When it comes to producing all the content for your business blog, who is the person who handles this? Many companies who use blogging to help boost their business are actually doing themselves no favors when they outsource their writing to other people who are not associated with their business or familiar with what they do. If you want your blog to truly be a factor in your business you should do all your writing in-house. And there are reasons behind this, so let me point out what can happen when you outsource the writing for your blog.
First, when you outsource your writing you are most likely hiring somebody who has no knowledge of the inner workings of your business or industry. Much of the content that this person comes up with may only be obtained through a simple Google search. Information obtained this way tends to be very generic and often duplicated on other sites. Content such as this really doesn’t offer the extra value that an industry insider can often bring.
Some companies outsource their blog content writing to people in foreign countries in an effort to reduce labor costs. This can be a good thing for the business in question, but I would say that the majority of these instances are doomed for failure. Hiring someone where your language is not so familiar with them usually produces results that are not professional and contains many grammar and spelling mistakes. You want your business blog to be an extension of your business and to portray a sense of professionalism and personality. Having blog posts that are full of errors does not induce confidence and can have very detrimental consequences to your business.
On the other hand, providing your blog content from “within the ranks” usually means that the content is much more focused on the target audience you are after and the information is more relevant. After all, who knows your business better than you?
Now I’m not saying that everything needs to be done in-house, but that you should consider producing the content for your blog from either you or someone from within your company. Other aspects of your blog or website could easily be outsourced as is explained over at ThatMLMBeat.
When you provide content from within your business you know that the information you are providing is accurate and (hopefully!) beneficial. You can’t always get this guarantee when you hire someone outside your company to take over your business blog. If you are concerned about the quality of the content on your business blog (and you should be), then you should require that all the writing comes from you or an able employee.
Yes, blogs do require more attention and maintenance than regular websites. But the benefits of blogging can far outweigh the investment of time and effort if you approach it the right way. By sourcing your writing in-house as opposed to outsourcing it you ensure that your content is unique and relevant. Your reader base will become much more satisfied this way and you can count on a larger base of repeat visitors if you source your blog material from within your business.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree that no one will know as much, or be as passionate as the person who gave ‘birth’ to their company. I think it would be wonderful if more businesses did their own blogging. After all, if you are passionate about your subject, it shows through regardless. However, there are several angles I think you’ve failed to consider that can have massive effects on the end product.
First, you mention that writing should be done ‘in-house.’ Honestly, I would love to see the founder of every company do their own writing. For instance, I follow a lot of what Richard Branson blogs and tweets. He’s a fascinating individual. Unfortunately, he simply doesn’t have the time to be posting with so much already on his plate. I’m not saying he never does his own stuff, but that’s what makes those tidbits so much more interesting. In a way, it builds up the buzz so to speak.
The rest of the information posted there is done in house. You can tell instantly (and I don’t mean by the pronouns). It isn’t that they are bad writers, it’s just that they don’t have the same passion.
Businesses can hire people who are passionate about the business, but these are few, far, and in between. You only have to walk into a local store to find proof. This doesn’t mean that the employee doesn’t like his job, but love is another matter.
If they were told they needed to work for free until the business became profitable, I guarantee there would be a stampede to the door. When it comes to my business, I’ll go down with the ship before I am willing to let it go.
Time management also comes into consideration. Would it be more profitable for high-end management to work on achieving their business goals, or writing a blog post? If you choose those who have smaller amounts of responsibility, and only truly know one area of the business, does the company gain?
In my opinion, it isn’t so much a question of hiring a writer. The real issue is hiring the right one. I am not a car fanatic, but you give me a topic on music, for example, and I can write forever with no less passion than the business who hired me. At the same time, you could hire someone in house who shares the same passion, and you would end up with a similar product as the one the writer produced.
Hiring writers that speak another language is an issue, and it has nothing against these writers. The US market is the largest in the world followed closely behind Canada, Australia, and the UK. If I were from a foreign country, I would head straight to the largest market (ok, I’m from Canada, so I guess I am foreign, but you know what I mean).
Because of the economical differences between these countries, it drives the price per word down, the quality isn’t there, and it just doesn’t work. I will argue for them as well. I personally know a few writers from third world and emerging markets who are equal to or better writers than I am. They have the talent, and the passion that has driven them to learn the finer points of the language. They have it down to an art.
Lastly, it depends on the targeted market. If I owned a business targeting those starting in SEO, it may be in my better interest to hire a writer who knows some, is interested, but isn’t an expert. They are able to capture the subject from a beginners perspective, and don’t leave out the small tidbits that experts take as second nature.
So yes, if a business has the time, means, and talent to blog, do it! If you can’t, or don’t want to, select the right person for the job.
Thank you for bringing up the topic! I’m afraid it is one that isn’t discussed often enough. Plus, you have to admit the regurgitation of information has gotten out of control
Angie Haggstrom’s last blog post..10 Surefire Ways To Fail At Being A Freelance Writer
@Angie
You bring up many points that I did not expound upon and you state them very well!
On topics such as these I have not defined them in a concrete and definitive way as there is always an exception to the rule. Yes, when you outsource your writing to another individual or company you risk misinformation and/or lack of passion but sometimes you may strike gold and those are the writers to hold on to!
Much of what I’ve posted so far are general guidelines; they are not a definitive guideline to be followed for every situation. There can be circumstances that would necessitate a person to go outside these guidelines and a careful analysis of your blogging goals will help point you in the right direction. Business blogging is definitely not a “one size fits all” kind of format and it is important to consider all facets of your industry when you in order to customize and optimize your blogging approach.
I do hope you continue to comment on the posts that are published here because your insight is of value to other readers.
Thanks for the link to my post “5 Sure Fire ways to Outsource your Internet Network Marketing Business” on http://thatMLMbeat.com. You are quite right about making sure the content on your blog comes from the authors within your business. I haven’t had any writing outsourced but if I do, I am sure, I will still want to do the research.
I have enjoyed reading your other blog posts and have picked up some great tips.
Thanks again for stopping by and for sharing such valuable information.
Cheers.
Joyce Jacobsen
thatMLMbeat’s last blog post..Secrets of Success in 8 Words and 3 Minutes