Content Marketing Content - (Quality Pieces vs Affordable Prices)

Hello Everyone,

We are doing some changes with our company and wanting to do some online focus group and research, so we are coming to you guys today to get your feedback so we can gear our business to be more in line with what our industry needs.

So here is the question we are wanting to focus on:

Would you rather pay a lower rate (say $0.03 per word) for GOOD quality content and quick turnaround (48 hours +/-) or would you rather pay a more premium rate for PERFECT HIGH QUALITY content even if it meant a bit slower turn around time?

Thank you guys in advance for your responses, we really appreciate your feedback.

 

How much slower exactly is the TAT in latter case? If 48 hours is quick, I'm assuming another 24 or maybe even another 48 hours on top to make it a bit slower, in which case, I don't mind waiting and paying a more premium rate for PERFECT HIGH QUALITY, rather than compromising for anything less. Yes, in some cases, when the content is needed dead urgently, delivering it ASAP is the only solution and the quality may be marred more or less.
'PERFECT HIGH QUALITY' will give you a much better outcome in terms of traffic generation, attracting prospects, converting them successfully into long-time customers, monetization etc. as compared to content that simply has a 'GOOD quality', for which I don't mind waiting a bit.

Does this help?

 

I would say it would take another 24 - 48 hours that would be correct, it would provide better research as well as more extensive quality control, etc.

 

So we're on the same page about it.

I think this goes for any kind of product or service. If you want real quality output, you've to allow the producer some time to create it, which gives some margin to test and experiment with different plans/strategies/schemes, after which selecting the best and the most suitable one becomes much easier. This, undoubtedly, applies to writing content as well. Before a piece of content or copy is finalized, there are some edits and back-and-forths until the output delivered is exactly what the client wants. It might happen that the piece a writer releases is accepted by the client right at the first go, but I've seen this rarely esp. when the copy needs to be highly specific or tailored.
However, there is an exception. Some writers are able to deliver a very good quality in a very short time. Maybe because they are an expert on the topic in question or have some inherent prodigious ability. So, it doesn't mean that every time, if you want PERFECT HIGH QUALITY, you have to wait.

 

Would depend on what the content is needed for. For example... main sites or pages where the money is made, I would be way more particular about the content I place on it, holding it to a higher standard so to speak, than content that would be used on lesser value sites or pages used in some sort of SEO strategy. I would expect to pay more, (and would pay more), for premium content being used on important sites or pages. I wouldn't pay premium rates for content used on lesser value sites where "good enough" content is all that is needed to serve a purpose.

I would expect to pay a higher rate for advertising copy, press release, email marketing, sales page(s), landing page(s) etc since, when written well, makes money several times over. "Good enough" copy doesn't cut it for these types of projects.

"Good enough" type content is often used for submission to sites such as Ezinearticles. Premium copy isn't necessarily needed when using these types of sites as part of some linking strategy.

In regards to TAT... It's not a deciding factor in determining if I'm going to hire someone or work with a particular company. I'm more concerned with receiving what I paid for, the work done correctly the first time. If it takes 3 days versus 1 day, fine. I just want to receive what I asked for, what I paid for, at the level of quality agreed upon within a reasonable time frame previously discussed.

 

Both. Neither.

@TextServices summed it up quite nicely: it depends on the client's needs. Some people consider 3c per word horribly expensive. Others would be stunned at such a low price. It depends on what you want the content for, what the subject is, etc.

A couple of thoughts:

a. Don't use the word "perfect". Nothing is perfect, and using that word emphasises the marketing in your message, rather than the message (IMHO). Find better words - authority content, hand-crafted, professional, and so on. They're still marketing words, but they're not words so commonly used by scammers and people who actually write awful content.

b. Why not consider a sliding scale? 3c for good quality, 48 hours. If they want very high quality in the same time frame, more expensive. If they want better quality, longer time frame, same price. And so on.

 

It depends on what you're looking for. What people need to understand is quality will eventually overcome quantity, SEO optimization or anything else. With the development of algorythms and AI - search engine will become even more demanding to the quality of the stuff that you churn out.

That's why you're always on the winning side, when you create top notch content. Panda? Hummingburd? Pffft. Whatever. If your content is solid and you're building a real social following and you're engaging your audience - nothing should scare you about any of those updates or anything.

I came upon a really nice analogy recently. Content is like a receptionist. Would you deal with a company that has a smelly receptionist, with bad breath and a high-pitched irritating tone? The same goes for copy. It's the face of the company, along with design and UI.

If you're still betting on SEO and low quality content, because you're cheap or greedy - then your business days are numbered.

Anyway, I would prefer quality content, even if it takes more time to deliver.

