Read time: 2 minutes.
If you run a surf tourism, surf tech or surfwear brand, chances are that you have a surf blog page on your website.
But simply having a surf camp blog page for your website isn’t enough. In order for it to be effective, you also need to maintain it and produce fresh content on a regular basis.
The problem with this is that brainstorming, writing, editing and uploading articles to your surf camp blog takes time.
Like… a lot of time.
This is time that could be better spent focusing on other parts of your business, hanging with the family or scoring a few waves with your friends.
The good news here is that you can hire someone to maintain your surf camp blog for you.
Before you hand over the reins to a professional though, the first thing you absolutely must do is figure out whether you even need to hire a writer for your surf camp blog.
Otherwise, you’ll simply end up pouring money into something that you can just do yourself.
With that in mind, check out the following article. In it I look at whether or not outsourcing your surf camp blog is the way to go.
I also cover a number of other important things that you need to consider when hiring someone to write for your surf tourism, surf tech or surfwear business.
But first, let’s answer one of the more popular questions that I receive from business owners when discussing the topic of blog writing.
Can’t I just write my own surf camp blog?
As the owner of your business, you should be perfectly placed to write about your own services or products.
After all, you understand the market and your audience, plus you know the unique selling points of your brand.
The issue here is that as a business owner, you’re already juggling a number of arguably more important duties and responsibilities.
These responsibilities range from the hiring of staff to the managing of retail stock and the day-to-day running of your operations.
As a small business, you can get away with handling these things yourself.
Once your brand begins to grow though, time becomes more scarce. And when time becomes scarce, your priorities shift.
More often than not, the writing of surf camp blog articles is one of the first things relegated to the bottom of the to-do list.
It’s only a matter of time before your blog page becomes the digital equivalent of that old surfboard that you never use.
Left to gather dust in the garage or shed while other boards get all the attention.
When this happens, it might be time to consider hiring a professional writer for your blog.
How a surf camp blog writer can help your business
If you’re actively trying to grow your business by increasing organic traffic, you’ll be required to publish routine blog articles that are both relevant and professionally written.
As I mentioned earlier, this is easy to do if you don’t have many other commitments.
If you struggle to brainstorm ideas or find that you’re constantly pressuring yourself to upload something, anything, then you may be in danger of burning out. And this isn’t good for your business, your surfing or your relationships.
By hiring a writer to either take over your surf camp blog entirely or support yourself or another writer, you can:
- Appear like the authority in your niche
- Produce consistent content week in, week out
- Focus on the bigger picture
- Generate new business through organic traffic
- Alleviate the stress that comes with maintaining your own blog
- Give people a good first impression of your business or brand
- Ensure you always have something meaningful to share on social media
What to ask yourself before outsourcing your surf camp blog
It can be super exciting knowing that you’re actively investing in the growth of your business.
But be careful… you still need to exercise a high degree of caution before contracting someone to write your surf camp blog.
They are, after all, essentially representing your brand. This means that they’re to be entrusted with your vision and your reputation.
Before you launch into an agreement with a freelance writer, ask yourself the following questions.
How big of commitment do I need to make?
According to Hubspot, which is one of the world’s leading authorities on digital marketing, you need to figure out just how big of a commitment you want to make when it comes to producing surf camp blog content. Put simply, how often do you want to post.
“Smaller businesses have found comfort and success posting one to four times a week, while larger companies can push out daily and, sometimes, multiple daily posts”
No matter how big your business is, regularity is the key to success. Feel free to ask around as to how often you should be blogging. Ideally, it’s a good idea to work this out before you start looking to outsource your surf camp blog.
Who is the best fit for my business?
You can’t just hire anyone for your surf camp blog.
Ideally, you want to target somebody that operates within your niche – someone with an innate knowledge of your product that also has experience writing blog articles for similar brands.
The reasoning behind this is that the more proficient they are, the less you’ll need to micromanage them.
In addition, they should also be organised and easy to work with.
Of course, the latter isn’t crucial. But if you’re going to be communicating with someone on a regular basis, it’s much better if they’re personable.
In order to discover whether a writer is a good fit for your business, simply check out their portfolio or request their CV.
You can even suggest a paid trial article if you’re still unsure. This way you can see whether they’ve got what it takes without overcommitting early on.
Am I covered if things go pear-shaped?
Whenever you make a decision about your business you’re taking a risk. What will you do if the writer in question publishes slanderous content or hijacks your brand?
