What Is a Content Marketing Agency? (And Everything Else You Need to Know)

About 47% of small-business owners run marketing entirely on their own, putting a strain on their business operations. However, that strain immediately dissipates when you hire a content marketing agency — you’ll add a full team of writers, strategists, and designers to your business and free up your time.

But what does a content marketing agency do, actually? And what do you get out of working with one instead of handling it yourself?

We’ll answer those questions and more through the following sections:

• What is a content marketing agency?
• What does a content marketing agency do?
• What to look for in a content marketing agency
• In-house content marketing vs. Hiring an agency
• How do I hire the best content marketing agency for my business?
• FAQs on content marketing agencies

P.S. Looking to start your search? Check out our list of the best content marketing companies to find the ideal choice for your business!

What is a content marketing agency?

A content marketing agency, also called a content agency, creates content marketing strategies to plan, produce, distribute, and measure the impacts of content for their clients.

This content, which can include blog posts, videos, longform guides, podcasts, and much more, aims to provide value to a specific audience with the ultimate goal of building the company’s customer base and increasing revenue.

What does a content marketing agency do?

As we mentioned above, many small business owners have less than an hour a day for marketing. With such little time devoted to a crucial strategy, it becomes harder to see results. That’s where a content marketing agency can make a difference in your business’ success.

A content marketing agency takes care of several tasks, including:

• Perform content audits and research
• Build a content strategy
• Produce different content formats
• Hone in on your brand voice and messaging
• Compile transparent results and reports

Perform content audits and research

Before jumping into creating content, an agency provides strategic prep and consults with your business to find the best approach. 

As a first step for content marketing, agencies perform content audit, competitor analysis, keyword research. This process involves reviewing your existing content, analyzing competitors, and finding content gaps, all of which are essential for building a content plan.

Build a content strategy

Once your agency has the foundation of your business covered, they can create a content marketing strategy that drives results and increases key metrics.

While creating content is, of course, a vital part of content marketing, it’s only part of the whole picture. You also need a strategy to make sure you get the most possible value from your content.

You can partner with content creation companies that only produce content and opt to plan your strategy yourself. However, you can often get more value from your investment by working with a content marketing agency on your strategy since they have more resources, team members, and expertise.

Produce different content formats

Any top content marketing company will offer a full spectrum of services to execute a holistic strategy.

While writing blogs is the most recognizable form of content, your content marketing agency will also create:

• Videos
• Infographics
• Ebooks
• Social media content
• Email newsletters
• And more!

Before working with an agency, ask what content types they offer. Then, check some examples of each type of content you’re interested in to make sure they can produce high-quality work.

Hone in on your brand voice and messaging

When creating content, agencies often focus on shaping a consistent brand voice and tone. For example, an agency will learn your brand’s personality and ensure all content aligns with it, which promotes authenticity in content.

If you don’t have a set of brand guidelines already, your agency might work with you to create one to simplify your branding approach.

Compile transparent results and reports

A good content marketing agency provides regular reports on key metrics (traffic, leads, engagement) and ties them to your business goals.

For example, if your goal is to earn more clicks to your website from your blog, they might compile traffic reports from a blog post after it’s launched and show what pages are working best to accomplish that goal.

These reports are also key for finding areas to improve your content strategy and maintain an open line of communication with your business.

What to look for in a content marketing agency

Not every content marketing company will have the same benefits for your business. So, what makes a good content marketing company?

Below, you’ll find a list of benefits to look for when trying to find the best content marketing firm for your business’s needs.

Watch: How To Outsource Content Marketing

Results-driven focus

Good content marketing agencies also put the focus on getting results that make a meaningful impact on your company’s goals and bottom line.

Some companies focus too much on vanity metrics — metrics that look good but don’t lead to much tangible benefit for your business. What counts as a vanity metric depends on your goals, but potential examples include page views and social media followers.

The best content marketing agencies, on the other hand, excel at storytelling. They craft a compelling narrative that engages the audience, rather than just churning out articles. Agencies create content that resonates and isn’t just filler for SEO, meaning you get more quality traffic and improve metrics that have a direct impact on your sales and revenue goals.

Custom plans that suit individual client’s needs

The best content marketing companies always provide you with custom strategies and unique content.

They never take a cookie-cutter approach to planning your content marketing and will write content that specifically caters to your industry and topics of interest. A good content marketing company will take the time to learn about your business and your goals.

Deliverables do vary between content marketing companies, especially when it comes to producing content. Some content marketing firms will compile content ideas for your team to produce vs. compiling and producing the ideas.

That’s why before hiring a content agency, you should review their deliverables.

Transparency

Another thing to look for in a potential content marketing partner is transparency.

