Sunday, April 20, 2014

Outsourcing Articles - Is it Right for You?

As a book marketer, keeping visible is a priority. That means writing content on a regular basis for your blog, article directories, and possibly guest posts.

How do you keep up with all the content you need to supply?

Recently, a writer/marketer, who always has valuable information, recommended outsourcing as a means of effectively and quickly getting a number of articles written. He was using a particular service to create a niche site for affiliate marketing, but it can just as effectively be used to create visibility and traffic to your own sites and products.

Remember though, it’s your content that creates the organic traffic funnel to your site. You should offer your visitors/readers quality content.

The marketer stated that he paid $3 to have articles rewritten and distributed to hundreds of article directories.

This is not a unique story. In another webinar, a well-known marketer mentioned that he paid around $12 for four articles of about 500 words each. He uses this type of outsourcing for his content marketing.

It would seem $3 per article is the going rate for this type of service.

But, wait a minute . . .

While these stories are true, how is this possible? How can anyone afford to write for $3 per 500 word article?

These articles couldn’t possibly be done by qualified and professional writers, unless the cost of living in their area matches the pay. Another scenario for such cheap articles is the writers are using a rewriting program.

A rewriting program chooses random words to change, or the author creates a list of words for the program to find and change. Some can also rework paragraphs, but it’s not the same as a writer. The programs allow for multiple versions of the same article. The drawback to rewriting programs is they can’t tell if they’re missing the mark on clarity in the content, or if they’re changing the meaning.

Outsourcing these types of articles is similar to purchasing private label rights (PLR) articles. You pay for a bunch of articles written by someone else and put your own byline on them.

For those who use PLRs or cheap outsourced content, you do need to be aware. You may have an embarrassing situation on your hands if you don’t proofread and edit the articles before you use them.
Often, these articles are written by non-English speaking writers and who are overly concerned with quantity over quality.

For those of you who don’t mind having to edit each article, then PLRs or outsourcing on-the-cheap may be an option. I’m sure some writers feel it’s easier to rewrite an existing article than create one from scratch.

But, in these situations you might wonder how fresh or original the content can be.

One important factor as a writer is that your writing is a reflection of you and your writing ability. What you post on your site, or use for guest articles or article directories should be quality content and it should be fresh. This has never been more necessary than today. Google’s views ‘all about the reader content’ and ‘content shareability’ make them key ranking elements. So, from an SEO standpoint fresh content is a must.

Whether you buy content or are writing for your own needs, your content should always be the best it can be. Remember, your name will be associated with it. So, depending on your writing needs, you’ll have to decide if outsourcing content or using PLRs will be a worthwhile addition to your marketing toolbelt.

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P.S. To get must-know writing and marketing information, along with free instructional webinars, join The Writing World today.

Karen Cioffi, Online Marketing Instructor
Build an Online Platform That Works

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6 comments:

  1. Karen, I always feel that one of the purposes of my blog is to introduce readers to my writing & me, so outsourcing doesn't work for that purpose. I wouldn't write 500 words for just $3 myself. I would do it for free as a guest blogger to help a friend or promote my books. I find it helpful to have guests interspersed with my posts to give me a break & there again, to help friends or writers I especially like.

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    Replies
    1. Janet, to create a connection with your readers, it's always best to write your own content. Guest blogging is a great way to make build relationships and increase visibility, so being a guest blogger is a worthwhile strategy.

      And, I allow reprints of my articles to help writers/authors who need content for their sites.
      I do save my original content for my own site or guest posts on high ranking sites.

      I use guest posts also, to create more content for my site and give my readers a different perspective and additional information.

      Yeah, I wouldn't write 500 words for $3 either. :)

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  2. I've never considered doing this, but I have used outsourced content on one of my blogs from time to time.

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    1. Cheryl, using outsourced content is a good way to keep your blog active, as long as it's quality content. I sometimes use articles from Ezine Articles or quality writers who allow reprints - this helps me keep my blog active.

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  3. yes its true book marketer, keeping visible is priority. Rate of marketer provide to paid around $12 for four articles of about 500 words so benefits for followers.
    buy term paper online | can you do my homework

    ReplyDelete
  4. No matter what we are marketing the main fact of its content so i prefer start with your own thinking rather than rewriting articles or contents that's my view.

    ReplyDelete