Outsourcing Vs. In-House Content Creation: What is Better?

Content creation has established itself as a was to engage with new customers and inform existing clients of how your business has evolved and new products or services it has to offer. Copywriting with SEO heavy content is able to draw attention to your website by appealing to algorithms search engines use to meet the demands of web searches on various topics. The trend of searching for information on video platforms such as YouTube, Reels, and TikTok has also exploded in recent years. Millions of businesses in the USA use “vertical video” as a way to engage with viewers to inform, entertain, and promote sales/patronage.

But there are some things you might want to know about content creation before getting started. One particular issue is whether or not it is worth the investment to outsource content creation by a hired professional, or to simply use the resources you have in-house to promote your brand. Both methods have their advantages as well as disadvantages.

What is Content Creation?

Content creation is a method in which information, entertainment, or marketing for branding is promoted through the use of media resources. Whether it is using writing through a blog which answers questions or provides new information to readers or videos on any number of platforms which can appeal to algorithms or searches, the information has to come from somewhere. Social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or other sources can also be used to connect with potential clients and customers. Podcasting has become a considerable factor in marketing and promotion of all sorts of industries, from manufactured goods to finance and services. Behind all of that information you will find a content creator. Writers, videographers, broadcasters, editors, and producers all work towards creating content and disseminate information across many platforms.

Benefits of In-House Content Creation

You already have a lot of resources at your disposal. Many businesses or organizations have the advantage of having staff members who offer a wide range of skills, or at the very least are capable of learning how to build new skillsets to implement the required tasks for content creation. Here are some advantages of in-house content creation.

• Familiarity: Your staff likely knows your product, services, or philosophy backwards and forwards. They will also have all the resources at their disposal for historical background on your industry, standards, and knowledge of just about any aspect of your brand. In other words, you won’t have to dedicate much time or money on providing this information to an outside source.
• Control: In-house content creation gives you full creative control of what is created. It can look exactly like you envision it and take as many revisions to get to a level of perfection that aligns with your values and goals.
• Reshoots/rewrites: Much in line with creative control, reshoots and rewrites can be very expensive and may even cause delays on production.
• Next-day delivery: Unlike outsourcing, ASAP and next-day deadlines will be handled in-house, drastically cutting costs simply by redirecting resources you already have at your disposal. An outsourced content creator will probably charge for rushed work, especially considering they are likely to have other clients and priorities for their own workflow to consider.
• Branding: Promoting your brand, from aesthetics to tone and values of your business can be very nuanced. Outsourcing a content creator might diverge from that vision and put your brand at risk.

Disadvantages of In-House Content Creation

Every strategy has its advantages and disadvantages, which is why it is important to see how deciding to do all of your work in-house might negatively impact your mission.

• Equipment and overhead: Whether it is video equipment, CMS-based websites, or even hiring searches for employees with more experience, the costs can be significant when trying to do everything yourself. You need to weigh the expense of this equipment and resources you have allocated towards content creation and marketing with how often you will even be needing to do these tasks.
• Resources: By shifting gears and allocating workhours from usual duties and tasks, there’s a good chance your workers might fall behind on their usual responsibilities as they attempt to create quality content, putting you at a risk for both.
• Time: The time needed to learn a new skillset as well as the resources being reallocated to do in-house content creation will take up time you might not have and wind up costing you money.

Outsourcing Content Creation

Hiring a professional in content creation isn’t for everyone, which may be limited by a number of factors such as the size of your company, budget, and availability of resources. Luckily there are a lot of resources for hiring freelancers who provide quality content at reasonable prices with competitive turn around times and levels of expertise. Here are some ways outsources works in your favor.

• Production value: Anyone can tell the difference between expert and amateur quality. Think of the used car ads on television from a few decades ago. Hiring an expert content creator can bump your message up several notches to appeal to a wider range of people. If readers and viewers recognize quality in marketing, they will generally associate it with the quality of your goods or services.
• Time: Hiring an expert saves you time. They aren’t impeded by the learning curve, since they already know how to write, shoot footage, edit, and put it all together in a timely and efficient way. By hiring a pro, you aren’t spinning your wheels with retraining employees on new equipment or making them change focus on their assigned tasks and creating delays. You can also count on faster turn around times, even if rushed jobs cost a little extra.
• Frees up resources: In-house resources can be dedicated to getting their usual jobs done. Cost of equipment used only for video production or editing won’t become costly overhead when you outsource.
• Expanded talent pool: Sometimes we are affected by our own echo chambers, and outsourcing can give us the advantage of being able to see from different perspectives and possibilities which allow us to improve our marketing and outreach. A dedicated team with new ideas and familiarity with current trends can give you a serious advantage when it comes to marketing.

Scalability

As a company grows, with it comes added costs, need for resources, and overhead. Outsourcing can allow a company to dedicate money and resources to production and quality of finished products rather than getting bogged down in the minutae of marketing research, analytics, and delivery of content. In other words, you can focus on your own strengths for your brand and potentially save costs at mid-range to upper-level scaling.

Liability

A concern of outsourcing would have to be liability. With less control over what hired content creators say, you run the risk of misrepresentation of your goods and services. Freelancers are generally limited liability corporations, which protect them from paying for damages on what they say or present in regards to your product.

The Best of Both Worlds

Owner created content can compliment outsourced content to add authenticity and a personal touch from the owner. Interspersing content you have created with outsourced content gives you a varied landscape of voice, expertise, and investment in your brand. You have the concise control of an industry expert, tempered with the fast turnaround time and polished delivery of content from an expert content creator. The two things can compliment each other in dynamic ways which will appeal to viewers and readers.

Owners who take an interest in planning their content regardless of in-house or outsourced work gain a higher degree of control. Your branding includes marketing as well as production and services. By investing time and being present in outsourced work as well as in-house content creation, you can gain a foothold and an advantage over competitors. After all, this level of buy in helps you keep your finger on the pulse of what is going on and allows you assisted creative control over what is being promoted about your brand.

If you would like to learn more about content creation and the advantages and disadvantages of in-house vs. outsourced creators, please contact us. Your success might depend on your flexibility and investment in outsourcing or redirecting resources to keeping your content creation close to home. Curating your experience can lead your company in new, exciting directions.