How Do I Start My Own Content Writing Agency?

If you’ve caught any of my recent posts on freelance writing, you know that I don’t have any illusions about the process. Freelance writing is a lot of work up front. The work starts long before you get your first client. Check out my posts on getting started. In this post, I’m outlining how to take your career to the next step. Now I want to convince you to quit freelance writing.

It’s All About the Money

One thing a lot of content writers grumble about is how little they get paid. It’s tough because they never really feel that they are in charge of their income. The industry dictates how much a freelance writer is worth. Content writing is a commodity. If a writer makes it in a freelance world, she’s still just chasing the next dollar.

There is a way to get around this; quit your freelance career and start a content marketing agency. A content writing agency will give you much more control over your income. You’ll be able to negotiate better rates and work with clients who are looking for quality content as well as long-term relationships.

Setting Up Your Own Content Writing Service

What’s the difference? A content marketing agency is a business that creates and distributes content to a select clientele. The owner is in charge of their own income, so they can set their own rates and create the products they want to sell. There are a few things you need to consider if you’re thinking of starting your own agency. As you expand, you hire writers and build out your service. Later, you can even sell the business.

Wait a second, you might say. “How did I go from wanting to settle on a freelance writing career to a full-time content marketing business?” If you want to be a profitable content writer, you’ll need to consider the business side of the process as much as you do the creative end.

This mindset can help you jump from the 90% of freelancers looking for scraps to the top 1% of income earners. Instead of searching the listings on Indeed or UpWork, every day hoping to land a part-time gig, you’re courting high-paying clients.

Your content marketing service should comprise a website, blog, and any other online assets needed to market your services. There are several ways to set up your fee schedule. Remember, you aren’t a freelancer looking for a per-word rate. You are offering a set of services that will have a positive impact on your client’s bottom line.

There’s no need for an elaborate set up when you’re starting out. If you’ve been freelancing for a while, you’ll have samples to show on your website. Now let’s be clear, when you’re creating your agency, there are a few guidelines that will have to be addressed. I’ve listed a few below.

8-Step Plan for Starting a Content Writing Service

Step 1: Determine the services your agency will offer.

Step 2: Decide if you want to focus on a niche or vertical industry.

Step 3: Be sure to set up your production pipeline.

Step 4: Establish connections for expanding your production when you need it.

Step 5: Develop the promotional collateral for the marketing.

Step 6: Establish your creative agency fee structure.

Step 7: Set appointments — create proposals — close sales

Step 8: Promote your content creation business through client referrals and testimonials.

Determine The Services Your Company Offers

To start your own content writing company, first determine what services you will offer. Some examples could be blog creation or article writing, website content development, social media marketing or even video script production. For example, you can help clients develop a basic email marketing system. Your company can set up their email service, establish a marketing campaign that includes copywriting and maintenance.

If you do that for a vertical market, you’ll become known as the expert in your field. You can quickly become an authority in that marketing and begin offering additional services once you become established. Start with one service and grow from there.

Decide if You Want to Focus On a Niche or Vertical Industry

Your services may also hinge on the industry you choose to work in. Although most will transfer fairly easily from one to another, certain industries may favor one or two types more favorably. Now that you’re determined the services you want to offer, it’s important to decide if you want to focus on a specific niche. For example, your agency may specialize in website copy and blog development for dental offices.

As an agency, you can build out a project that lasts all year. This is because your goal is to support your client through their effort to gain traffic, build their reputation, increase sales build up a following, double conversions; or any other goal that helps them to succeed. Instead of being on the outside, your agency is an integral part of their journey.

Be Sure to Set Up Your Production Pipeline

You’ll want to establish your production routine. This includes content production and marketing, sales, deliverables, and follow up for testimonials and referrals. Your business management skills will be important at this point because you’ll be wearing many hats. If you find it hard to stay organized, get some help; either human or digital help.

Establish Connections for Expanding Your Production When You Need It

One of the biggest differences between your operation and the average freelancer is your goals. Most freelancers offer rates by the word or by the hour. Your company will look at your annual income goal and break it down into monthly sales projections. When you approach businesses, your solutions may be bigger than creating a newsletter or email marketing campaign.

At some point, you may be all the marketing they have. Suddenly you’re working them to re-do their website, their sales funnel, email marketing and digital advertising. They are counting on you to get them regular work. This is where your freelance team comes into play.

Learn to work with a team for larger projects. If you’re unable to bring on freelancers, then consider hiring a virtual agency. This will allow you to work with other business owners who share your goals and can help improve the quality of your content while also helping you to grow your business. Virtual agencies take care of all the marketing for you which means less time spent worrying about it and more time focused on growing your client base.

Develop Your Promotional Collateral for the Marketing

You’re going to need to be your best client at the beginning. That means learning how to develop your marketing materials. Start with your marketing plan. Develop your calendar and your project management system. That will get you moving in the right direction.

