We interact with several emails, blogs, newsletters, and posts every day on the internet. Unfortunately, not all of them convert. As a result, most of the efforts go in vain. But why don’t they work? Is it the quality? Maybe the quantity? Do you really need to create more content?
No!
While the quality of content is one of the base determinants of its success, a strategy is required to attract its ideal target audience. After all, your content isn’t going to sell itself.
This is where a content marketing consultant comes in. A content marketing consultant focused on brand development helps you plan, create and distribute meaningful content that attracts engaged prospects and enables you to convert them into paying customers and loyal brand advocates.
The Difference Between Content Writing And Content Marketing
Many people confuse content marketing and content writing because of their somewhat-similar names. Content Marketing and content writing are two sides of the same coin – inseparable yet vastly different.
Content writing, in simple words, is putting your thoughts into words to deliver specific purposes, such as to inform, entertain, educate, impress, etc. Simply put, it is about writing articles, blogs, and other pieces of engaging content, to create a resource for your customers. It helps brands reach out to their prospects and get more engaged leads.
Content marketing, on the other hand, is a strategic approach. It focuses on creating content across various formats and delivering it to the right audience at the right time and in the right places. It is a holistic, long-term approach to using content for prospect nurturing and lead generation, bringing better profit and ROI.
So, while the goal of content writing is to engage and inform your audience, content marketing focuses on educating and engaging your prospects through a much more strategic approach. Content marketing is planning how your content will fetch better outcomes and results.
Is Content Marketing Right For Your Business?
According to a survey run by Hubspot, 47% of all enterprise buyers engage with a brand’s content and marketing 3 to 5 times before ever contacting a representative. Content marketing is a proven tactic that increases audience engagement, improves your brand presence, and delivers more inquiries and leads.
So, is content marketing really what your business needs? We say yes, but here’s some food for thought –
- Engaging and high-quality content influences your audience’s decision-making.
- Content helps you retain the audience for your brand
- Original and unique content is a great conversation starter, especially B2B content
- Content enables you to build a dependable reputation for your brand
- Incorporating SEO practices into your content improves your brand’s visibility
- Content creates loyal brand followers and advocates
In short, content marketing can save you a lot of money on advertising while helping you build a recognizable brand. For example, a B2B content marketing consultant knows how to implement the best strategies to hit the right marketing strings. with enterprise customers
The Benefits Of Working With A Freelance Content Marketing Consultant
1. In-House Employees Are Expensive To Hire
Hiring a content marketing team might not be possible for small businesses and startups. However, freelance content marketers with specific knowledge can fill the gap by providing access to expertise at lower costs. Hiring an independent contractor is considerably more affordable than hiring full-time in-house employees.
2. An Independent Content Marketer Can Meet Most Of Your Content Needs
Your brand is the topmost priority for freelance content marketers. Therefore, they always focus on meeting and fulfilling your requirements efficiently to serve your content marketing needs.
3. A Content Marketing Consultant Is Focused Entirely On Individual Brands
Unlike agencies, freelancers only have a few yet focused clients. Once you hire a freelancer, you are on their one and only priority list.
Thus, irrespective of everything, they will be more focused on your brand building through their marvellous strategies, effective and thorough communication, and swift deliveries.
4. Consultants Often Have Specialized Talents
Most freelancers have their areas of specialization. I specialize in long-form written content and content used as building blocks to develop the brand. If you are looking for something specific which might not be available in your team, you can always reach out to a marketing consultant to help you with your project.
5. They Come From A Background Of Varying Experience And Know How To Run A Business
Content marketers know how to run a business built on the foundations of helpful content. They have helped multiple companies across industries through their journey, which makes them an excellent T-shaped marketer.
Without wasting much time, effort, or money, you can benefit from their expertise.
If you find a freelance content marketer, you see them because they want you to find them. This is primarily because they understand the importance of visibility.
6. Quicker Turn Arounds And Deliveries
Experienced content marketers are usually never overloaded. Instead, they tend to take on a task only when they are entirely confident that they can crack the goal. Hence, a content marketing consultant will always give you faster deliveries and quicker turnarounds compared to an agency or in-house employee.
7. Flexible Schedules
When you work with a B2B content marketing consultant, they work as partners. Freelancers understand your busy schedule and try to take time from their busy schedules keeping your convenience in mind. This mutual endeavour results in a far better outcome that helps in brand development.
Things To Consider When Hiring A Content Marketing Consultant
Here are a few questions you must ask a content marketing consultant before getting them on board.
1. Do You Have Any Samples Or Past Works To Share?
Always consider, does the content marketing consultant have any blog posts of their own which you can check out?
It will help you determine the quality of the content they produce. If they have mastered their brand, they can surely help you do the same as well.
2. Have You Worked With Similar Companies Before?
Content marketing strategies change a lot with changes in business types. It is vital to verify if they have worked with other businesses similar to yours or hold some experience that makes them uniquely qualified to help your business.
It helps, especially when you have highly technical niches, such as banking, crypto, electronics, FinTech, EdTech, etc.
3. Will I Also Get Content?
As said earlier, content writing and content marketing are two distinct things. Many content marketers may not provide you with content.
However, it depends on your requirement, whether you want a content writer or just a marketer to strategize what you already have.
4. Do You Have Testimonials?
Testimonials help you see their track record and how their clients, partners, and people they associate with appreciate them. Testimonials work like a review of the results that the freelance content marketer has accomplished.
Conclusion
Did you know that as of 2021, there were almost 4.66 billion people actively using the internet? And all of these people are consuming content on the web daily.
Your content without a good marketing plan is like a letter without a recipient’s address. That is why you should seek a Content marketing consultant in India as soon as possible if you don’t want to lose business to your competition in this digital age.
I’m Yash A Khatri, a content marketing consultant with over seven years of experience in the content industry. I’ve created over 1185 pieces of content and served a variety of businesses across sectors like education, technology, consumer products and services, and many more.
I’d be delighted to help you too! Please get in touch.