It’s no secret that with the rise of our digital devices, almost every industry has entered into a fiercely competitive market. With almost everything being done online, there is a need to stand out, and we all know how important content creation is when it comes to boosting online visibility. Having a strong content marketing strategy is a critical component in having a successful business that drives and nurtures customers. However, not all companies have the time or resources to maintain a comprehensive editorial calendar that continuously produces fresh content. Even teams that do have abundant resources can benefit from incorporating outside perspectives into their strategy.
No matter how well thought out your content strategy is, you still face the time-consuming task of writing, editing, optimizing and posting the content yourself. In fact, 77 percent of creative teams developing content find the speed at which they work challenging. 72 percent also struggle with the volume of work being assigned. Since content is a vital component of growing your company and developing your brand, solving these challenges is imperative.
Outsourcing your content creation can be a fantastic way to reap the benefits that come with content marketing while saving valuable company resources and budget.
What Is Content Outsourcing?
Content outsourcing is when you hire another business or individual to be in charge of all or some of your content production needs. Typically, the other party will create the content fresh for you, or in the case of The New York Times Licensing Group, companies can utilize content created by world-class journalists to meet their content marketing goals and KPIs.
However, outsourcing content production and development can make employees feel apprehensive; some may worry that the content will come off as less authentic and may not easily resonate with some consumers. But, with the right outsourcing talent and publication alignment, you can actually take your content to the next level, with the potential to become a thought leader in the space.
The Current State of Outsourcing Content Creation
It’s no secret that content marketing is a successful tactic for businesses looking to connect with audiences. While quality is important, quantity also matters in an increasingly competitive landscape. Consider the following stats:
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84% of companies are outsourcing content production and development.
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46% of agencies note that their content marketing efforts contributed to over ¼ of their revenue.
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83% of a B2B purchasing decision happens before a sales person even speaks to a prospect.
What Types of Content Development Can You Outsource?
Content is a broad term that can mean a variety of different things, and content isn’t just about writing. Outsourcing content creation isn't restricted to specific formats. There are a number of opportunities to leverage outside help when creating new pieces of content. Your team can outsource blog content, articles, and graphics. Below are some formats that can benefit from either agency help or a licensing company. to blogs, and there are a number of formats of content that you can outsource depending on your specific business needs and goals.
Articles
From long-form articles and editorial content to short-and-sweet blogs, businesses have achieved great success outsourcing from renowned publications like The New York Times, Harvard Business Review and Scholastic. Companies can leverage this content across a wide range of industries, including financial news, business insights, entertainment news or trends in health care. These kinds of articles can also target those specifically in the middle of the funnel or those just beginning the customer journey.
Leveraging journalism in marketing can be beneficial for those looking to ramp up their content production while providing valuable insights. In fact, 33 percent of business leaders and three out of five opinion leaders already rely on The New York Times for information. By providing reliable insights from world-class journalists on industry-specific news or trends, you can strengthen brand credibility.
Award-winning companies such as AdvisorStream use content from reputable publishers to help drive conversions and engagement for their user base. Transitioning to a content strategy that includes licensed content led to a 260 percent increase in lead capture from its platform and a 200 percent increase in views over the course of six months.
Alternatively, companies can leverage bespoke articles or use content agencies to convert their webinars into articles. There are numerous ways to provide engaging content when outsourcing.
Graphics
You can license powerful graphics to break down complex narratives and to complement your content. Graphics are not only just pictures and photographs, but they are also considered a piece of visual art that helps to tell your story. For example, items like infographics, drawings and diagrams that combine text, illustration and color can be grouped into this category.
Graphics can either be custom designed via designers or licensed from publications. Both options add more depth to the stories your brand is sharing.
Photos
There are many different types of photos you can outsource or license to enhance your stories. These include editorial photography, news photography, commercial photography, travel photography, portrait photography and photojournalism.
Videos
Often overlooked, videos are proving to be a valuable component of any content strategy. However, many organizations don’t have the resources to create this kind of content, and outsourcing video production can be a great option for those with limited teams.