Your business will need the following marketing assets:

-Your website design and hosting package.

-Content management system, and Web traffic analysis tools.

-A social media presence that promotes your brand on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, etc.

-Copywriting or ghost writing to develop interesting social media or website copy that captures attention.

-Marketing videos (2 minutes max) -An email marketing strategy that involves types, frequency, and subjects.

-A lead gen landing page or squeeze page to convert leads into customers.

Develop Relationships with Local Businesses

Now that you have some great marketing collateral, it’s time to promote. You want your business to be seen as an expert in the industry. That means learning about what’s going on in your local economies and getting involved early enough so you can capitalize on trends. Be sure to attend trade shows, meetups and other events where entrepreneurs are congregating.

Establish Your Creative Agency Package

Let’s say that you start with a basic package and promote it as your entry into the dental market. You have a $7,000 email marketing package. You develop a full email marketing plan and offer a year’s supply of email content for the office. Pretty simple. The pack comprises

• A Mailchimp account.
• A set of greeting emails.
• 50 follow-up emails for engaging prospects.
• 50 follow up emails for patients.
• A lead capture page for the website.
• 12 months of reports for the service.

That’s a fairly simple email marketing project. At $7,000 for the year, a dental office can afford that. Now, you may not have received a contract for that from a client before, or you may feel comfortable with it as a starter project. There are agencies who do that for a lot more. The goal here is to get you to see value over price. To be honest, you may not feel confident about landing a contract for a $50,000 project yet.

You’re looking for companies that your service can help in a significant way. For example, if you produce email marketing content, being able to increase a dental office’s sales conversion rate by 8% is a big deal. Do some research to get an idea of the average customer lifetime value (CLV) for the industry you intend to specialize in.

If you can show your prospects how you can increase conversions and extend customer lifetime value (CLV) for their target market, your presentation will be far more effective. If a dental office has a patient lifetime value of $600 and you can bring them an extra 10 patients a month, be sure to factor that into your package price.

Highlighting this amount can influence the prospect’s perspective. From a business vantage point, being able to get even one new patient a month for that fee can be a dream scenario! You make that point known.

A company will pay $7,000 for an annual project because it’s perfectly reasonable at this point. So, when conducting your market research, consider the budgets for your services that match your income requirements. Also, consider the markets that you feel confident in pursuing long term.

You may offer a monthly promotional package that includes email marketing, blog posts, social media outreach and Google Business Profile posts, along with ongoing website content. The goal of this comprehensive package is to ultimately reduce the company’s advertising expenses when search marketing takes over as the primary driver of lead generation.

Set appointments — Create Proposals — Close Sales

According to the Clutch and The Manifest polls, small businesses in the USA spend an average of 10 to 50 thousand dollars a year on advertising and marketing. The most recent survey shows that next year they plan to spend even more on promotion.

Take some time to craft an irresistible offer for your prospects. It’s worth hiring a fantastic copywriter for this project. It will be worth the expense many times over. If you’re great at this, get a second opinion any way. You’ll be working to build a rotating roster of clients who count on your company to get them leads or brand recognition year after year.

Promote Your Content Creation Business Through Client Referrals and Testimonials

You’ll need to stay on top of customer contact, follow up and ask for the referrals. Develop a referral strategy. For example, sign up for a mailing list that’s dedicated to your industry. Ask clients and prospective clients to subscribe without being prompted and then send them relevant updates and offers as they come in.

Offer Free Services or Discounts When You Refer New Clients

Start by thanking the referral source when they provide you with their contact information. Send them a handwritten note of appreciation, like this one: “Dear ____, Thank you so much for referring me to ____. I am excited to learn more about your business and will do my best to surpass your expectations.”

Send out emails to satisfied clients and coach them on their testimonial letters. You’re not telling them what to write, but you’ll be in doing them a favor if you offer examples. Many people shy away from writing because they aren’t very good at it. This can be done by email or snail mail. Remind them you’ll be posting their business information on your websites and blogs, giving them even more coverage.

Encourage Your Referral Sources to Promote You Too

Referral marketing is a two-way street. It’s important for your referral sources to promote you as well, especially if you’re the driving force behind generating leads for them. Ask them to write blog posts or social media posts about their experience working with you and include links back to your website or business page.

“But I’m Just One Person!”

Nope. You’re a company! As a business owner, you may have to bring on freelancers to work on projects. That’s ok. You can work it out at that point. The first step is to get your game plan for marketing your services. As an agency, you can head to the freelance job boards or connect with your network of writers and designers.

Conclusion:

Starting your own content writing agency is a great way to build your brand and increase business. By following these tips, you’ll be on the right track to creating high-quality content that attracts customers and leads. Your business will blossom if you are working with just a few clients who you can invest your time and brain power. Clients who welcome what you offer because they understand that the more you invest in their business, the greater their profits will grow.

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