According to statistics, 86% of B2Cs and 91% of B2Bs are resorting to content marketing. However, creating, scaling, marketing, and managing all of it is not easy.
Therefore, to make things practical and sustainable, you should hire a content marketing writer who will save you time and money with quality output.
In this article, you will learn how to hire a content marketing writer and get more leads.
Why Hire A Content Marketing Writer?
Studies claim that content marketing costs around 31-41% less than paid advertisements and gets 300% more leads for every dollar you spend. Moreover, paid ads involve a lot of budget for every view.
However, every piece of content can compound in value when you hire a content marketing writer.
A professional content marketing writer works to churn out engaging content to help advertise your brand and its products. Thus, you can create a credible impression on prospects and increase sales 10x.
In short, a content marketing writer produces high-quality content to assist you in getting more clients.
What Skills To Look For In A Content Marketing Writer?
Since the onus of producing content is on them, you should not just hire anybody.
The top skills to seek while hiring a good content writer are as follows:
Research Skills
Every stage of content marketing involves extensive research. From researching the target audience to analyzing data, content marketing writers need to study useful information.
Besides Google, looking up other sources such as YouTube and Reddit is necessary for grabbing the reader’s attention. Also, good research skills should not be limited to finding information but also extend to checking their accuracy.
Writing Style
Great marketers often fail to turn into great writers. In other words, besides creating ads, a prolific writer should have an artful writing style. After all, there can be no impactful content without top-notch writing skills.
What’s more? They should have in-depth knowledge of grammar, punctuation, and syntax to create a story that drives readers’ interest.
Technical Knowledge
If you want to know how to hire a content marketing writer, note that the ideal one should have sufficient marketing knowledge. They should be keen to produce persuasive copies to influence the readers.
If you are not aware of the popular marketing trends, here’s one of our recent blogs on content marketing trends.
Also, if you need content with technical subject knowledge, seek a specialized writer who can write about the matter in detail. It’s better to hire industry experts with valuable insights to create in-depth technical content like case studies.
Experience
While vetting content marketing writers, go through their resumes and work history to ensure their expertise level. The reason is that poets or authors will not be able to qualify as great content marketing writers since they do not have marketing skills. Again, writers from journalistic backgrounds may not be the right fit in marketing.
This is why you should look for writers who can sell with words and entice the audience. For example, blog content writers with digital marketing and SEO experience can be adept in writing marketing content writing.
SEO Knowledge
Much of the website traffic is generated from search engines. With the ever-changing algorithms, it is a prerequisite for content writers to have a basic understanding of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). They must be up-to-date to adapt to the latest trends for high ranking.
If a writer can grasp search intent, include relevant links, and incorporate semantic words, their content will get more search engine traffic. Additionally, aligning the content with top search results can increase exposure to the target audience.
Understanding Of Brand And Audience
Understanding the reader’s demands to connect with them is a significant skill of a content marketing writer. The content will not fetch results if the writer does not write with the knowledge of the brand or the reader.
Comprehending the reader’s expectations and creating content accordingly will enhance the brand’s ROI. So, they should perform audience analysis through buyer-specific approaches. Only then will the content be accepted as well as shared. Also, they must adapt your brand’s tone to maintain consistency across all channels.
Adaptability
What is considered a fad today may not be significant the next day. Therefore, a strong content marketing writer must be versatile and able to adapt to new writing topics.
Be it blogging or short-form social media posts, they must know how to change their writing style and deliver quality work. Also, they should be flexible to alter the writing style according to the demographics and/or client preferences.
Professionalism
Whether you have hired freelancers or in-house staff, every individual should exude professionalism. A specific non-negotiable trait is great communication skills. They should show responsiveness in addressing issues and problems to align with your overall goals. You should be able to rely on them to submit their work within the deadlines.
What Your Content Writer Hiring Process Should Look Like?
If you are confused about how to hire a content marketing writer on a budget, here’s the step-by-step process. Following these steps will not only help you attract the right candidate but also save you time and money.
Fix Your Content Goals/Requirements
Suppose you need content for landing pages which will require expertise and a unique writing style. The first step in the hiring journey is examining your content needs and defining your niche and style. Ask yourself what value you want to offer to your audience before bringing someone on board.
Also, you have to identify the frequency and the volume of content to ensure that you are on the same page with them.
The key components that will decide your approach are:
- Revenue
- Organic traffic
- Leads
Not familiar with how to write captivating blogs, here’s a guide detailing how to write a blog generating leads.
Create A Job Listing
The idea is to write a job description that not only attracts candidates but the perfect candidates.
While creating a job listing, be transparent and include all the roles and responsibilities. It will give a fair idea to potential candidates about the role and help them apply accordingly. You may also add payment terms to attract a greater number of experienced content writers. If you are offering any extra benefits, include that as well.
An example of a job listing is given below:
“We at XYZ are looking for experienced and talented content marketing writers who can deliver at least N words every week. Our compensation starts at X per word based on your competence. Also, we are offering hands-on training and premium subscriptions to tools like Copyscape, Grammarly, etc.
