Every Friday, we’ll deliver some of our thoughts on content marketing, curate a few interesting articles we’ve come across (from the legal industry and otherwise), and tell you what we’ve been up to.

So, you’ve decided that it’s time to grow your business, earn more online traffic, enhance your brand recognition, and improve your visibility. Great! Except, if you’re like most of us, you’re already overwhelmed with your own set of responsibilities. The last thing you really want to do is add another task—content marketing—to your list.

Fortunately, there are plenty of skilled people in the market who are ready to help you out . . . if you can just find one who can understand your industry, convey your unique talents, and speak in an authentic voice that sounds like you.

Searching for the right content-marketing partner can be overwhelming, given the number of firms and freelancers advertising their services—with a corresponding variety of price points and skill sets—online. How can you tell them apart?

8 Questions That Will Help You Find Your Content Marketing Match

The key is to conduct an in-depth interview before you bring a new content marketing agency aboard. Asking these eight questions can help you clarify your needs and simplify your content creation process.

How much effort will the agency expend to learn about your company and your brand? How long will that “ramp-up” phase take? Generating customized, successful content requires climbing a steep learning curve. Your partner needs to take an intensive dive into the background of your company, your market, and your competitors, so they can isolate what makes your brand unique. This is how you get content that reflects not only your products but also your tone and voice.
How long has the agency been in business? Is it new to your industry, or does it have a proven track record of satisfied clients in similar industries? Does it have any testimonials, and who are they from?
How responsive is the company to your requests? Consider more than just whether they answer your emails. Do they respond promptly and thoroughly? Do they ask reasonable follow-up or clarification questions?
Who’s in charge of content strategy and production? Does this person have significant experience in your field? Does the agency leader take a personal interest in you and your business?
Who’s actually going to write your content? Is this person an industry expert who works directly for the agency, or will your content be outsourced to an overseas writer who may have a limited grasp of English?
How good is the content? You want high-quality content that is original, targeted to your specific audience, easy to understand, helpful, and well written. Ask to see samples of content written for a client in your industry.
How will you provide feedback? Do you have a designated point of contact? How responsive is that contact? What tools does the agency use to seamlessly integrate idea- and file-sharing into your workflow?
What is all this going to cost you? Remember that while budget plays an undeniably important role in choosing a content partner, you still get pretty much what you pay for. Prices for content marketers are all over the map. While choosing a cheap agency or solo freelancer may seem like the budget-friendly choice at first, it can cost more in terms of both money and time if you have to go through multiple rewrites and edits. On the other end of the spectrum, don’t assume that the most expensive option is best; you still want to ask these questions and make sure you’re seen as an individual, not pigeonholed into some pre-existing client category.

What’s new this week in the legal industry?

You now have free access to 6.5 million U.S. legal cases (Vogel Lit)
SEC’s annual report hints at the importance of using data to detect suspicious trading patterns (Corporate Counsel)
Virginia the latest state to embrace lawyer wellness rules (Ride the Lightning)

Looking for some (more) tips to improve your content marketing?

How to avoid keyword cannibalization (SEMRush)
What you need to know about domain authority (HubSpot)
Why your content marketing isn’t working (Neil Patel)

Need something to talk about at a tailgate?

Amazon is reportedly splitting its second headquarters between New York and Virginia (NPR)
California now requiring female representation on corporate boards (Wharton)
U.S. Olympic Committee seeks to take over USA Gymnastics (New York Times)

So, what has Scribe been up to this week?

Interviewing (and being inspired by) standout ediscovery heroes
Writing about our retail predictions for the 2018 holiday season
Evaluating the state of outside counsel guidelines
Blogging about a client’s impressive win in the British Legal Tech Awards
Writing about FINRA compliance
Creating an in-depth guide to ediscovery investigations
Finishing our Halloween candy stashes

Drop us a line and let us know what’s on your radar—we’d love to see how we can help you reach your content marketing goals!

Friday scribbles: the secret to finding your content marketing match