11 things you should know before hiring a content agency

1

• 11 things you should know before hiring a content
  agency

2
Well, if you have not been living under a rock,
you know by now that content marketing is the new
thing. Every marketer worth his salt has shifted
his or her focus to creating rich content that
offers value to the end customer or his target
audience. This, in return, is reaping rich
dividends, since Google seems to love good
content content that matters.
3
But hey wait. Who is going to create that rich
valuable content that Google loves - the stuff
that is going to rock your SEO and get your
business right on that first page of the search
engines, and well get the leads flowing in.
4
One way is to start writing yourself, which is a
great idea if you could remain consistent and
regular and come up with good content. If thats
not an option, then hiring a content writing
agency is the next best step. That leads us
straight to the question how does one find the
right content agency?
5
In a market where every SEO firm, digital
marketing agency, website development agency
claims to be a content agency, searching for the
right partner can be a pretty intimidating
situation. Your woes are worse if you know little
or nothing about content creation or content
marketing.
6
As a business owner, how do you then determine
the quality of the content writing agency and
thereby their content? That is where this guide
can come to your help. Through this article, we
will explain to you what you should keep in mind
before hiring the best content writing agency in
India.
7
Here are top 11 points that you should remember
8
1) Are they the real content players?
9
With everyone seeking content, the market is full
of players who claim themselves to be content
agencies/companies. So dont forget to check
whether they have a real understanding of content
and whether they really have the team to support
their content claims.
10
A good way to judge is to sign them up for a
small assignment or project and see whether the
content delivered lives upto their claims and
samples. We often give clients this option since
its a great way to establish trust and secure
their confidence. It also sets clear expectations
of what you are about to get into.
11
A good agency will always do a thorough analysis
of the content that is already being used and
come up with valuable suggestion on how things
can be improved.
12
2) What sort of content have they been
developing?
13
One of the first things to ask a content agency
is what sort of content they have been developing
so far. Do they have an expertise in any
particular content type for example some
companies are experts in writing SEO articles
while some are experts at developing product
descriptions for e-commerce companies.
14
If you are looking for say product descriptions
and you find an agency with that expertise, go
for it because they are likely to do a much
better job and offer a more cost effective
pricing.
15
However, if you want really well-written content,
its better to steer clear of companies which are
essentially doing something else and offer
content writing as one of the side offerings. We
regularly get calls from clients asking us to fix
their website content.
16
Ask them what they want and this is more of less
the standard answer- Well this was developed by
the guys who did our website and it came as part
of the package. We need more polished and higher
quality content now that we are growing. Try not
to get content made as part of the package.
17
(No Transcript)
18
3) Do they do just content or 360-degree
content?
19
Content isn't limited just to articles. There are
infographics, mixed-media pieces, data
visualizations, images, videos, interactive maps,
images and more that come under the umbrella of
content. Some of these mediums are capable of
delivering better results than a regular blog
too.
20
Check out if your content agency does more than
just content and whether they can support your
initiatives with alternative media. Content
agencies aren't just responsible for making
content. They also walk the talk by helping you
decide which media to use for disseminating the
content and in some cases execute it too.
21
4) Are their goals aligned with yours?
22
Most content agency pitch deck comes with a fixed
offering they will do 'SEO content writing',
write 10 20 articles a month about certain
pre-decided topics. It is time to take a step
back and first analyze your content marketing
goals. Do you want to gain traffic, build
authority, directly increase sales or generate
leads?
23
You need to see if your agency is proactively
asking these questions before presenting you with
a plan to achieve these goals. The agency also
needs to present a clear way to measure these
goals and agree on a path to achieving them
within the set timelines.
24
5) Accolades
25
While there are several hundred content marketing
agencies out there not everyone gets to be called
the best content marketing agency in India.
Awards and accolades provide an assurance that
the agency has been vetted by its peers and
commended for superior quality work.
26
Only agencies who've proved their mettle not only
in terms of work quality but also results come at
the top of the creme. They are an easy pick from
the sea of agencies and you can expect
reliability and a good track record as a part of
