Why I charge the way I do for my content writing services

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Content writing services come at different rates. Not that my rates are higher compared to experienced and professional content writers, but sometimes some clients do ask why they should pay me my rates when they can get similar content at much less? This is a valid question to be frank because even I would pay less were I in their position and so initially it would be difficult for me to justify my rates for my content writing services.

But then there is a reason I get paid what I charge and most of my clients see the value in them and hence pay for my content writing services. This is not one of those “why hire me” blog posts, I’m just going to help you come up with some questions when you’re thinking of partnering with a person who is ready to work for a lot less than what I charge. Here are the questions:

Does your content writer have a website?

No, this is not a rhetorical question, it actually makes a big difference. I’m not asking this because I have a website to promote my content writing services. Of course you may find good writers on one of those freelancers websites or the rapidly coming up “virtual assistants” websites, but when they promote their services from such places, they don’t have a stake. Take for instance my website, I started it in 2004, and ever since then it must have gone through at least 20 changes in terms of design and 100s of ongoing changes in terms of content.

It means I take my business and my online presence pretty seriously and invest lots of time trying to maintain a credible presence. Again, how does it matter how much credibility I enjoy if you can easily get cheaper content from a person who has no visible and verifiable credibility?

If you’re okay with a person who can vanish any day while you are in the midst of a hectic strategy transformation then by all means, go with that person. If you are fine with a person who has no stake and who can afford to be erratic with his or her services, then of course, you should opt for that person.

But if you’re really serious about promoting your business through effective content writing then you must collaborate with a person you can totally rely upon. A person who has a well-established business website. A person who provides services like a business, and not like someone who doesn’t even want to invest in a measly website in order to promote his or her services. When you run your own business from your own website, it shows you have confidence and you know that you can deliver.

Does your content writer have a presence on the Internet?

Again, it might not matter to you but to many businesses it does. For reliable services you need reliable people. People who have created some presence. When it comes to having a presence on the Internet

I publish multiple blogs and especially my content writing blog
I have a vibrant presence on Twitter and Facebook (it might matter, and it might not matter, differs from person to person)
Search for “amrit hallan” on Google.com or any other major search engine and you will find zillions of pages referring to my work and content that I have written for various websites

Why does it matter to have a presence when all you have to do is write content? If you have a serious content writing requirement, then you need a serious and reliable content writer. You need a content writer that can be traced and tracked all the time and not just at a particular place but at multiple places. When you have an online presence that is reflected through various websites it means you are exposing yourself to scrutiny.

So why do you think most of the low-charging content writers don’t have a decent online presence to boast of?

Simply because, it takes effort. It’s not a joke to submit 100s of articles to various websites and blogs without getting paid. It is not easy to publish quality blog posts just to maintain a presence. You need focus, you need to work hard, you need to value your work, and you need to see the value of your effort. The low-charging content writers cannot simply afford to put in so much time and effort. They don’t develop their skills because most of the time they are making up for the low amount they are charging. You are constantly getting low-quality content and you don’t even realize it, because somehow they convince you that all that matters is good search engine rankings. They either don’t know or they don’t convey to you that more than the search engine traffic what you need is a higher conversion rate and this can only be achieved by high-quality content.

So how come they are able to charge so less?

By drudgery, literally. They work really hard, in fact so hard that it is very difficult for them to produce quality content. Since they are charging so little, they have to make up some way, especially when the cost of living is not exactly as low as it used to be a few years ago. They don’t have time to improve themselves and they don’t have time to be innovative and creative. If you have enough time and patience just go through 4-5 of their articles and you will notice a stark similarity with just a few words changed here and there. They have mastered 20 odd expressions and they keep repeating them throughout the copy.

Why you’re not overpaying when working with me?

You get quality content, of course. Since I have already charged you whatever I feel comfortable with, I have the luxury to spend ample amount of time on your work and let my creativity flow. I’m not measly about how many words I should use and how much time I have got. I bring with myself years of experience. I don’t have to worry about how to complete your work quickly so that I can move on to the next document (although this doesn’t mean I needlessly spend time on individual documents). Besides, since I am a business person myself, I prepare your content – whether I do it myself or through various writers – keeping your business needs in mind. My extensive experience affords me with sufficient insight into how your audience is going to react to the content I’m providing you.