Here are a few links to check out the quality of work we expect from you.
(List 3-5 links)
Key Requirements
- Excellent research skills
- Minimum Xyz years of experience working in a marketing agency
- Staying up-to-date with content marketing trends
- Ability to write engaging and persuasive copies for our brand”
Evaluate Potential Writers
Once your job listing is posted, you are likely to receive tons of applications for freelance writing.
To test their proficiency, send an application form with questions like a short bio, published links, etc. to the shortlisted applicants. You may add a blend of basic and creative questions to make the application process more interesting. For instance, explain in brief an overview of what you find missing in this blog (link to one of your content pieces). However, do not put any questions which need elaborate answers exceeding 100 words.
Also, scan carefully through all the answers to reject the ones generated using AI tools.
Once you have all the information, you can easily filter the most qualified people
Assess/Screen Each Writer
Make sure to request paid samples if a writer’s portfolio does not contain relevant samples. Give them a detailed content brief, and a reasonable deadline, and mention all other instructions they should follow.
After they have passed the writing test, evaluate them in an interview, especially if you are hiring for the long term. While interviewing content marketing writers, you may ask them the following questions to test their skills.
- How long have you been writing in this domain?
- What marketing skills do you possess?
- What are the content management systems/tools you have worked with earlier?
- How soon can you deliver a ‘n’ word piece?
- Do you offer free revisions?
While filtering candidates, don’t forget to check their ability to maintain a proper workflow.
In the next section, we will discuss another crucial component, which is, the hiring charges.
How Much Should You Pay A Content Marketing Writer?
Working directly with freelance writers is different from working with content writing agencies. Again, the pricing models may vary if you hire in-house writers where you have to consider the expenses of training and perks for them.
The most common pricing structure for hiring a writer is cost per word. Generally, the freelancer writer rates can range from $0.05 per word for a beginner to $1.50 per word for experienced writers.
The primary factors that determine content writing charges are:
- Writing experience: Besides how much time a writer has spent in this profession, it’s about specializing in a specific domain. If a writer has proven results for their clients, their rate will be relatively higher than newbies.
- Complexity: If you need complicated or technical content, you will have to pay higher charges to writers who can research well about the subject. For example, if you want interviews in the content piece, the cost of hiring a writer is likely to increase.
- Location: Based on the standards of living, the price quotations tend to alter. While British and American freelance writers quote more, writers from other countries may charge lower prices.
- Type of content: The amount of skill involved in crafting a content piece plays a key role in the costs of hiring writers. For instance, blog posts require a lower level of expertise and therefore come in cheaper price ranges. However, writing ebooks or whitepapers needs extensive research and expertise that needs a much higher budget.
5 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring Content Writers
While hiring freelance writers, you must ensure that they are the right fit for your business. The reason is that the people you hire will impact the way the audience receives your brand.
So, you must avoid these 5 mistakes before finalizing the ideal candidate for your organization.
Failing To Cross-Check Their Experience/Background
Depending on your domain and business model, you may have a list of criteria to check while hiring freelance writers. One of the primary factors is their background or previous work. For instance, a content writer with a healthcare background may not churn out the perfect marketing content.
Not Asking For Samples
Without reviewing their work samples, you will not be able to gauge the depth of their skills. So, asking for a variety of samples relevant to the niche is important. If needed, you may ask for samples from other niches too.
Hiring Writers With The Cheapest Rates
Undoubtedly, you will find writers for lower rates, say $75 per article. However, top-tier writers are not available at cheap rates. So, to meet your marketing budget, do not go for the lowest bidder because they may not be capable of creating valuable and engaging content.
Being Vague About Your Expectations
After shortlisting candidates, you should set proper guidelines about content, schedules, and deadlines. Being clear about the scope of work creates a seamless experience for both parties. Remember to be warm and friendly without being unprofessional.
Ignoring Red Flags
You must not overlook grammar errors in emails, resumes, or poor sentence structures in any content samples. Failing to spot these errors may lead to similar mistakes in your content as well. Another red flag to watch out for is poor communication skills or situations when writers over-commit but under-deliver.
Find The Best Content Marketing Writers At Rank Scholars
Aware of how difficult finding a great writer can be, we at Rank Scholars have managed to cater to several content marketing and writing requirements. From generating content to creating editorial calendars and mapping out marketing campaigns, we meet and exceed the needs of every client. Our core team members are committed to achieving results with every piece they produce.
So, if you are struggling with generating content that converts, contact us immediately.
Conclusion
In simple terms, hiring content writers will help you enhance sales, boost traffic, and grow your brand.
Though it requires effort and budget to hire great writers, content marketing is worth investing in. So, if you have figured out how to hire a content marketing writer, sit back and let them help take tasks off your plate.
Author
A freelance content writer, Madhurima loves illustrating her thoughts and crafting engaging content. On days when she’s not so busy, you’ll find her painting or reading her favourite novels