the package.
27
(No Transcript)
28
6) Do they use content to sell themselves?
29
If you look at the best content marketing
agencies in India, you'll know that they don't
just sell content but use it to sell themselves
too. Content is a great medium to create brand
authority, establish thought leadership and
develop a pipeline of leads. It is obvious that
you as a prospective client will evaluate their
work.
30
If their own blog can't put money where its mouth
is then its time for you to run in the other
direction. This is, in fact, the no. 1 quality
that most people believe a content agency needs.
If they can't sell their own content, how are
they going to sell yours?
31
The flip side of this argument says that boutique
agencies are often so immersed in doing great
work for their client that they can't dedicate
resources to promote themselves. Just because
they don't have a big social following doesn't
mean they don't do good work. In either case, it
is up to you to run a thorough evaluation of
their work and then take a call.
32
7) Map case studies to client references
33
Case studies are a great way to showcase the
outcome of a campaign. If an agency is good at
SEO content writing, ask them how they
strategized a topic for their client, where the
article finally ranked after it was published and
how many additional visits did it drive to the
client website.
34
This, as you can see, is data that'll only be
available with an agency if they have invested in
going beyond writing content for a client and
actually overseeing its outcome.
35
(No Transcript)
36
In addition to these case studies, be sure to map
them with client references. Are existing clients
happy about the value the agency is bringing to
the table? Have they consistently met their
timelines and deliverables? Have they gone above
and beyond their role to ensure customer delight?
These questions can help you determine if you
need to consider this agency for your brand.
37
8) Evaluate success metrics and monthly
reporting
38
Evaluating the full impact of content that goes
online today is not an easy job let alone
predict the roadmap of content you plan to put
online in the future. Having said that, here's
where the agency's true expertise comes in. They
should be able to understand your revenue
streams, possible sources for customers and
provide KPIs that are unique to your business.
39
In the same line, the agency should be able to
report back via formal channels like email and
in-person meetings with detailed progress
reports. While email reporting can happen on a
weekly basis, in-person meetings should happen at
least twice a month.
40
(No Transcript)
41
9) Can the agency reuse existing content?
42
For businesses that have been around for a few
years, it is possible that you have already
produced a ton of content. Some if it may still
be good in today's timeline and can easily be
repurposed. A good content agency will take the
time to understand and evaluate your existing
content stash and see if it can quickly refresh
the content to make it relevant for today. This
can end up saving hundreds of dollars for you
rather than starting from scratch.
43
10) The fine print matters
44
A good agency knows that it wants to be your
brand partner and not just have you as a client.
This is evident in the way they position
themselves. It comes out in the smallest of
things from their presentations to their verbal
communication. When you are still at a discussion
stage in an agency, pay close attention to the
words they use.
45
Do they refer to you as a client or partner? Do
they send you a contract or an agreement? Are
they open for experiments and ready to go the
extra mile for you?
46
11) Pricing
47
Well, this sure is a sensitive topic but a darn
important one. Pricing is important but let it
not be the deciding factor while choosing your
agency. While you might get a whole host of
proposals giving you a varying range of prices,
the good ones will never go down the ultra-cheap
way because they know that in order to give you
good content, they will have to spend their
resources too and the best ones at it.
48
If you want cheap content, get a freelancer who
would be happy to write for you at a much lesser
price. But do not expect the same amount of
ideation, professionalism, dependability and
stringent checks that an agency will adopt. If
you are looking for good content, be prepared to
pay for it.
49
My advice would be stay away from companies
that offer great content at super cheap rates. I
am not saying, you dont negotiate. If you have
the right agency on hand, they will explain why
they are charging their basic fee and also be
willing to accommodate a bit.
50
(No Transcript)
51
Well, I certainly hope this guide will be helpful
in selecting the right content agency. If you are
still confused or have a question to ask, leave a
comment here or write to us at sales_at_justwords.in,
and we shall definitely get back.
52
Looking to test the waters with content marketing
for your brand? Write in here to get a free
sample article for your brand. If you liked this
blog and want to know more about content
creation, you might find these articles
interesting.
53
Contact Us
1051- C, 10th Floor,Tower B2, Spaze i-Tech
Park, Sohna Road, Sec -49,Gurgaon- 122018 Phone
No. 91-124-4192620
91.9871370096 Email Id sales_at_justwords.in