But, that isn\u2019t always so simple or easy.<\/p>\n
From our experience, many agencies are faced with multiple dilemmas when it comes to writing content<\/a> for their clients. I\u2019ve reached out to a number of digital marketing agencies and asked them what the most common challenges in content writing for agencies<\/a> are.<\/p>\n Here are the most common challenges they reported.<\/p>\n Finding a capable writer \u2014 who also happens to be an expert on a specific niche or highly technical topic and<\/em>\u00a0is available to produce content when you need it \u2014 is no more different than hunting the proverbial unicorn.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n Simply because the vast majority of content writers are generalists<\/em>. Sure, they possess excellent language skills, the ability to adapt their style to effectively capture the unique voice of each brand they\u2019re working with, and a very good understanding of different content structures \u2014 from blog posts to press releases, whitepapers, product descriptions, and beyond. Their SEO knowledge is also pretty polished and they know how to work in the right keywords to boost the reach of every piece of content they produce.<\/p>\n While talented, content writers may lack the expertise required to create top-level content in extremely specialized industries. They\u2019re jacks of all trades.<\/p>\n But, they can\u2019t deal with the more advanced stuff. Like, say, gramework<\/a>, or the golang web framework.<\/p>\n What does that mean for your agency?<\/p>\n Simply – finding expert writers among a sea of generalists could prove challenging. And, for certain clients, finding those experts could be critical to creating content that’s going to help their business.<\/p>\n According to Julien Raby, president of web marketing agency Combustible, \u201cIn the past, we tackled this issue with extensive research on our end, but the result was bland, uninspiring content and our clients weren\u2019t happy with the results.\u201d<\/p>\n There are many industries that require that expert knowledge to create content clients will be happy with. For your content to stand out, you need someone who is intimately acquainted with that industry area or niche; someone who can artfully combine their professional expertise with their exceptional writing skills to produce expert-level content sprinkled with some good humor and a dash of personality; someone ready and willing to pour himself into every bit of the creation process.<\/p>\n In these cases – you need a specialist<\/em>.<\/p>\n For most digital marketing agencies, it\u2019s downright impossible \u2014 and decidedly unrealistic \u2014 to have specialists on staff for every single industry area or niche there is.<\/p>\n ALSO<\/strong> – Ghostwriters: The Secret to Maximizing Your In-House Writing Team<\/a><\/p>\n Successful content marketing is \u201ca byproduct of strong planning and consistent execution,\u201d<\/strong> as Ben Sailer of digital marketing giant CoSchedule very well puts it.<\/p>\n Before any content is created, agencies need to articulate an effective plan, with both short- and long-term goals, and share it with clients.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no shortcut to achieving content marketing success. It doesn\u2019t happen overnight, and there\u2019s no telling exactly how long it can take to see any results.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve chatted with agencies whose clients regard content creation and content marketing as a small part of their overall marketing mix and under-appreciate the great deal of work that goes into every step of this process. And, they often don’t appreciate that it can take time to yield results.<\/p>\n Writers and content marketers work really hard to produce content and promote it.<\/p>\n And writing exceptional<\/em> content is no easy task, especially when there\u2019s a specific goal or need to be addressed.<\/p>\n According to Nelson Jordan, co-founder of Agency Match, \u201cAlthough most clients understand that content creation [and inbound marketing] can take months or years to bear fruit, other stakeholders with a lesser understanding of content marketing can sometimes questions why results haven\u2019t been achieved, particularly if they\u2019re more familiar with the instant results that paid advertising can generate.\u201d<\/p>\n When clients realize their content isn\u2019t garnering any ROI, they may get concerned. They want results \u2014 the kind of immediate results they get when boosting a Facebook post or running a Google AdWords campaign. Instant. Almost palpable.<\/p>\n We all know it\u2019s not going to happen in a flash. But there\u2019s no definite answer as to how long content marketing takes to produce positive ROI. Three, maybe six months, seems to be a good estimate.<\/p>\n It\u2019s only natural that your clients will fear they\u2019ll invest in content marketing for months on end without anything to show at the end.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s all the more reason why agencies should educate clients on the huge potential they have for generating ROI with content marketing. Results from paid advertising will stop generating anything the moment you stop your campaigns, whereas each piece of content you publish will continue to generate compound traffic growth and leads over time. It\u2019s a bit like real estate.