Why Outsource Content Development
Outsourcing content development and creation can benefit organizations of all sizes. Outsourced content can provide a new perspective from industry leaders and establish more credibility with audiences.
In fact, according to 66% of decision-makers, the pandemic led to an increase in thought leadership content development. However, 71% agreed that less than half of their reading delivered valuable information and insights. By outsourcing some of your content production, your team can produce more unique content pieces that stand out from an already saturated marketplace to build better connections with your audience.
There are numerous benefits to outsourcing your content development needs. These include saving time, providing new perspectives and developing your brand as a thought leader.
Below are 12 benefits of outsourcing content development:
1. Save Time
You may have the following dilemma: You know you need to incorporate a content strategy to help you meet your marketing goals, but you simply don’t have time or the proper resources. Alternatively, even if you have a comprehensive content strategy in place, teams may be too strapped already to change directions, generate new content ideas, or add new assets to their production calendars. But the good thing about content is that you don’t have to create it yourself in order for it to benefit your brand. Choosing a trusted content production firm like The New York Times Licensing Group will take this business need off your back, leaving your team time to tackle other projects.
2. Provide a New Perspective
It can be all too easy to feel siloed in your industry, and with that comes the problem of old concepts that have been done and not enough fresh ideas. Bringing in someone else to write your content can provide a fresh perspective and insights that can engage potential customers and offer a new mindset that will boost your marketing strategy to a whole new level.
3. Publish Content More Quickly
A good content strategy requires consistent content production. You need to provide your readers with hot-off-the-press information on a steady basis, otherwise they’ll start searching elsewhere for answers. So instead of keeping your marketing efforts on the back burner for another few months, choosing a content development outsourcer will ensure you can produce and publish your content as quickly as possible. Quick turnaround is especially important when discussing industry news and trends, since these are constantly shifting. Your company can choose to outsource this content to world-renowned reporters through licensing or by curating news content.
4. Save Money
This may surprise you, but outsourcing third-party content is often much cheaper than hiring a full-time writer for your team. Plus, you pay for just the content and the content alone. Hiring a full-time writer involves paying them a consistent salary, plus benefits, no matter their productivity. Partnering with a licensing company, on the other hand, can give you access to world-class writers at a fraction of the cost.
5. A Full-Time Writer May Not Always Adapt to Your Needs
Your content requirements can change on a dime. What you may need for content today can be drastically different from what you will need for content in the future, and hiring a full-time writer may not be the best business decision. With all the money, time and resources that come with training an employee, consider that your writer may not adapt to your needs moving forward. Even if your company does have full-time writers, it may still make sense to get outside perspectives from thought leaders or insights on industry trends from respected journalists. Additionally, outsourcing at least some of your content may provide you with more flexibility in terms of topics and writers.
6. Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader
You may have a lot of ideas but not know exactly how to express them. This is where your content development firm can help you: They are there to express all of your ideas in a manner that positions you as a thought leader in your industry. By having one firm dedicated to just your content creation, they can spend the necessary time needed researching, gathering ideas and producing content that sets you apart from others in your industry. As a result, your ideas and content will start to gain traction, and consumers will begin to see you as a trusted source of information.
7. Reach New Audiences
New content writers can help you reach new audiences. A new voice or writing style enables you to connect with people who may not have related to previous content pieces. Additionally, by incorporating storytelling techniques through licensed newspaper articles or commissioned thought leadership pieces, you can build an emotional connection with your target audience.
8. Explore New Types of Content Formats
Content development firms have the ability to create content in different formats such as videos and graphics, which can target different users compared with your typical customer base. And when you incorporate different content formats, you can reach more consumers in a way that feels natural, and not explicitly targeted, which helps your brand come off as more authentic. 55% of creative teams struggle with the increasing amount of channels that need content. By outsourcing specific aspects of your editorial calendar, you can leverage experts who specialize in these new formats. Additionally, you can save your internal team time and resources to work on other projects.