I don’t give you content just to please you and get money from you, I give you content that can take your business forward. Sometimes you won’t agree with me; I will try my best to explain to you why my approach is good for your business.

How regular blogging helps your customers and clients

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Regular business blogging isn’t just about improving your SEO and it also isn’t always about strengthening your brand identity, it also helps your customers and clients take better decisions. When you keep your customers informed of all the new developments taking place in your business (strategic alliances, product launches, new services, change in existing services and product features, etc.) they feel a part of your business process and consequently, are more eager to do business with you whenever they need to.

Blogging to help your customers and clients

The greatest hurdle on the Internet is the lack of information. Before you have bought, almost nothing is tangible, unlike in the real world where you can actually extend your hand and types the object you are planning to purchase. At the most on your website they can get a three-dimensional view of your product and use some sort of simulation. So how do you convince them? By providing as much information as possible.

You need to keep in mind that when you are providing information to them it doesn’t mean you’re trying to manipulate them. The information in every blog post needs to be very objective and, you’re right, informative. The primary objective of your blog posts is not making sales (although the end result is always this); the primary objective is to keep them informed and interested in your regular communication. Primary objective is to engage them on an ongoing basis and to encourage them to share their concerns with you, whether they want to do it through the commenting section of your blog, or through your social media profile (Twitter or Facebook).

You can also help your customers and clients by amply sharing your wisdom and experience. It doesn’t have to be always business-related. You can share with them how you make business decisions and what factors impact your decision making whether you’re deciding alone or with your management.

You can also help your customers and clients by sharing your social as well as political viewpoints through your business blog, although this is not always recommended. The primary focus of your blog obviously has to be your business or related to the product or services you are offering, but the world doesn’t just consist of the products and services you offer. Our businesses don’t fund shall in isolation: regional politics, economics, social conditions, weather, and many other factors affect the way we do business. So it’s not inappropriate to share your non-business thoughts with your customers and clients. Although you need to share your thoughts of such nature as a person and not as “we believe in this”, or “we would do that”.

Provide valuable content to your customers and clients on a regular basis

What is valuable content? Something they can use to solve their pressing problems. Of course you cannot solve everybody’s problems, but there must be some individuals whose problems you can solve through regular blogging. So whenever you are about to publish a blog post think it carefully, is it providing some solution? If it is simply blowing your company’s horn, immediately delete it, nobody is interested in knowing how great your company is doing unless it is of some use to those people. But then again, it doesn’t harm if you write about your benchmarks and achievements on your blog once you have established an amiable relationship with your readers.

Should you create content or curate content

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The fundamental strength of your online marketing and promotion heavily relies upon the quality of your content, whether it is on your blog, your website or your social media profile. Generating quality content can be a bit difficult if you don’t have sufficient budget and resources. Mindlessly publishing at low cost doesn’t do any good. It may, by hook or by crook, increase your search engine rankings for particular keywords and expressions, beyond that nothing much can be achieved, because eventually it is the quality that converts visitors into paying customers and clients.

Quality content can be generated using two methods

Creating new
Curating existing from other sources

The basic idea is providing quality information to your visitors. When they come to your website they must go back enriched and informed. So before deciding whether you want to create or curate you need to decide

Why you need quality content on your website?

The content on your website solves the following purposes

Informs and educates your visitors
Helps them make better purchasing decisions
Conveys to your visitors that you have authority over your subject
Encourages your visitors to come back to your website for updates and more information
Engages your visitors and creates opportunities for interactive experiences
Increases your search engine rankings
Helps you maintain a vibrant presence over your social media and social networking profiles
Encourages other website and blog publishers to link to your website resulting in more diverse traffic
Helps your present and prospective customers and clients look beyond the corporate wall and experience the human side of your business

All these objectives can be achieved either by creating new or curating existing content.

Why create new content?

