A few months ago we wrote about the importance of sharing knowledge in the era of the socially-aware web (see Sharing Web Content is Good) for generating a reputation as an expert. A recent exchange with Warren Whitlock on Twitter brought up another very important factor however – sharing is not enough on its own, sharing must be frequent and of an equal quality as paid-for content.
Whitlock is of course correct – savvy web users expect quality content, and frequently there is an expectation that it should be free. This then presents the for-profit business with a dilemma; (a) How much time should be allocated to creating ‘free’ content? and (b) Will there ever be a return-on-investment? How can it be measured?
Just like any form of marketing, web content and 
article marketing requires some form of investment which eventually translates into money. And just like its print equivalents, online content needs to generate some form form of ROI. Whether this takes the form of increased website traffic or actual sales depends on your business’ priorities and long term strategies. Cash is nice, but reputation for expertise cannot be bought and arguably generates a greater return in the longer term.
If good quality copywriting increases reputation, it therefore follows that poor quality content damages it. Fortunately in terms of writing it comes in two flavours, good or poor, there are no real degrees of quality for the reader. Content should therefore be at least as good as any other literature prepared by your business to avoid being classified as bad.
Use your smartphone to tweet a link to 'Free Web Content Does Not Mean Substandard'
Clearly if your business is unable to spare the manpower, or lacks the relevant expertise, to create quality content regularly it makes sense to employ the services of someone who can. This could be in the form of a new member of staff for the marketing team, or outsourcing the entire process to a suitable freelance copywriter.
To find out more about Tech Write’s freelance copywriting services or for details of the quality content we have produced for other customer, please get in touch. And remember, when it comes to web content you need quantity and quality!
