Have you been plagued by the expression content that sells yet? We’ve tripped on that sentence about a thousand times, and it still plagues many LinkedIn posts and random self-help memes. Certainly, somewhere out there, someone printed in poor colours, framed it, hung it on a wall and followed that mantra every single day of their content professional life.
We don’t blame you – any of you. Content that sells is a great principle, and we love it. We’ll admit it’s the bread and butter of our lives, but we’re not particularly obsessed by the immediate conversion the term implies. There are many angles to content, and we happen to bet on the long-run strategy, the build-up that has to resist the heaviest storms, and, you’ve guessed it, the neverending changes on Google’s SEO algorithm.
If no one ever told you, chasing that algorithm is a little like chasing shadows. Most of it is unknown, and even the most honest SEO experts will tell you that it’s much more about trial and error than magical recipes. Mind you, there are fabulous SEO professionals out there, and we know a few. They are mathematicians, coders, and dreamers. They get solid results, but as far as we’re concerned, without fabulous content to put up the walls and roof over our heads, we’re not going anywhere.
How Can I Get Content That Sells?
Answer number one would be to craft it yourself. It’s hard work; it requires agility, knowledge, research and – let’s say we’re aiming at ideals – talent. Most importantly, it requires a lot of time that most business owners do not have. As a result, the best course of action is to either hire a freelancer to look after your content needs or scale it up slightly and hire a team of content experts.
The first option is valid. We’ve worked as freelancers ourselves on endless projects for numerous clients. Those lessons learnt were the foundation of what Portuguese Content is today. The luxury housing market in Florida? We’ve been there. Advertising Toyota cars in America? We’ve done it. Pick up a casino in English and turn it into a purely Brazilian-speaking page? You’ve got it. But working for a while in content marketing, we also understand the cons of hiring freelancers for any project. Finding good, reliable talent is very hard. It’s hard for companies hiring, so why wouldn’t it be for your business to try to save some money and find the best freelancer ever in one single go?
Then, there’s a second issue. Failure takes time and money. Again, working with freelancers, we often found ourselves getting much less than we needed, meaning we had to go back into the game and find someone able to cope with the requirements. And guess what? You’re instantly second or third best if they get a better-paying gig. There are no friends to be made in this battle for the best content, and therefore, content that sells has now seen endless trials, reviews, failure, and burned hours of time you don’t have.
What’s worse? You don’t even have the content you need to begin with. That’s money and time down the drain, and you haven’t even moved from the starting line yet.
So our only advice is to hire an agency, a team of content professionals, or someone you really trust. Even then, there’s a good chance they’ll keep moving and growing; therefore, it’s up to you to ensure they want to stay. Give them a raise, ask for a constant flow of content and ensure you treat them respectfully. A freelancer means value when you pick your cards right.
The Cost of Poor Content
The scenario we painted before is by no means an exaggeration. We’ve all been at a point where we scaled our freelance business and hired help. Hiring help was extremely tough, and meeting our high expectations, even for fantastic rates, was even harder. When all that fails, the only course of action is to move forward. Team up with renowned professionals and start your own show. You may not be able to look after dozens of clients, but you can deliver that boutique-style service that focuses on real quality.
This takes us to the cost of poor content. It’s hard to measure it since it all depends on how low your expectations can go, personally and as a business. Are you only aiming to tick a box and post a random piece, or do you want to grow in a competitive market? There is a huge difference. Content that sells is about inspiring, communicating, and opening a dialogue with your audience. Poor content is someone that rambles in the subway right in the middle of all the fuss and noise.
We can’t tell you exactly how many thousands of euros we’ve wasted in poor content. Even worse, the content we had to fix ourselves in the end, at the expense of our time and energy. The term if you want something done properly, do it yourself comes to mind frequently. But in the process, we got something back from every dozen new trials. Sometimes, a great researcher. Sometimes, a decent writer for a specific niche. Very frequently, someone shines for reasons different to those they’re selling.
How Much Does it Cost to Create Content That Sells?
The great question at last. Content that sells doesn’t have to be expensive. It all depends on your competition and the market where you’re attempting to become #1. Because this matter is so subjective, we’ll give you a specific example. Two years ago, we started working for a client with simple needs, even though he operates in a rather challenging and competitive niche.
His website was getting 400+ views a month. Understanding the value of content and leads, he asked us to write 1x blog post every month, averaging 1,000 words. We charged a small fee of only $150 to gain two things: trust and portfolio. The results were positive, the site got plenty of backlinks, and organic views started to rise in the following months.
Not too far down the line, this client requested 2x monthly articles. The results were even better; we could track its performance closely alongside one of our favourite tools, delivering SEO metrics. In 2022, the same client increased the budget considerably and asked for 4x monthly articles, each valued at over $500. Traffic now surpasses 15,000 visitors/month, and leads are abundant.
Eventually, this is the question you must ask yourself:
How much is each client worth to you? How much is each lead through your website or social media worth? The answer can as easily be $1,000,000 or $10, depending on your niche. That’s why each client has a different profile and different content needs. We attend to both extremes in the very same way, focusing on quality and working hard to make something different every time around. In the end, the question is more about how much does it cost you NOT to invest in quality content.
The Truth About Content Marketing
If we were just starting, we wouldn’t believe it either. But we’ve witnessed it from the front row, where a business was doing well, and suddenly, it needed to hire a large team to handle all the requests. Naturally, this is as much due to several efforts done simultaneously, the vision of the entrepreneur and the ability to invest considerably in meeting content needs. There are several effective content services you can use to your advantage.
It’s hard for a company to invest in a team they don’t know. It’s hard to invest in one they do, for that matter. But in this time and age, it’s simply unthinkable to miss out on what content marketing can do for a business. When you think of how your current clients find you, all it takes is to imagine what it would look like if they found you every time they looked after a series of terms, concepts, and their derivates.
It can be about making a cake store visible in your local community or bringing a global brand to the top spots of search engines. There is definitely much to it, but the principles, and the mechanics behind it, don’t differ all that much. So our suggestion is to think about whether you can still afford to remain silent in a world that needs answers. If you’re still unsure, contact us today, and we’ll find you the answers you need.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Our classic section, where we aim for short answers on big topics. The following are surely those we encounter more often when we are approached by clients or friends asking how content makes money. There is much more to discuss based on this subject, so forgive us for simplifying the message. After all, that’s what we do. Drop us a line if you still have any questions or are interested in learning more about this area.
What is content that sells?
Content that sells is one that is relevant to user intent and the ability to convert leads. Users should be able to find specific query-related content and buy the product or service that it’s related to through a clear message. Lead generation content is often a synonym of this principle.
Is content that sells an expensive investment?
It is an investment, and we believe missing out on it is far more expensive. Businesses already rely heavily on content that sells, and opting out of making your brand or service relevant online is similar to owning a store back in 1980 and not advertising it whatsoever or keeping the windows tainted and the door shut.
Where can I hire content that sells?
There are plenty of talented content agencies out there, some local, some global. Alternatively, you can hire a freelancer to look after your content needs. Our team has wide expertise in looking after projects where content that sells is a priority. Even though we’re experts in the Portuguese-speaking market, we generate leads in dozens of other English-speaking markets.
Do I need content marketing services?
Most likely, yes. We moved from a time when the question was “should I hire content marketing services” to focusing on an actual need. Users no longer walk around looking for the best store, product or service to answer their needs. They look it up online and rely heavily on the structured systems of evaluation we can find. Opting out of this environment is the same as opting off existence.
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