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Angie Mansfield

Freelance blogger and copywriter Angie Mansfield writes about topics of interest to small business owners and entrepreneurs. Her work addresses subjects such as management, marketing, and social media for businesses.

Angie Mansfield has written 6 articles for SB Informer.
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Should You Hire an Outsider for Your Content Marketing?

Angie Mansfield

November 06, 2013


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There are many reasons to consider outsourcing the content marketing duties for your small business.

You may have a small team that lacks expertise in content marketing tactics, or you may just not have the manpower or resources to conduct an effective campaign.

Here are a few situations in which hiring an inbound marketing consultant might be the way to go:

 

You Look Like Everyone Else

Your online efforts may look successful on the surface, but if you still look just like your competitors, you're going to remain forgettable to customers. If you can't look at your online branding and message and point out exactly how you're different from everyone else, you're going to have a hard time standing out.

Here's where an inbound marketing consultant can help.

By analyzing your business and your customers, this person can help you define what it is that makes you better than your competition -- and highlight that difference in your content.

 

Your Customers Are a Mystery

Speaking of analyzing your customers, do you know who your ideal customers are?

Do you have a vivid image of them, including their age range, interests, and problems/worries?

 

Creating detailed buyer personas allows you to talk to your customers in their own language, using the format they prefer (such as video or audio instead of text). You'll know their pains, and be able to address those pains in your content marketing campaign -- making your message far more relevant and effective.

If you're not sure how to go about creating and addressing a buyer persona, then it might be time to find an experienced inbound marketing consultant to help.

 

You Don't Understand/Aren't Using Analytics

An effective content strategy takes a lot of time and effort. From blog posts to videos to social media updates, you put a lot of resources into building your online presence.

But if you have no process in place to analyze your results, you'll have no idea if your message is hitting the mark. You could be throwing all of that effort away on useless content.

If this is the case, you need to hire a consultant who can teach you how to use analytics tools, and which numbers to keep an eye on.

 

You Don't Have the Right Knowledge/Experience

Are you slaving away at the company blog, only to get a handful of readers and no subscribers every week? Are you asking for subscribers without offering something -- an eBook, a white paper, an educational email course -- in return?

Have you run out of ideas for posts, so you post only once every few months -- or stop posting altogether?

Did you read somewhere that lists of relevant content curated from around the Internet was a great way to attract blog readers? And, because of this, do you exhaustively curate every piece of content related to your niche, regardless of quality?

A good content marketing consultant can help you with all of these issues.

The consultant will bring a fresh perspective to your business, and can help you develop blog posts, subscriber incentives, and curated content that will provide real value to your customers and readers.

 

Content marketing can be a powerful way to generate inbound business.

A consultant or freelancer can help you develop a strategy that will bring you more leads -- and make sure you're spending your time wisely.


                   



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