For the obvious reason that if everybody started curating we won’t have anything original to link to. Other than this, creating your own content generates more trust and a sense of authority. It gives you an opportunity to share your knowledge. It also makes your website a unique source of valuable information. It increases the intellectual value of your online presence. If you just curate you are simply referring to external sources with your own comments in the and perhaps. You are always sending traffic to other websites and there are very few websites that send traffic to your website.

Why curate existing content?

Content curated from external sources introduces variety and some different perspective. When you need to provide value to your visitors you shouldn’t discriminate against other publishers. Since your primary concern is providing good information, and if that information already exists and it exists in a better manner than what you can produce, then there is no harm in linking to it with your own opinion. Content creation also helps you when you want to present in-depth information from different sources. For instance, on a single page you want to compile the best content writing tutorials from different websites. Along with your own opinion, you can also introduce opinions from other content writers of repute.

Creating the perfect balance between original and curated content

So you can create a good balance between original and curated content. I would prefer a ratio of 60:40 – 60% original and 40% curated.

Of course you can use any ratio and even in the reverse order (40:60) – it depends on your audience, the familiarity that you enjoy with your audience, and your true intentions. If you curate simply to increase your search engine rankings, people can easily see through it. But if you really want to provide valuable, high-quality content without bothering whether that content comes from your own website or from other websites (just make sure you are not plagiarising and simply linking with your own comments), this can be a good strategy.

Why content marketing is important for your business

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Content marketing is a misunderstood terminology. It has got nothing to do with conventional marketing where you keep on pushing your messages and then wait for response.

There is often some confusion regarding why you need content regularly and why it needs to be marketed through proper channels. Unlike your brick and mortar business, the game is totally different on the web. You cannot compete on the Internet on the strength of your money, market reach and off-line reputation. You need to have a presence, and you need to have a convincing presence, and only high-quality content gives you that presence.

On your website or your blog, you cannot directly communicate with your visitors unless you are constantly online and are using a webcam or a chat interface to talk to individual visitors (this is feasible, but only up to a certain point). Your web pages, and what they contain, become your representatives, your voice on your online presence. So your content helps you communicate.

But this is not the only reason you require ongoing content and subsequent content marketing. You also require content to

Strengthen and establish your brand
Generate traffic from social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook
Improve your search engine rankings
Establish yourself as an authority
Keep your visitors/customers/clients informed
Provide answers to the most common questions regarding your business
Keep on communicating with your prospective and present customers and clients so that they remember you when they need the product or the service you provide
Give your visitors a reason to visit your website or blog regularly

Why content marketing

After you start publishing on your website, people need to know about it. Since there are zillions of pages and blog posts on the Internet it is practically impossible to publish 50-60 odd web pages or blog posts and then expect the traffic to pour down from all over the Internet. Some people may have 500-600 web pages or blog posts, and some may even have thousands of them. So in terms of quantity and quality, you are in a constant competition on the Internet, and the good thing is you need to compete constantly. Why I say this is a good thing is because then everybody gets a chance to compete on the strength of his or her ability to produce and market high-quality content. This way, even while working from your basement, in your undergarments, you can compete with as big a company as Forbes by producing better content and marketing it properly.

In order to compete, along with publishing relevant information you also need to market it. You need to highlight it and promote it where people can see it. Here are a few things you can do in the effort of content marketing without spending much money:

Search engine optimize your content: Although this comes under search marketing, basically it is content marketing. With the help of your content you are trying to promote your business on various search engines. If you are able to optimize your content, it is going to rank well on major and minor search engines and this can bring you tons of traffic. Choose the right keywords, pack your articles and blog posts with as much information as possible, and make them as helpful as possible.
Write for other websites and blog posts: You can publish articles on article directories (although they are losing their charm over search engine rankings because there are 100s of such article directories). A better thing to do is write blog posts as guest blogger for reputed blogs. This might not be easy so first you will have to interact on the blogs and let the blog publishers become familiar with you. Many start-up companies use this content marketing tactic with great success by publishing blog posts on tech blogs like Mashable and TechCrunch.
Maintain an active social media presence: This may include Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or YouTube. These days your website may get traffic from multiple sources and you need to maintain a vibrant presence over these places. Regularly interact with your friends and followers on social networking websites and generate content for social media websites like YouTube and Tumblr. Lots of content is shared and passed around using these platforms and you never know which of your links might go viral.