 

OP, here's an infographic that explains why quality should be preferred over affordability - http://www.expand2web.com/blog/copywriting-infographic/.
The page seems to be quite old, so it's not recommended that you take the prices mentioned literally. However, I think it's enough to point out what you lose when you go for low-cost content, even if it's delivered fast.

Hope it helps.

 

Nice article, it makes a good point. I tottally agree that quality is more important than quantity (and the low price), at least in the long term.

 

The thing I always remind my web clients is... you only get one chance to make a good first impression. How much is each website visitor worth? What percentage of them convert into a customer? How many prospects can you afford to lose because your content is ruining that first impression?

Core content should always be as perfect as possible. Period. End of story.

Blog content can be a little less so but again it represents you and your company. Lower quality, as in less details, might work. But, lower quality, as in poorly written, should never be acceptable at any price.

 

As always it depends on the situation but can never go wrong with quality over quantity and i rather wait an added day or so and pay a bit more to have as good a content as possible because i have to believe my competition is shooting for the same and if they are not i want to take the lead.

 

I really appreciate all of your comments so far. We have been working on trying to figure out how which way to readjust our content strategy and pricing points. We have always valued ourself in being an affordable option, but we are reevaluating those things.

 

Just a thought, why not hire an excellent full-time writer instead of paying people per article? If you have a dedicated writer in your company, who can perform keyword research, jot target topics on a calendar, etc you can worry less about the turn-around time, as the person can already prepare the write-up ahead. ?

 

Or find a freelancer who's interested in long-term, regular work... like about 99.9% of freelance writers! That way you pay them for the work they do, rather than a regular salary, and they can produce batches of work, regular work, occasional work or whatever fits your need, as you discover what that need is.

Depending on your business niche, it shouldn't be difficult to find someone who's actually interested in your subject and who will get more involved than just spewing a bit of content for pennies.

 

I guess another advantage with hiring a writer on a longtime or regular basis is you won't have to convey the requirements to them every single time separately (which often happens when you engage pinch-hit or one-off writers). Of course, a lot of it'll depend on how/how much each requirement differs from the other, but after a few projects, the writer will pretty much be able to figure out what you generally and usually expect. The (mutual) understanding developed will save time for both of you.
Also, since you're a steady and consistent source of work and income for the writer, they might even consider offering you a discount eventually.

 

When the start-ups that I get involved with grow to a size where I can stop writing myself and start paying copywriters, I insist on getting the best copy that I can buy. In fact, if someone approached me and said, do you want a cheap article that is mediocre or an expensive article that is great, I would immediately disqualify that vendor because I do not want to even work with someone who puts out mediocre work.

 

A well-researched and high quality article is always more preferred than cheap and low quality ones. In my case I don’t mind waiting for 48-72 hours for my article as long as it is of good quality, well-researched and not plagiarized. I would rather pay a premium rate than settle for lower rates that would compromise the quality.

 

I view the freelance writing industry as a whole like the lottery.

You can keep buying $1 and $2 scratch offs but you know what the end result is. Every 2 or 10 tickets, you might get $1, $2 or even $5 of your investment back but you're going to be disappointed every single time. That's what a lot of these clients are to me, they're scratch off players. They'll continue to buy cheap content in the hopes that it makes them money, only to be disappointed down the road.

Every once in a blue moon, someone purchases a $1 ticket and wins something big. The chances of this happening are astronomically low. It's the same thing that happens for these $1 per 100 word clients (sadly, even $1 per 100 words is hard to come by on here anymore). They'll jump from writer to writer and once in a blue moon, they might find a $1 writer who has no idea they can charge a lot more money.

Just like with lottery winnings though, most of them don't last and blow all their winnings. As with those $1 writers they find, they'll either push them to their quitting point or those writers will find something else and the client will start back at square 1.

The question is, can anyone honestly sit there and write something for $5 that real people will want to read? Too many of these cheap clients focus on getting content on their site and nothing else. What purpose does that content serve and who is it helping? If you can't answer those questions and you're just looking to "fill the site up", you're already headed for failure.

I thoroughly enjoy these discussions but they're pointless. Nothing we do or say will ever persuade those $1 per 100 word clients. Hell, I can't even find $1.50 per 100 word clients on here anymore and in my opinion, that's rather cheap.

Somehow, over the years, the standard rate for cheap work went from $2.00 per 100 words to a hilarious $3.00 per 500 words. In most of these WTB threads I see around here anymore, everyone wants $3 articles. Best of luck to them in their venture for winning the lottery.

 

yes, quality is more important than quantity, but quantity is important too

 

How about a choice? I may need both services, depending which blog I am working on!