Around half of all brands currently outsource some, or all, of their content to outsourced agencies, delivering them a host of benefits.
Firstly, these clients get access to copywriters and designers, all boasting years of experience working with brands in their industry. Secondly, brands can alleviate the burden of creating ‘always on’ content, allowing internal marketing teams to focus their time on more strategic tasks.
Yet, survey findings from SEMrush reveal that 41% of companies are less-than-satisfied with the quality of outsourced content. This general dissatisfaction may be due to several reasons, including insufficient briefing materials, a lack of consideration for the target audience, or even a complete absence of relevant keywords.
Still, these criticisms all boil down to one key issue: a misalignment in communication hindering the project’s success.
Here at CopyHouse, we have a tried-and-tested method for staying in tune with our client’s needs and bridging communication gaps. This article will look at how we overcome client collaboration challenges and build productive long-term relationships. Read on to learn more.
Content marketing agencies work with a wide range of clients and may have extensive experience writing for specific industries.
But let us suppose the product or service is highly complex. In that case, some agencies may struggle to grasp the more technical aspects of the value proposition, potentially hindering their ability to create persuasive content.
To ensure alignment in client understanding, content marketers may need time to thoroughly research the company, using previous content examples and in-depth client discovery workshops to get on track. In the first assignment, a detailed brief will also help copywriters hit the ground running when producing engaging, high-quality deliverables.
Clients also may not be fully aware of the full project scope, or what they want the completed deliverables to look like in terms of word count, accompanying imagery, or whether the content would benefit from an infographic. This misalignment in expectations can lead to project scope creep, where additional tasks are added without proper planning or agreement.
Defining clear project boundaries can help avoid confusion and help content marketing agencies plan workflows and subsequent deadlines efficiently. More importantly, agreeing on the project scope beforehand can also alleviate client concerns about agencies over-promising and under-delivering.
For example: suppose desk research of a niche topic is agreed upon, but then the copywriter exhausts all online resources and still cannot find the relevant information needed. In that case, they can ask the client to extend the project scope to incorporate an expert interview. Doing so will give the agency more time and resources to add an authoritative voice to the intended message, building the finished campaign’s credibility among the target audiences.
Poor client-agency communication can take many forms, from missing deliverables and feedback deadlines, to misunderstandings of requirements, or why key pieces of information should be omitted from a final draft.
Content marketing agencies should go above and beyond to agree on communication protocols, and be open to further questions and feedback should the client raise concerns about the content’s direction.
Likewise, clients should be open about their internal processes if an issue arises, such as the development team updating an existing feature, or the company undergoing an acquisition. In these instances, the client is responsible for relaying key details to ensure marketing campaigns stay up-to-date and relevant.
That said, maintaining client confidentiality is essential. Letting your agency know that certain information won’t be shared will help establish clear boundaries and build trust in the working relationship.
Many clients enlist the help of a content marketing agency to develop a consistent and engaging Tone of Voice across channels. However, if the content creation agreement begins and this vital alignment isn’t established, the marketing agency may analyse the brand’s existing collateral and raise questions about how best to communicate the brand’s messages.
At CopyHouse, we offer brand messaging workshops incorporating competitor and audience research, and SEO insights to help you build a cohesive brand identity from scratch –– or improve your existing output. At the end of the online seminar, we’ll give you a copy of our findings so you can share them with your team and ensure that every message encapsulates the true essence of your brand.
Getting the content right on the money on the first draft is the ultimate aim of any client retainer agreement. However, in the real world (and especially in the early days of the working relationship), the copywriting team should be open to negative feedback and revision requests.
In most instances, the client’s proposed changes can be written in the comment section of the working document. However, if more than 50% of the copy has to be looked at again, the client should be open to a call to discuss where the content misses the mark and provide instructions on how the copywriting can meet expectations.
At CopyHouse, we provide two rounds of amendments to incorporate feedback. This is because we understand that the client may want to gather opinions from the wider team or include an extra detail that wasn’t apparent when the content was briefed.
From our side, we understand when clients feel that a piece of content just isn’t right but can’t put their finger on what it will take to improve it. In these scenarios, we ask our content director and the account manager to step in and share their industry experience to help clients determine the best path forward.
Here at CopyHouse, we strive to incorporate client input and feedback to ensure they reap the benefits of outsourcing content creation without the extensive back-and-forth.
We provide strategic content marketing to tech-led B2B clients, both domestically and internationally. Find out more about how CopyHouse can help optimise your campaigns and content activity — contact us today.
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