Why You Need a Good Content Writing Agency: Top 5 Reasons

15 April 2022

Team Purple Iris

Content is the gateway to grabbing the attention of your audience. But producing good content is not a one-time affair. It needs consistency across a wide range of parameters. 

You need to pair quality with volume, language skills with sharp messaging, business understanding with research skills, and creativity with the ability to meet aggressive deadlines.

Up to 44 percent of marketers find it a challenge to create content at a pace that meets the growing demand. That is where a content writing agency comes in to save the day.

Hiring a Content Writing Agency 

A content writing agency will add a professional touch to your content generation engine and bolster your efforts to meet your marketing goals. They understand what marketers are looking for and use their experience of working with different organisations to add value that an in-house team may not be in a position to do.

Check our previous blog post that is the ultimate guide to B2B content writing.

Here are five reasons why partnering with a content writing agency is great for your business.

Reason #1: Access a Deep Knowledge Pool

A content writing agency will have a wealth of applied knowledge under its belt. By engaging with an agency that has experience across industries and content formats, marketers stand to gain immensely.

In most companies, the in-house marketing and communications teams are exposed to strategies that are most commonly used in their own industry or market, with not much familiarity with the way things are done beyond these circles. Content writing agencies can help widen the in-house team’s horizon and introduce new thinking in their communications strategies. 

Young companies often lack experienced teams who can effectively give shape to a company’s communications strategy and evolve it to fit the changing rules of the game. An experienced external partner can be your go-to person for not just producing content assets but also consulting and advisory services.

An example from our files:

A technology startup was struggling to create case studies that captured the company’s capabilities well. When the company reached out to us, we used our experience of crafting case studies for established companies to provide guidance on the format and structure. We conducted extensive interviews to cull out the relevant details, broke down complex technical concepts and brought out the business benefits of each technology implementation.

Reason #2: Put Checks and Balances in Content Creation

Align each content project to the corporate marketing strategy and ensure that it has well-defined objectives. Content creators need to be cognizant of corporate messaging for each deliverable. However, there is no template that writers can follow to ensure they have got it all covered. In most cases, writers do a mental checklist of must-haves.

When a project goes to a content writing agency, it conducts checks and balances to bring out the messaging well and also add an outsider’s perspective to it. In-house teams may lack the rigour or the mental distance needed to understand how an external audience is likely to perceive their content.

An experienced content partner will know how to position a company’s solution in a marketing collateral or weave in the company’s stance subtly in a thought leadership piece. It is in a better position to spot missing links and convey a message that is easily understood and relatable by an external audience.

Check our previous blog post on what leaders must know about thought leadership content creation.

An example from our files:

A leading technology services company realised that most of its marketing and sales collateral including brochures, flyers and direct mailers needed a relook after COVID-19. However, the company’s in-house teams did not have the expertise to redo or sharpen the market positioning for scores of solutions that the company offers. We have been collaborating with the company’s marketing team to rework these assets for all new sales campaigns.

Reason #3: Add Professional Level Quality

The content you produce needs to deliver what it sets out to do. Whether it is to enhance brand awareness, increase your thought leadership in the industry or generate quality leads. The most important premise behind effective content is quality.

However, ‘quality content’ is a highly misused term and needs a definition. Quality content is not just about excellent writing and editing skills, but also a strong understanding of client requirements. It needs a professional touch in terms of the language, style and tone. The content must consistently follow the guidelines that you have set for the organisation across all formats and channels. 

An equally important aspect is the substance. A content writing agency will ensure that sufficient research goes into each piece of content being produced so there are no gaps in the information and the messages are conveyed clearly and concisely. Agencies conduct fact checks, style checks and proof-reading to ensure zero error copy and a good reading experience. 

An example from our files:

The research team of a professional development organisation produced a white paper that was too dry and academic. The client roped us in to give it a marketing flavour. We rewrote large sections of the white paper with a view to making it a marketable asset and aligning it to the organisation’s core messaging and industry positioning.

Reason #4: Stay in Touch with New Formats, Styles

The way we communicate has changed in a big way. To hold a reader’s attention, content writing agencies are constantly exploring new formats and new styles of communication. Are you penning headlines with a strong hook? Do your email subject lines have a dash of mystery in them? 

Professional writers can easily adapt and repurpose content to suit different formats — how to convert the content from a brochure into an infographic or a gif banner. Or how to cull out content from a webinar to create a presentation that captures all the key takeaways. They know the nuggets from an article that can be picked for a potential graphic and provide guidance to designers.

Writing styles have changed — shorter paragraphs, short and crisp sentences, and a straightforward way of communicating. If you are used to WordPress, you will know that it considers sentences with more than 20 words too long. If more than 25 percent of your sentences cross that threshold, you will be advised to shorten them. Writers in agencies are familiar with these trends.

An example from our files:

A technology company with over 40,000 employees felt the need to explore new ways of engaging with their employees around the world, particularly after COVID-19. The company has engaged us as their internal communications partner. We have introduced new formats and styles of communication to improve employee engagement and participation in company activities and programmes.

Reason #5: Save Time, Effort and MoneyContent creation is time and resource consuming. In-house teams that have many other responsibilities often struggle to fulfil their company’s content requirements. Outsourcing everyday writing to a content writing agency will lessen the burden on internal teams. It will enable them to meet aggressive publishing schedules, and with consistent quality. Outsourcing writing can give the team spare time to focus on other targets instead.

Outsourcing content is also a cost-effective option. Hiring in-house resources costs more than engaging an agency to do the job.

An example from our files: 

The marketing team of a technology company wanted additional resources to manage their social media accounts. The company reached out to us because it would give them more flexibility and enable them to quickly deploy more resources to manage new campaigns. Our writer works closely with the company’s in-house team of marketers and graphic designers to manage their social media presence. 

It is not surprising that 86 percent of B2B marketers outsource content writing. Select a content writing agency that will understand your unique needs and expectations. While writing skills are a must-have, a good attitude goes a long way in forging long-term relationships. Check whether the agency is familiar with your industry and has a good track record in the field. It is also equally important to do a reference check to understand their commitment levels and passion for what they do.

Want to know more about how we can partner with you? Drop us an email at info@purpleiriscomms.com.