“Should I hire a content writer?”
This is a question that many small business owners start asking themselves, right after they realize just how time-consuming it can actually be to produce and manage their professional blogs.
Your company’s blog is one of the first things your customers will see about you.
It’s the tool that catches the attention of search engines.
It’s an introduction to your business and service.
If it’s crafted properly, it can also become a marketing magnet; a powerful draw for the majority of first-time traffic to your site.
This isn’t a surprise to many small business owners. They know exactly the importance of this type of digital marketing. They may have a bunch of ideas for blog posts already drawn up. Some even do some preliminary keyword research and develop their own SEO strategies.
But unfortunately, even with all that planning, getting the blog written can still be a big-time commitment over the long haul. One individual post might not take very long, but over time, they start to add up.
During busier times, this task can also turn into a significant drain on attention––and become a distraction from the company’s other business.
What we hear from owners, time and time again, is the same thing: there simply aren’t enough free hours for someone at a small or mid-size company to plan, type up, edit, and post an article to the company blog every single week.
Time is the one thing we can’t change. We can change our methods, our strategies, and hopefully, boost our profits, but we can’t change the number of available hours in the day.
Fortunately, SteadyContent has developed a system that is designed specifically for this purpose: to get you quality, SEO-driven content, and save you a ton of time in the process.
Why Hire a Content Writer?
“Saving time” might be the most popular reason for outsourcing a blog, but there are several other key advantages as well.
First of all, not everyone is a great writer, and not everyone enjoys the actual job of writing an article.
Some small business owners realize that, yes, they need a blog as a marketing tool, but they might not actually relish the task putting it together.
Others love writing, but they might find they only have six or seven ideas for posts.
If you’re trying to sustain a weekly blog for an entire year, those ideas are going to run out very quickly.
And finally, there’s the technical aspect. Even if you love writing and have plenty of great topics on your mind, a successful blog needs to incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) to make these posts effective.
For some owners, the thought of teaching themselves that process makes their eyes completely glaze over.
A good content writer (or a content writer agency) will be able to accomplish all of these goals things at once.
So where do you find one?
Freelancers: Do They Really Save That Much Time?
In their first attempts to kickstart their blog, owners often look to hire a freelance content writer on a site like Elance, Fiverr, or Upwork.
The main advantage here is typically cost. There is obviously a wide range of prices, as individual contractors can set their own rates. There are usually at least some content writers who can be found cheaply on these freelancer sites.
But there are also hidden drawbacks, as freelancers are notoriously difficult to manage.
Many times, what actually happens with freelancers is that business owners spend more time monitoring the schedule and quality of the posts they ordered.
The quality of work is unpredictable, as is professionalism. If you’ve hired a single freelancer, as opposed to a company, a single personal vacation can disrupt your publication schedule.
So what follows is a never-ending hunt for the freelancer who is “just right.” And, as you’ve probably guessed, that can become yet another drain on time and attention.
At SteadyContent, we have a team that takes care of everything: SEO research, writing, and editing. In addition, we streamline the entire process. We can accomplish it all in a way that takes the minimum amount of time out of your weekly schedule.
The SteadyContent Solution
The SteadyContent approach is simple. We use a team of content creators for each stage of producing your blog. We combine their expertise with a WordPress plugin that makes your ordering process as easy as possible.
We do the research, figure out the best SEO-appropriate topics, and get them written and posted. You get your blogs on time, and peace of mind knowing that you don’t have to do anything else.
So how does it work?
Describe Your Vision
When we begin work with a new client, we want to know early on what their ultimate vision for the blog is.
Who is the target audience? What is the desired result of the posts? What are the business owner’s overall goals for the blog?
During this initial stage, we gather as much information as we can. This way, the end result can closely match what the client has in mind. The information includes areas of focus, ideas for topics, and even potential keywords (some clients have specific ideas for these, and some don’t).
Our Research Team
Once we have the introductory information set, we start the research stage. This is where our SEO experts make sure we’re getting the best possible SEO research for your business.
Our experts are armed with the best software available, so we get the most up-to-date data and analysis from Google and other sources around the globe.
We look to see what’s currently trending, highlighting topics that are popular and reaching a wide audience. At the same time, we also keep in mind that certain topics can be so common and generic that they won’t be distinct from thousands of other sites.
We handpick a mix of keywords according to your specifications. All this is done with the aim of getting traffic for your site––specifically, the right kind of traffic for your business. We focus on user intent, which means we select keyword phrases commonly entered by the people who are most likely to become your customers.