<\/p>\n There\u2019s so much potential, but you\u2019ll need to prepare your clients to be patient.<\/p>\n The U.S. is the largest market for content marketing, with spends estimated to have exceeded $16 billion in 2016. A 2018 study by the Content Marketing Institute<\/a> shows that successful B2B marketers spend a staggering 40 percent of their marketing budget on content, which is higher than the industry average of 29 percent. At the same time, as much as 37 percent of marketers who aren\u2019t successful with content marketing blame it on their inadequate budget.<\/p>\n The average recommended budget for content marketing ranges from 7 to 8 percent of gross revenue<\/a> for companies with annual revenues below $5 million and a net profit margin \u2014 after all expenses \u2014 in the 10 percent to 12 percent range.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, smaller companies often don\u2019t have the financial resources necessary to map out and execute well-articulated content strategies consistently. \u201cSmaller budgets see smaller campaigns and smaller results. Rarely will clients invest all that is truly needed for a really impactful content strategy,\u201d says Katie Mayberry, senior director of social media marketing agency Releventure.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just smaller companies that don\u2019t invest. Larger companies with more sizable revenues aren\u2019t always willing to allocate reasonable budgets for their content marketing, either, which limits agencies\u2019 ability to grow their content marketing efforts.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have a robust strategy in place with both short-term and long-term goals and a well-laid-out plan to achieve them, your efforts will fall flat, point blank. And, if you don’t have the resources to execute in both the short and long term, your efforts will fail.<\/p>\n Marketers are under pressure to create more content than ever. The 2017 B2B Content Marketing Report<\/a> by Content Marketing Institute shows that 70 percent of marketers expect to produce more content this year.<\/p>\n It takes a lot of perseverance to make content marketing work, and delivering content consistently is of the utmost importance. Eighty-five percent of top performers publish content on a regular basis<\/a>, compared to 58 percent of the overall sample and 32 percent of bottom performers.<\/p>\n For every digital marketing agency, the same old dilemma almost always crops up: should you scale back on the sheer volume of content you\u2019re producing for clients and focus on quality, or should you increase the volume and let the quality suffer in the process?<\/p>\n For agencies with limited creatives, this dilemma becomes a serious concern. Spending more time producing less content means you\u2019re paying more for less \u2014 not to mention you could be delivering more content in that same time. But churning out content that is devoid of any value won\u2019t help your content marketing efforts, either.<\/p>\n Why? Simply because:<\/p>\n But as I always say, your content marketing strategy isn\u2019t measured in volume or quality \u2014 it\u2019s measured in results<\/strong>. And you\u2019ll often find that, to get results, you need to strike the right balance between the two.<\/p>\n You need to produce content consistently, and the content you produce must really resonate your client\u2019s target audience, rank well with search engines, and showcase thought leadership \u2014 something I talked about in this post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Content is just words until you put motivational goals behind it.<\/p>\n According to Jason Lavis, managing director of Out of Box Innovations, one of the biggest pain points when managing a content strategy is the mismatch between what the client wants and what actually works.<\/p>\n \u201cA business owner might genuinely care about their technology or processes, whereas the customers \u2014 and the public in general \u2014 might prefer entertainment or fundamental information. This mismatch makes it harder to achieve growth in page views or social media following.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s all a matter of trust, as Steve Page of Giant Partners points out: \u201cGetting them to trust you to do what\u2019s right is a struggle. They know they need to do something different to transform their business but are hesitant to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n And it\u2019s no surprise, given the great level of commitment that comes with every content marketing strategy. If digital marketing agencies cannot earn their clients\u2019 trust, they cannot build the kind of campaign that would actually produce results.<\/p>\nThe Need for Expert Insight<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Unrealistic Expectations<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Budget Constraints<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Quality Versus Quantity<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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A Mismatch Between What the Client Wants and What Works<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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