9. The Need for Content Is Increasing
Businesses have shifted over the last two years with an increasing focus on digital channels. With this change, the demand for B2B content has risen by 49.8 percent year over year. Building out an editorial calendar with frequent high-quality content pieces has become more important than ever, so outsourcing content can help teams stay ahead of this new demand and remain competitive.
10. Companies Are Becoming More Global
The need for a global content marketing strategy is rising, and many organizations are looking to include multilingual content in their strategy. However, creating a global marketing strategy can be a time-consuming endeavor, from onboarding employees to selecting the right translation agencies. By outsourcing content designed for the intended audience, your team can save money and ensure that content speaks to the target audience’s pain points, instead of being a regurgitation of what suits domestic audiences.
11. Pivot Quickly
When AdvisorStream partnered with NYTLicensing, they showcased different kinds of content to their user base. However, during the pandemic, they noticed wellness content performed exceedingly well, despite their platform being geared toward financial advisors. By leveraging outsourced licensed content, your team can test what resonates best with audiences and pivot according to outside events that may affect your audience’s day-to-day lives.
12. Meeting Your Goals More Efficiently
When you work with outsourced content, you can not only make sure you have constant content to publish, but you’re also able to expand the expertise and thought leadership themes of your content. Not only is there a constant flow of content, but that content is also more high-quality.
10 Steps to Outsource Content Development & Creation
Before you choose the right content creator for your business, consider these factors first.
1. Conduct a Content Audit to Identify Gaps
In order to ensure the best results with your outsourcing firm, you’ll want to figure out exactly what content you need to be created. Conduct a content audit, taking the time to dig into your website, white papers, brochures and social media profiles to see what content themes you have already produced, what is performing well and how you can identify any gaps. Take note of these gaps, as they’ll drive your content strategy going forward.
2. Establish KPIs
What is important to you in your content performance? Is it the number of readers, clicks and shares? Or are you trying to drive consumers right to your social media pages and website to interact with you and make a phone call? Establishing your content KPIs before you outsource your content production is incredibly important so you can monitor your success.
3. Determine What Needs to Be Created In-House
Due to the expertise required for certain materials, you may have to create some content yourself in-house. This may include product brochures or branded assets that only your business, and your business alone, can produce. Additionally, assets such as case studies are a valuable way to show how your products are used by other clients and how they give your company credibility. You may also have senior leadership who can provide valuable insights into the market, which you can leverage in webinars and other content assets.
4. Content Volume
You’ll want to think about how often you will want to deliver new assets. Similarly, you’ll also want to think a bit into the future. This means determining ongoing content series, at what cadence you want to release content and more.
5. Determine What Pieces Could Benefit From Outside Perspectives
In the same vein as above, you need to determine what pieces and themes of content can benefit from an outside perspective. This could include curating news articles from reputable publications, or showcasing bylines from well-respected thought leaders in your industry. These outside voices can help strengthen your brand by showcasing trends and insights from trusted sources. By incorporating content from trusted publications, your organization can create stronger bonds with your target audience.
6. Think About Tone and Brand Guidelines
Does your business have specific voice, tone or style guidelines that can be used to guide content? These guidelines help to keep your marketing workflows moving, while also ensuring your content will be in line with the rest of your brand’s content.
7. Consider Your Audience and How They Consume Content
Every brand needs to target its audience in a way that seems natural to them, or else the consumer won’t convert. So before you even start to produce your content, you have to consider your target audience and figure out how they consume media. Do they tend to use social media and like to get their information in short and sweet videos and graphics? Or, do they like to read informational articles and then make decisions after they have consumed all the material? Take what you learn and develop the strategy from there.
8. Identify Resources
It’s important to establish the right partner when creating content. 65% of marketers agree that finding the right partners is a key obstacle for them when outsourcing content. To solve for this challenge, consider licensing content, curating content, or working directly with thought leaders.