These are but a few ways you can carry out your content marketing effort. As mentioned above, content marketing is important for your business because first of all content is important for your business, and second, you need to make as many people aware of the existence of your content as possible.

What makes your content click

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Content writing is not as challenging as it seems sometimes. With little bit of dedication you can create 3-4 blog posts or webpages for your business, and you can also get an unending stream of topics and ideas by visiting other blogs and subscribing to their RSS feeds (you can also search Twitter and Facebook and stumble upon some really good stuff).

The real challenge is to make your content click. What does that mean? Your content publishing and content strategy has an objective or an agenda, right? Why are you spending so much time on creating and publishing content for your website? Fine, the quick answer would be to increase your search engine rankings. But are you really achieving that?

Very few people actually sit down and think about what they are doing when it comes to writing content and implementing a solid content strategy. Your content clicks when it has the desired effect. When you are publishing content you are trying to achieve the following (you may have different priorities though):

You want to increase your search engine rankings
You want to provide great and valuable content to your visitors so that they keep coming to your website
You want to maintain a lively buzz around your online presence
You want to educate and inform your prospective customers and clients so they are not in double mind when it comes to doing business with you
You want to establish yourself as an authority so that people trust your judgement, respect your knowledge and believe in you when you ask them to do something

These are but a few things you want to achieve through content publishing.

Here I am not talking about the base content on your website: your home page and other business pages. I’m talking about all the extra content that you continuously publish because eventually it is that content that increases your search engine visibility and keeps people hooked on to your website.

So how do you achieve the objectives mentioned above (and many more that you may have in mind)? Here are a few things you can do:

Have a consistent theme

Your visitors must know what they are in for when they visit your website or blog. Then they already have receptive by the time they start reading your content (or watching/viewing in the case of images or video). For instance, if you have a content writing and content strategy business, and if you want to publish a business blog then most of your blog posts must be centered around content writing and content strategy. This way people who are interested in your topic can relate to your blog or website.

Having a consistent theme also shows that you have a lot to say about your business and your expertise. In fact, you have got so much knowledge, that you can constantly share it with your visitors for a long time. Always remember that having a niche is always better than writing for a highly broad audience.

But having a theme doesn’t mean you cannot write on something else. For instance, some of my blog posts talk about SEO, social media and social networking, blogging and even web design and web structuring. I write these posts because I believe that they can help my business as well as my clients.

Provide solution-oriented content

Does your content solve a problem and makes life easier for your visitors? Does it give them what they are looking for? For instance, what do people look for when they come to my website or when they read my blog? They are either looking for a content writer or trying to figure out how they can write content on their own in a better and effective manner. They might also be interested in reading about content strategy – how to formulate it, how to establish it, and then how to implement it.

Provide content people can share

Eventually everything boils down to how much of your content is shared. You might be getting lots of traffic directly from search engines and that is really great, but if you don’t want to solely depend on search engines, then you have to focus a big part of your energies on to encouraging people to share your content through their social media and social networking profiles like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. But they are not going to share your content simply because you have published it. It should be of great value whether it informs or entertains. People share content mostly for the following reasons:

They want to pass some relevant piece of information onto their followers and friends
They are curating quality content for later use
They want to entertain or make their followers and friends laugh by sharing something funny and amusing
They want to trigger a debate or discussion while using your content as a platform and as a central point
They want to associate themselves with the standards represented by your content
They want to show you that they agree with what you’re saying or disagree with what you’re saying
They want to highlight their online presence through the niche you represent and write about
They are your parents, siblings or friends who would share anything you post just because they love you and cannot resist that

So if you provide any of the above mentioned reasons people are definitely going to share and promote your content (although the last point may not have much business value but it doesn’t mean it is not important) and be affected by that.