According to Our Social Times, 62% of companies outsource their content creation. As any Internet marketer should know, content is essential for building up your brand and increasing your reach in search engines, but many companies are understandably doubtful about outsourcing their content marketing. The following tips will help you to go about outsourcing in the best way possible:

#1 Choose a Native Speaker

Choosing a non-native speaker for your content marketing might save you a lot of money, but unless they are absolutely proficient in the language, you could end up with a disaster on your hands. If the result is poor-quality content littered with spelling or grammar errors or awkward sentence structures, your readers will know right away, and your reputation may take a big hit as a result.

#2 Decide Which Work to Outsource

For any company making the move to outsourcing their content creation, a bit of experimentation will inevitably be required. You’ll also need to decide which types of content, such as blog posts, white papers, case studies, infographics or something else to use for different topics. Finally, you should always retain one employee who is responsible for reviewing all outsourced work internally.

#3 Choose a Reputable Platform

Most companies understandably prefer to go through a middleman rather than approach online freelancers directly. There are many reputable platforms out there where companies can find qualified professionals to outsource their work to, but you should also be wary of the major outsourcing directories or job boards, since they do not tend to attract the most reputable freelancers.

#4 Be Prepared to Pay

The major outsourcing directories, such as Elance, Guru and Freelancer, are popular largely because they have thousands of freelancers who are prepared to work for next to nothing. When it comes to content creation, you get what you pay for, and if you are only willing to pay $10 for a page, you’ll get something that isn’t even worth $1. If you want well-written content, be prepared to pay at least 5 cents per word.

#5 Pay by the Project

While you’ll pay an in-house team by the hour, this isn’t very suitable when it comes to outsourcing your content creation, not least because you have no control over how much time your freelancers actually spend on a project. Instead, agree on a price for the project rather than an hourly wage, since this is both better for your budget, and most freelancers prefer it this way too.

#6 Start Small

It can be tempting to jump straight into outsourcing, but it will take time to find the best freelancers. Start small by outsourcing only a little at a time rather than outsourcing your entire content marketing strategy. For best results, outsource your content creation to multiple freelancers, since this will allow you to evaluate each one until you find ones who are worth establishing long-term relationships with.

#7 Demand Samples

When deciding whether or not to work with a particular freelancer, being able to view samples of their work is far more valuable than anything else, including their experience or educational credentials. Do not consider hiring a freelancer who cannot or will not provide samples, and if you are looking for a long-term working relationship, consider demanding a short sample specifically for you.

#8 Provide Clear Instructions

Better instructions equal better content, so you will need to tell your freelancers exactly what you are looking for. If you plan to outsource a lot of content in the future, it is wise to formulate a style so that all of the work is consistent with your brand’s image. Make sure that you provide clear instructions on writing style, topics, word counts, content structures and keywords.

#9 Be Communicative

You’ll also need to be communicative throughout the entire process, while also being realistic about the deadlines you set. Freelancers are often busy people, and it is essential for both parties to maintain clear communication at all times. Answer any questions quickly and make sure that you have a clear agreement on the deadline, price and method of payment before any work starts being done.

#10 Look Out for the Red Flags

Be wary of the common red flags of the types of outsourcing agencies or individual freelancers that you don’t want to hire. Avoid the jack-of–all-trades types who have no specific focus and will write absolutely anything. Another thing to be wary of is when you’re outsourcing work is to make sure it not being outsourced by the freelancer: always make sure that you know specifically who is going to be working on your projects.