9. Financial and Legal Considerations
You’ll also want to ensure you have the proper budget to deploy your content marketing strategy. You’ll not only need to think about the current budget, but also future budgets to determine how to retain customers through content. Different types of content can also vary in costs. For example, a blog post will be significantly less expensive than producing a long-form video.
10. Measure the Success and Effectiveness of the Pieces Created In-House and the Content Pieces That Have Been Outsourced
Again, you must measure your content production efforts in a way that makes sense to you and showcases your ROI. So after you have had a few pieces of content outsourced, compare its performance to the pieces you have created in order to determine which pieces should be outsourced and which should be created in-house. By tracking these measurements, you can improve your content ROI and allocate the budget more effectively.
How Do You Outsource Content Creation and Production?
Finding quality content assets can be challenging for businesses that need writers to understand niche industries or can speak as a thought leader on a subject. Below are some ideas to get started:
Ask for Recommendations
Your trusted colleagues may have outsourced in the past, and they can provide you guidance on where to look to meet your content strategy needs. Also be sure to leverage your current network, including LinkedIn and past colleagues.
Work with an Agency
Content marketing agencies will work with you to develop the material you need to fill your content calendar. Although they can be a trusted partner, they are often more expensive than other options and may not be experts in the industries you are looking to target.
Partner With a Content Licensing Company
This is often the safest and easiest way to outsource content, as you will be working with a larger company that specializes in exactly this sort of thing. With this in mind, you can customize content marketing packages specifically for your business, with your content goals front and center in the strategy.
In-House Content Vs. Outsources Content
In-house content and outsourced content are both important components of any content strategy. Your in-house writers will have more insight into your product and its place in the market. However, outsourced content can allow your team to create more high-quality pieces at a faster rate. Additionally, you can showcase thought leaders and industry experts, who may not be employed at your company. This allows you to further build more educational content into your overall marketing plan.
Final Thoughts
Outsourcing content production can truly bring your brand to elevated heights. Working with The New York Times Licensing Group will use expert storytelling from a world-renowned brand to inspire your target audience. Harness the power of our unique storytelling, and learn more about how the NYTLicensing Group can help your brand, here.
Frequently Asked Questions about Content Outsourcing
What Does Outsourcing Mean in Marketing?
Outsourcing in marketing means leveraging the help of outside experts to facilitate specific marketing functions. This can include your marketing strategy, content, or media purchases.
Is Content Development Outsourcing Different from Content Outsourcing?
No, content outsourcing and content development outsourcing are the same thing.
Is Content Marketing Different from Content Creation Outsourcing?
Yes, the biggest difference between content marketing and content creation outsourcing is that content marketing is an all-encompassing strategy. Content creation outsourcing can be a part of that strategy. However, there are more channels, multiple campaigns and different forms of content that go into a larger strategy.
How Many Companies Are Outsourcing Their Content Marketing?
Many companies are outsourcing at least part of their content marketing process. 84% of companies are outsourcing content production, while 12% are outsourcing their editorial planning.
Many companies have small content teams with 59% of companies having between 1-5 people in these roles. 32% of companies have no people dedicated to content marketing full-time. By outsourcing content creation, marketing teams can benefit from having more assets to engage readers while saving on team time and resources.
Why You Should Outsource Copywriting?
Copywriting is a skill that every business needs. It's also a skill that many businesses don't have the time or resources to invest in. It's important to note that copywriting is different than content marketing. Understanding this difference as you outsource content marketing efforts will help you align your strategy correctly.
Here are four reasons why you should outsource copywriting:
1. You can focus on other projects or tasks.
2. You'll get high-quality results quickly at an affordable price point.
3. Your content will be consistent and professional across all channels (social media, blogs, and websites).
4. You'll save time.
Should You Outsource Content Writing?
Start outsourcing your content writing now! Content creation can be time-consuming, especially if you're not sure where to start or what topics will resonate with your target audience. Outsourcing helps ensure that your content is always up-to-date and relevant so that it doesn't take away from other areas of your business such as building your marketing strategy or customer service.
