Instil confidence with a content strategy
There are a number of good reasons why internal web project managers turn to freelance copywriters, visual designers and audio/video producers to create or re-tune their web content. They may crave the fresh perspective that an outsider would offer, they may also feel the project would benefit from someone free from the shackles of internal politics or, quite simply, the in-house team could lack the necessary skills, experience or numbers.
Ideally, it’s always sensible to bring any freelance web content creator on board as early as possible. By integrating them into the team at the initial planning stage they’ll have ample opportunity to get involved in everything from user research, usability testing, labelling and structuring.
But with still so much to learn about the business, their market(s) and customers, no matter what the stage the project’s at when they’re hired, they arrive at the table with many a burning question.
Acutely aware of the need to quickly formulate a picture of what, in the way of content, already exists, what’s expected of them and who they’re creating the content for, they’re often forever playing catch-up.
In short, without a web content strategy, or even an existing culture of content care and governance within the organisation, an external content creator faces an uphill battle from the start.
The tasks, deliverables and responsibilities associated with the compilation of a content strategy would help ease the often difficult catch-up period of drip-fed information, as well as providing them, and the team as a whole, with the confidence to produce the kind of content that will tap into the very heart of what the business and their readers are looking for.