3 things to consider before moving your content production in-house

“No thanks, we handle our content in-house.”

I’ve heard this more in 2017 than I ever have over a decade in storytelling and content marketing.

Kudos to the in-house teams that really get it and are seeing ROI. But the majority of organizations that try it will wind up with mediocre content that doesn’t convert or frustrated in-house teams. Or both.

If you’re unsure whether your team has what it takes to make content work for you in house, consider these three questions before you pooh-pooh working with an agency.

1. Does your team have time?

Writing, editing, creating social posts for, and publishing one unique blog article can take up to 10 hours – a fourth of an FTE’s work week. This timeframe includes several steps you need to get truly unique content: interview a subject matter expert, write, edit, and publish on your site.

Then it takes another 15-30 minutes to schedule a few rounds of social posts to distribute that article. If you want to use media, like unique images or video (highly recommended as search becomes more visual), that’s extra time to shoot, produce, and embed.

If your team is already busy, adding this responsibility on top won’t help them embrace it. It will make them bitter and burned out, and that will express itself as crappy content.

2. What creative skills does my team have or lack?

There’s nothing worse than being expected to create a beautiful graphic or write a riveting article if these are not your skill sets. You likely will end up with mediocre-to-poor content, and your team will spend way too much time trying to figure it out and produce it.

Instead, focus your team members on what they’re good at. I’m not suggesting you don’t challenge them. Just don’t force them so far outside their wheelhouse that the wheels fall off.

3. Do we have the tools and expertise to effectively measure ROI?

This is a biggie, and one of the biggest pain points for organizations that try to manage everything in house.

ROI is not social media likes and engagements. ROI is the translation of work into dollars via conversions and referrals.

If your team doesn’t have a firm grasp on determining and measuring relevant KPIs beyond standard social stats, consider working with an agency that specializes in generating conversion-centered content, and measuring what matters.

There’s no shame in seeking the help of experts. Behind every successful content marketing program is a team of experts that are dedicated to making it work.

Whether you go in-house or with an agency, don’t cheat your audience – and your budget – by stifling your content marketing efforts due to lack of skill.