The Content Writer Gets to Work
Once the keywords and topics have been researched, we prepare article descriptions and share them with our writing team.
A content writer from our pool of over 550 experienced writers will produce the blog post for you, and turn it back over to our editing staff.
The Finishing Touches
After the content writer is finished, our editors go over your post with an eye for detail, making sure that it contains no mistakes, and that it meets your specifications.
We select an appropriate image for the blog post’s header, as well as any pictures, infographics, or other special requests you may have had as part of your order.
Once the post is complete, we send it to you for approval and automatic posting, with our own Content Writer plugin.
Our Content Writer Plugin
The Content Writer plugin is a unique tool that SteadyContent developed. The system is designed specifically for our clients to be able to use our service with a minimum of fuss.
This plugin allows SteadyContent to deliver your blog posts directly to WordPress. This simplifies and streamlines the process, so you can easily order new content, review it when it comes in, and watch it appear on your WordPress blog.
You don’t have to spend hours a week writing, editing, or even posting the material. With the Content Writer Plugin, you can have it all happen for you.
Easy Ordering
Ordering your articles with the SteadyContent Content Writer plugin is incredibly easy: it takes only a couple of clicks to get the writing process started.
Once the plugin is installed, it allows you to send information directly to us.
Tell us how long you want your articles to be, or any topics or keywords you might have in mind. If you’re not sure, our team of editors and SEO researchers will be glad to assist you and put together an effective SEO strategy.
Instant Notification
After you order your content, it begins its journey through our process, from researchers to the content writer to our editing team.
Once your blog post has been completed, we send a notification that it’s ready for your approval, through your choice of email or text.
We know that turnaround is important for small businesses. The rapid approval process makes it even faster.
Automatic Posting to WordPress
If you have a WordPress blog, you can read and approve your new content without having to go through the posting process yourself.
The turnkey feature of the plugin allows you to approve immediately, or to set it to post after a short wait.
In addition, if you want to make any changes to the content before it goes live, you can contact us about making revisions, and we can adjust the post as needed.
Unfortunately, businesses that don’t have a WordPress blog won’t be able to take advantage of the automatic posting feature of the plugin. However, they will still have access to the most important aspect of SteadyContent: our team, and the content that our 19-step process entails.
In the case of non-WordPress blogs, we can email your posts to you, ready for publication on your preferred hosting site.
From Start to Finish: Our System
- The client downloads the WordPress plugin, allowing the automatic posting feature.
- The SteadyContent team works on researching the business and industry.
- The content goes through a 19-step process of development, with new sets of eyes at each stage, making sure that it meets our standards.
- When the post is finished, the client receives an email and an alert in the Notification Stream.
- The client can approve the content, at which point it is added to their website in Draft Mode. This enables clients to make any last-minute adjustments before customers can see it.
- The blogs are delivered within thirty days of activation (and frequently much sooner).
Simple Basic Requirements
For the plugin, PHP 5.2+ and WordPress 4.5+ are required.
For anyone still using PHP 5.2, it should be noted that this version has reached the end of its life cycle. As of Summer 2019, new security updates and bug fixes aren’t being released anymore, so it’s a good idea to update to a more recent version like PHP 5.6 or PHP 7 if you haven’t already.
In either case, our plugin will work with 5.2 or anything that comes after it. And of course, we are happy to answer questions about the setup process. If you run into any problems, we’ll make sure you know what you need for the plugin to work properly.
Your Partner in Blogging
With the SteadyContent Content Writer plugin, you have the world’s simplest way to get your material published, right at your fingertips. Direct ordering, fast turnaround, and easy posting all combine to create the hassle-free experience that business owners crave.
That simplicity gives your time back––time you can spend managing the finer points of your company.
And as your blog grows, so will your traffic, your profits, and your entire business.
To install the Content Writer plugin, follow the directions posted here.
Getting Started
If you have any further questions about our system, the SteadyContent team is here to answer them as well. From helping you set up the plugin to developing your long-term blog strategy, our team will partner with you at every step of the way.
In addition to all the great features of our service, we’re currently offering new clients a unique “trial period.” If you just want to try the service out for a short amount of time, we will create a short set of posts at a discounted rate, so you can see for yourself just how easy it really is.
So contact us today! We look forward to working with you.
Together, we can build a better blog for your business.
Having an in-house built plugin that pushes content for you it’s an amazing idea!
I’m all in for content automation!