While we don’t like to think of these things, it’s better to have something in place that protects both you and your business.
Ask the writer whether they offer a freelancer agreement/contract.
If they say yes then you’ll know that they’re serious about their job. You’ll also have something to fall back on in the extreme case that you’re not satisfied with their work.
4 signs that you need to outsource your surf camp blog
If you recognise any of the signs below then it’s probably high time that you outsource your surf camp blog:
- You frequently “run out of time” to create regular blog articles
- You have no idea what to write about
- Your blog content isn’t producing any measurable spikes in traffic
- You’re beginning to hate the process of brainstorming, writing and publishing blog articles
NOTE: You should never hire someone to write for your blog if you still have enough time to publish well-researched content once a week or if hiring a freelance writer for your surf camp blog means you’ll go into debt.
Hiring a professional writer vs. hiring a contributor/intern vs hiring an agency
When it comes time to hire someone for your blog you have three main choices. Each of these choices comes with its own benefits and drawbacks.
In the section below, I’ll elaborate on the main differences between professional freelance writers, contributors/interns and agencies.
With any luck, you’ll then be able to make an informed decision as to which option is right for you when the time comes to outsource your blog.
Professional freelance writer
A professional freelance writer is exactly that – someone who is trained to write specifically for your niche.
This niche-specific expertise combined with a high command of grammar and online marketing savvy will ensure that any money you spend on their services is surely an investment.
What’s more, a professional freelance writer will provide a direct line of communication. This ensures that you receive a speedy response whenever an important question or pressing concern arises.
Finally, a professional freelance writer will have fewer overheads than an agency. This means you won’t need to fork out large upfront costs which can be daunting for smaller businesses.
| PROS + | CONS – |
| Niche-specific experience | Difficult to find |
| Emphasis on quality content | Can’t handle more than a few projects at once |
| Flexible pricing | |
| Direct communication | |
| Know how to write engaging content |
Contributor/Intern
Many business owners believe that they can cut costs by using either an external contributor or an intern to write articles for their surf camp blog.
This is an especially attractive option because let’s face it… it’s free content for your website.
But ask yourself – would you work day in, day out and bust your back for zero monetary remuneration? The answer for most people is a resounding no.
Another aspect to consider before putting on a contributor or intern is that while you’ll probably get regular content, it won’t be the type of content that ranks well in search engines.
Then there’s the fact that contributors and interns rarely hang around for months on end.
This means you’ll be continually training new writers in adherence to your brand’s style and the overarching vision for your business.
This takes time, it takes patience and it can be a disaster if you’re trying to achieve any type of consistency.
In the end, you can’t expect to achieve results when your writer has no skin in the game. But if you’re not willing to invest anything in growing your digital reach, a contributor or intern is a perfect choice.
| PROS + | CONS – |
| Free content | Lack of consistency |
| Easily replaceable if things don’t work out | Generally poorer quality work |
| Never in it for the long-run | |
| Unprofessional content can reflect poorly on your brand |
Agency
There is a certain sense of security that comes with working with an agency.
After all, they generally have an extensive portfolio and unlike a freelance copywriter… a physical address.
What’s more, the right agency can guarantee a high quality of content. Although to tell you the truth, so can a good freelance writer.
One drawback to working with an agency though is that they’re always more costly than a freelance writer and infinitely more expensive than your average contributor or intern.
There are also very few agencies that specialise in creating content for the surf tourism, surf tech or surfwear industries.
This means that you’ll waste a lot of time nursing their content to ensure that it connects with your target audience.
In addition, an agency that isn’t familiar with your niche is in danger of committing a potentially serious faux pas that could hurt the momentum of your brand.
| PROS + | CONS – |
| Emphasis on quality content | Pricey |
| Can provide examples of past work | Few agencies specialise in servicing the surfing industry |
| Security of working with a physical business | Lack of flexibility when making changes |
| Agency writers may have zero personal interest in your niche |
Conclusion
If you don’t have the time to service your surf camp blog then hiring a professional writer may be the answer.
They’ll not only help you grow your business by attracting new customers, but they’ll also allow you to spend more time doing the things you love (see: chasing waves).
Even just committing to one professionally written blog article per month could have a significant positive impact on your digital marketing success over the long term.
Ultimately, outsourcing your surf camp blog to a pro will remove a lot of burden from your shoulders. And anything that makes your life easier and helps to further your business can’t be wrong.
So, are you ready to hire a professional writer for your blog?
Email me today to discuss how we can make your surf camp blog work for you!