increasing audience engagement. Furthermore, they are able to analyse and evaluate content performance and use this information to determine what should or should not be changed to get better results.
Outsource firms have all the relevant tools and skills to best determine where and how marketing strategies perform well. Furthermore, they know how they should be implemented for the best possible outcome.
7. Gain a Trusted Partner
Choosing the correct outsourcing partner for content creation can lead to a strong, dependable business relationship. Trustworthy partners can make a difference for any business, particularly when it comes to marketing. Building a relationship with your outsource partner will allow them to establish how your business operates and how best to create content suited to your needs. They will be able to help you make the most out of your content, and potentially assist in growing your business too. Often, outsource partners become an extension of your in-house team (minus all the drawbacks) and assist to increase your capacity. Dependable partners create dependable work – it is that simple.
8. Greater Reach for Content Creation
Many outsource partners are masters of social media. They are able to ensure that your content reaches more people, quickly and effectively. Content creators for these firms are experts at call-to-action content and understand the psychology behind this type of marketing. Furthermore, the best firms often share your content within their own networks, increasing your visibility, and word-of-mouth dependability.
Many outsource partners are masters of social media. They are able to ensure that your content reaches more people, quickly and effectively. Content creators for these firms are experts at call-to-action content and understand the psychology behind this type of marketing. Furthermore, the best firms often share your content within their own networks, increasing your visibility, and word-of-mouth dependability.
9. Create a Wider Range of Content
As mentioned previously, outsourcing content creation allows for creativity and freedom to experiment with different types of content. This experimentation allows your business to find the best possible type of content, or to branch out into a new form of content.
Outsourcing relieves the stress of sending current employees on training for new types of content creation. Particularly if you don’t know whether or not said content is right for your business. Keeping current employees up-to-date with the ever-changing content trends can be costly. This is why it is best to outsource this kind of work, as the firms are always on top of the trends.
In the event that you are not sure which form of content is best for your business, outsource partners are able to assess your needs and recommend the best type of content.
Are We Still Debating?
Taking into consideration all the advantages of outsourcing content creation, it becomes more difficult to see why businesses are still debating whether or not to use these firms. From lower costs and increased productivity, to greater reliability and expertise, outsourcing is quickly becoming a business necessity. So perhaps it is time to stop debating, start saving, and go find that new office coffee machine.