No matter the size of your business, you have probably asked yourself this question: Do I outsource work on my business blog to a freelance content writer or should I hire full-time employees? If you’re a sole trader or employ just one our two people, you probably do not have the budget to hire a full time employee. If you’re a large business operating transnationally, you can justify (and probably need) the expense of a salaried employee in your marketing team.
For everything else in between, it is a big decision. Here are seven reasons why you should hire a freelancer rather than a salaried employee.
Lower Cost Than Hiring In-House Staff
The main reason why a SME might want to hire a freelance content writer rather than employing in house staff is the cost. Salary is one of your largest overheads. In some countries (such as the USA) you are also responsible for their perks (healthcare etc). Hiring an employee is a long-term commitment, financially and ethically. It is an expensive investment.
Knowledge and Experience
While it is true that we do not know your business, even if we know your industry, we are quick learners. We have to be quick learners to get ahead in this business and nobody succeeds as a freelance content writer by winging anything. We pick things up fast. We each have our tools for doing so. A little bit of reading around and we are ready to go. We are also keen learners. Please tell us what we did wrong – it’s the best way for us to learn and only enhances our skills and experience.
Reliability
A good freelance content writer will always strive to honour your deadlines and targets – within reason. Another great motivator to reliability is that we want to do this. Most of us have given up so-called “proper jobs” to write. Being seen as reliable is the gateway to more work from you. It is also a gateway to you recommending us to your colleagues, clients and contacts.
Flexibility
As mentioned above, a good freelance content writer loves to learn. If we can learn new skills to improve our profitability and appeal, that is exactly what we will do. Being flexible is our life-blood. Web standards change, as do business’ requirements. Not knowing how much or how little work I will have next week, or what the clients for whom I am a jack-of-all-trades would like me to do, is part of that appeal.
Easier to Upsize and Downsize
When you hire an employee on a full-time contract, you cannot simply let them go when things are not working out so well, when things are quiet or (heaven forbid) there is nothing for them to do. With freelancer content writers, you will pay only for the work that they do for you. This means “Sorry Matt, things are slow. Can I come back to you in a few months? I might have something then. Sorry again.” Both upsizing and downsizing when dealing with freelancer content writers is easier and quicker, and less painful when hiring and firing employees.
Your Marketers Aren’t Necessarily Good Writers
I’ve seen it time and time again. Businesses invest in an amazing marketing campaign. They spend money on a glitzy new website, brochures, animations, the works. But then they ask one of their marketing executives to write their landing page. No disrespect to men and women in marketing, I know it’s a competitive world, but what makes you a good marketer does not necessarily make you a great writer. Words on a screen are not enough. They have to (at the very least) be coherent, obey proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. Good writing is more than that – it needs the right style for your industry and business and speak the language of the audience. Only a freelance content writer can put the icing on the cake.
A Fresh Perspective
We might not know your industry or your business, but is that a bad thing? We can bring a whole new approach to how you go about engaging with your audience. We know what web tactics work to encourage traffic. We know the methods to get people engaging with your brand. We know the right language style and words to use depending on your core target audience. We know how to reach out to new audiences. None of this requires an in-depth understanding of your business or your industry, although we will need to know the unique selling points. Freelance content writers are like the new, keen, young employee who is full of ideas and enthusiasm on his or her first day of work, but with the benefit of years of experience.
If you wish to hire MG Mason Creative Services for your freelance content writing needs, please contact me via the About Page here (click). You will also see my terms and conditions, and charges.
