Outsourcing can be a great way to save time, money, and resources for your online content creation. However, it can also pose some challenges, such as maintaining quality, consistency, and originality. How can you create innovative content while outsourcing? Here are some tips to help you achieve both goals.
Before you outsource any content creation, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you want to measure it. What is the purpose, audience, tone, and style of your content? What are the key messages, keywords, and calls to action? How will you track and evaluate the results? Communicate these goals and expectations to your outsourced team or freelancer, and provide them with relevant guidelines, examples, and feedback.
Create regular check-ins Just because you have outsourced doesn't mean you should shut it all down and walk away. Allow time for "re-takes" or second/third drafts if the content is not singing in the way you had imagined. Build this flexibility into your contracts.
Not all content creators are created equal. You need to find someone who understands your niche, your brand, and your vision. You also need to check their portfolio, reviews, and references to see if they can deliver high-quality, original, and engaging content. Look for someone who can offer more than just writing or editing skills, such as research, design, SEO, or multimedia. And don't forget to negotiate the terms, deadlines, and rates of your outsourcing agreement.
The right person in the right place will be your game changer. Wrong… may ruin your content plans. Choose carefully and pay for what you receive. Don’t try to use people, don’t approach freelancers with “they are cheap” thought in your head. No one will work with passion for someone who doesn’t appreciate their work.
Outsourcing doesn't mean you can sit back and relax. You still need to be involved in the content creation process, and maintain regular communication with your outsourcing partner. Use online tools, such as Google Docs, Trello, or Slack, to share ideas, feedback, and updates. Encourage your outsourcing partner to be creative and innovative, and give them the freedom and flexibility to experiment with different formats, styles, and approaches. But also make sure they follow your guidelines and expectations, and respect your brand identity and voice.
One way to create innovative content while outsourcing is to repurpose and optimize your existing content. You can ask your outsourcing partner to transform your blog posts into videos, podcasts, infographics, or ebooks. You can also ask them to update, expand, or combine your old content into new pieces. This can help you reach new audiences, increase your authority, and boost your SEO. However, you need to ensure that your repurposed and optimized content is relevant, fresh, and valuable for your readers.
Before you publish or distribute your outsourced content, you need to review and revise it carefully. You need to check for accuracy, clarity, grammar, spelling, and formatting. You also need to check for plagiarism, copyright, and legal issues. You can use online tools, such as Grammarly, Copyscape, or Hemingway, to help you with this task. But don't rely on them entirely. You also need to use your own judgment and expertise to ensure that your content meets your standards and goals.
The final step to create innovative content while outsourcing is to test and measure your content performance. You need to use analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, or Mailchimp, to track and evaluate the impact of your content on your audience, traffic, conversions, and revenue. You also need to collect and analyze feedback from your readers, customers, and peers. Based on the data and insights you gather, you can adjust, improve, or scale your content strategy and outsourcing process.
Couldn’t agree more. Collaboration and feedback from various key stakeholders IS key to effective and successful content creation. Accounting for and building that critical time (and securing said stakeholder involvement) into the plan beforehand, is absolutely essential.
Share a Brief for Brand Voice Share the existing blogs, website, and social media content to give freelancers an idea about brand voice. Provide a detailed creative brief outlining the project's scope, goals, target audience, tone of voice, and specific requirements. If the product is technical then there is a requirement for knowledge transfer, and provide all required pieces of training to reduce turnaround time. Be open to creative suggestions from the outsourcing team.