Starting up a new business is like taking up the responsibility of a parent because startups need cherishing and nurturing exactly as a child does. It requires maximum safekeeping and immense support and effort till the time it can stand on its own two feet. With all that on your plate, wouldn’t it be great to get a little help while you deal with things you are best at? This is exactly the reason why businesses hire blog writers to take care of their blogs so that they can focus on their products. Blog writers not only write blogs but also keep them always updated.
In the case of startups and small businesses, it is smarter to hire freelance blog writers than employ them permanently, given the limited budget and the opportunity of having a diverse pool of personnel to choose from.
Here are the 10 Tips for Hiring a Freelance Writer for Your Small Business
1) Hire Multiple Writers: It is best that you hire more than 1 blog writer to ensure multiple streams of creativity flow in. It also helps with segregation of duties, through which people only do the work that they are experts at, which will improve the quality of work provided and save you from mediocrity. Meanwhile, writers get to be more innovative with their writing when their focus is not to just get done with the work and do not have a huge work pile to tend to.
2) Industry-Specific Knowledge: It is important you recognize the kind of work you need from the person. If you believe it is way too technical for a regular person, you should hire individuals with the right level of industry-specific knowledge rather than generalists who are great at researching and writing on general topics because there are certain things that do not just pop up on your screen when you write Google the keywords, required in-depth knowledge that only comes with time in a specific field. If that is the kind of content you need, a specialized writer is what to look for.
3) Knowledge of SEO Intricacies: It is important to hire an individual aware of the intricacies of SEO to have a blog that is relevant and has traffic. What is the point of creating a blog that is not reaching the target audience? Hence staying on top of the search engine is the key.
4) Allow Training Time: When hiring, do not expect the person to be perfect at their job right away. There are going to be mistakes and tasks that would need to be redone, it is best for the employer to stay patient and allow training time because even the finest of topnotch professionals were not top of their game from the very beginning. Hence cutting them some slack at the start would not do any harm.
5) Realistic Expectations: It is essential for you as an employer, to have realistic expectations when seeking a candidate and have requisites that are humanly possible and as per your budget. It would be very naïve for a startup with very limited resources to expect the kind of work expected from a top-tier professional blog writer, as well as expect that hiring 1 blog writer would be enough to get the job of 10 done. It would be out of line and humanly impossible.
6) Passionate About Writing: Individuals who are passionate about writing and do not do it as a chore or a part-time job are highly employable for such tasks. Finding an enthusiastic blog writer who loves what he does; what more could a business ask for? Because this kind of work can sometimes get laborious and suck in a lot of mental strength, and when that time comes, a person with a passion for writing would be the only one performing.
7) Relationship: It is important you decide the kind of relationship you want to establish with your blog writers beforehand, as in how casual or professional you want to keep it. It is totally up to the company’s discretion. However, research shows that individuals with friendlier proprietors tend to be more efficient and creative with their work as well as show ownership, take initiatives, and be more invested in their business’ success. Meanwhile, it is also necessary to ensure that the blog writers do not take advantage of your leniency. Balance is best.
8) Differing Price Points: The deal with hiring freelancers for professional blog writing services is, that you can find individuals with varying price ranges, experience, and expertise. Therefore, it is safe to say that there is something for everyone. For small businesses, your biggest challenge of hiring on a budget just got sorted. Unbelievable? See for yourself:
9) Efficiency & Accuracy: Maintaining a blog is no child’s play. It needs constant tending to and needs to stay updated so that the traffic flow does not stop. Therefore, individuals that cannot meet deadlines and do not perform their work accurately will not be of a lot of help. Reinforcing timely delivery of accurate work is crucial.
10) Leverage Test Articles: What better way to know a blog writer’s competency than to give test assignments? It is best to give assignments related to the kind of tasks the individual shall be regularly asked to write. Giving more than 1 assignment can be a better representative of his capabilities as well as his timeliness.
If you want to elevate your blog without putting your own blood, sweat, and tears into it, hiring freelancers is the way to go, while you do other important work crucial to your business and leave the creative work of blog writing in the hands of professionals.
