Should you Outsource Content Marketing? 11 Questions to Consider

Creating and promoting valuable content that will attract and retain visitors is a full time job that requires your time, attention and energy – most of which the average real estate agent in the United States can’t afford. Little wonder why many real estate agents are now considering outsourcing their content marketing efforts to agencies that can handle it expertly at an affordable rate.

If you have taken the route of many other successful agents and decided to outsource your real estate content marketing; here are 11 questions to consider before making the final plunge:

1. Do you really, REALLY need to outsource your content marketing?

You should probably not outsource your content marketing if you have a strong content writing and marketing staff who can handle it in-house. Although, content marketers need to be highly skilled in three key areas:

• Good Copywriting Skills
• Domain Expertise in the Real Estate Industry
• Network Marketing Skills to Promote Key Content Effectively

Pro Tip: If you don’t have anybody who can do this at an expert level; outsource it fast.

2. Do you have the budget for content marketing?

Content marketing agencies with domain expertise are generally very expensive (although we are quite affordable). The value they provide on the other hand; far outweighs their expense, making it a very good return on investment. A cheaper option is hiring freelancers. Whichever you decide to go for, it must be based on these factors:

• What your business goals are
• The value of one customer (usually from many leads)
• How many leads you need in a month to meet your sales targets

Pro Tip: Outsource to only agencies or freelancers who have domain expertise.

3. Will you be using freelancers or Agencies?

If you’re like most real estate agents we’ve worked with, your first major decision would be whether to outsource to a freelancer or to an agency. Outsourcing to freelance copywriters is a much cheaper option. Double points if the freelancer has domain expertise. But using freelancers comes with some disadvantages too:

• Most of the content they provide won’t bring in results because it is not tied into a content marketing strategy
• You need multiple freelancers to create a wealth of content
• What they make up for in copywriting skills, most freelancers lack in promoting the content

Pro Tip: If you decide to use freelancers, hire a freelance content manager with expertise in data-driven marketing to manage all the content for optimal result.

4. Will it affect your relationship with your current readers?

If you’ve ran your blog for a while then you have a list of subscribers who are used to your writing style. Outsourcing might damage this relationship, especially if you outsource your content marketing to freelancers. Agencies with domain expertise on the other hand have the time, patience and tools to study your writing style and make it more effective; connecting with your subscribers on a deeper level.

Pro Tip: Agencies can also attract new leads and nurture them into customers

5. How experienced will they need to be?

You want to outsource to a freelancer or agency that have a background in real estate? That is not all; they must know your target customers and industry well too. Why? So they can tailor content to them effectively.

Pro Tip: Tailoring content to your target audience helps you connect with them on a deeper level and also build trust at the same time.

6. Will they help you develop a content marketing strategy that aligns with your overall goals?

An effective content strategy is one that aligns perfectly with your business objectives. It is a collaborative process where content is used to drive sales and marketing. Every content has a goal, and the more of those goals that are achieved, the closer you are to achieving your overall business goals.

Pro Tip: A good real estate content marketing agency should provide you metrics to show the effectiveness of each post. If they don’t; run!

7. How will you measure success? Which KPIs will be used?

Which Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) should be measured?

• Website Visitors
• Number of Shares
• Number of Subscribers

Pro Tip: Capture emails of website visitors by creating a lead magnet (for example: An E-book Titled: Ultimate House-Buying Guide for young couples)

8. Do they have a content marketing process?

Failing to plan is planning to fail. When outsourcing your real estate content marketing, specifically ask – how do they plan to help you? You should be looking for specific answers that address:

• How much content is needed?
• What type of content is needed?
• How will they encourage engagement and ensure growth over time

Pro Tip: Answer to these questions should be your deal breaker. Only outsource to those who know their onions.

 

9. Do they provide guarantees?

It takes a minimum of 6 months to start seeing results from content marketing. Any freelancer or agency promising you less than that only wants your money. Within this time period, there should be quantifiable metrics that can show you numbers and figures to support the reach and effectiveness of your content marketing and how it directly impacts the growth your business.

Pro Tip: Content marketing takes a long time before you start seeing return on investment, which means you have to be patient.

 

10. Will they provide you case studies?

Case studies are a great way to showcase testimonials in an authoritative way. They help you build trust with your potential customers. An example could be a case study about how you helped a young couple buy their first home and were extremely happy and satisfied with your service. A young couple looking to buy a house would be motivated to reach out to you after reading that case study.

Pro Tip: Case studies are great examples of how to use content to drive sales indirectly.

 

11. Do they have solutions to challenges that face content marketing?

The two biggest challenges in content marketing are:

• Creating enough content
• Creating engaging content

When outsourcing, you need an abundance of both. However, most freelancers can’t provide both.

Pro Tip: Only agencies have the resources and experience needed to continuously create high quality content that engages and motivates your readers.

In conclusion, whether you decide to go with a freelancer or agency; outsourcing is a good way to free up your time to spend on the field with potential clients. Content marketing is a great way to bring in new leads, generate awareness for your listings and brand yourself as a trusted real estate agent. Contact us today to find out how we can help you with your content marketing needs.