Check if the content marketing companies you’re considering are transparent about their:

• Pricing: Do they post their pricing on their website and explain it in clear terms?
• Process: Do they have a clear process for how they’ll get you results?
• Results: Do they provide regular updates and reporting on your campaigns and the results they’re getting?

An understanding of the big picture

Content marketing is an important part of digital marketing.

Still, it’s just one part of a complete digital marketing strategy — and it’s an even smaller part of how you build your brand and grow your company overall. Content marketing does relate closely to many other types of online marketing, though.

For example, your content helps you rank in search engines, and you can share your content on social media to help grow your following, build your brand, and increase engagement. A good content marketing agency understands these relationships and how content marketing fits into the big picture.

Testimonials and reviews

Another valuable way to evaluate a potential content marketing partner is to check out their reviews and testimonials. The insights that past clients provide can give you an idea of what it’s like to work with a given agency.

Evidence of results

You’ll also want to see some evidence of the results an agency can provide before working with them. Check their website for case studies and statistics about their results or ask a representative of the company to see their best results.

A strong portfolio

You should also check each agency’s portfolio for examples of their work. Seeing examples is the best way to evaluate the quality of the company’s content and make sure they’re a good fit for your brand.

When browsing an agency’s portfolio, also check if they’ve worked with companies in your industry or similar industries before. Some agencies specialize in certain areas (technology, healthcare, etc.), which can be a deciding factor.

Good communication

Talking to a representative of an agency is one of the best ways to make sure a content marketing company is a right fit for your business. You’ll be communicating with your agency regularly, so you want to make sure they’re friendly, helpful, and timely in their responses.

A solid content marketing strategy of their own

Does the content marketing agency you’re looking into promoting themselves with content marketing? If so, that’s a good sign they know what they’re doing and truly believe in their capabilities. Explore the content on each companies’ site to get a sense of what they can do and the kinds of content they can create.

In-house content marketing vs. Hiring an agency

To lessen the burden of content marketing and increase traffic, leads, and revenue, almost half of companies outsource content marketing to an agency or third-party.

However, for the companies that are on the fence, the benefit of hiring a content marketing company might not be so obvious. Both outsourcing and in-house marketing are certainly viable, but there are pros and cons to each. Learning what each option has to offer can help you make an informed decision for your business.

In-house content marketing

With the do-it-yourself method, the main benefit is lowering costs. You won’t have to pay a third-party provider for content marketing services.

However, while you’ll save money, you’ll have to spend a lot of time on your content marketing, especially if you don’t have much experience with content strategies and content creation. You’ll need to take the time to learn about content marketing, build your strategy, create your content, and complete other tasks.

And, you may end up having to hire on new writers and content experts, which incurs higher costs for salaries and benefits.

Content marketing outsourcing pros and cons

When you work with a third party, your costs will be higher, but you’ll save a lot of time since the content marketing company will do most of the heavy lifting for you. You’ll also benefit from having the expertise and resources of a professional content marketing agency on your side.

Content marketing agencies also help with marketing tactics like social media, email, and other distribution channels to maximize content visibility. An agency doesn’t just write content — it also gets that content in front of the right people (which is often a missing piece for DIY marketers).

With a content marketing agency, you can often get better results in less time due to their expertise and available resources. Because of these advantages, you may also get a higher return on investment (ROI).

Overall, hiring an agency with a  specialized focus and team approach can be more effective than hiring individual freelance writers or relying on an SEO or PR firm. These agencies won’t be stretching their experts to account for multiple tactics. You’ll have a focused approach from a team of content markting professionals. 

Which option should you choose?

If saving money is a primary concern, you have a lot of time to spend on content marketing, and you’re confident you have the skills to efficiently get results, doing your content marketing yourself can be a smart move.

Otherwise, working with a professional, reputable content marketing company is often the best bet.

How do I hire the best content marketing agency for my business?

If you’re ready to hire a content marketing company — and looking to hire the best content marketing agency — check out these tips:

• Determine what your business wants to accomplish with content marketing
• Review the reviews, testimonials, and portfolio of content marketing agencies
• Read the content of these content marketing companies’ websites
• Request or review the content marketing firms’ pricing and plans
• Meet content marketing agencies to discuss their strategy, reporting, and more

With these tips, you can build a list of top content marketing companies and find the best one for you.

FAQs on content marketing agencies

Read some quick answers for your questions about content marketing agencies below!

Find the perfect content marketing agency for your business

When partnering with a content marketing agency, choosing the right vendor is vital to getting the most value from your content.

If you’re still looking for the right content marketing agency, consider WebFX. We have a team of more than 500 digital marketing experts and offer a wide range of content marketing services. We’ll create a custom content marketing strategy for your business, produce various types of high-quality content, and regularly report on our results.

Check out our content marketing services to learn more or request a free quote online today.