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​​Hiring A Content Writer for Your Business: Is It Worth the Investment?

​​Hiring A Content Writer for Your Business: Is It Worth the Investment?

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Exceptional content is the key to reach, leads, and trust for any UK business.

Nevertheless, many companies still hesitate to trust someone else with their content writing, with the argument: “Why should I pay someone for something I can do myself?” Hiring a professional can be very expensive; AI tools, however, create texts within minutes.

The truth is, a business is doing well when it knows its audience, budget, and quality standards, and understands how to implement all of them efficiently.

Heavily regulated niches like online gambling are a great example of how important well-curated and researched content is for reaching the right target group. For a new customer, the first question is always: “What’s in it for me?” and “Why should I choose you over the competition?”

To win them over, a business needs a convincing argument.

Why a Professional Content Writer Can Make a Difference

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A professional content writer doesn’t just try to reach their word count. They know who their target audience is, their personality, their needs, and how to articulate a message to hit it home. For UK businesses in particular industries, tonality and local reference are crucial: British humour, cultural nuances, and what’s currently going on in the industry can’t be captured by translation or AI tools.

Take the online gaming industry as an example. As explained by Esports Insider, “Bovada alternatives are perfect if you’re looking to rival the popular US-friendly casino. Maybe Bovada has restricted your state, or you’re looking to benefit from a huge welcome bonus elsewhere.” That’s a strong argument for a potential customer.

Esports Insider knows the problem many customers are facing: restrictions. And provides a solution right away: Bovada alternatives. This example shows how important a clear message is that knows the customer’s needs. The way your content frames the problem and offers a solution often becomes a decisive factor in whether you sell your service or product or not.

Another crucial factor to a business’s success is marketing strategies, including SEO. While AI is perfectly able to place keywords, it’s the human editor who embeds them organically and curates stories that grab the user’s attention. SEO in combination with good storytelling improves not only ranking but also the user’s time on site.

A survey by Content Marketing Institute found that approximately 58% of B2B marketers rate their content strategy as merely “moderately effective.” According to the Content Marketing Institute, this is due to the lack of a specialised team that only focuses on defining clear goals and how to create content that meets them. Although 80% of marketing B2B teams are using generative AI, only a few of them have established a process for how to go about implementing the content. A successful team knows its audience and invests in creating well-scripted and thought-leadership content.

Additionally, consistency is key. Companies that publish content regularly gain consumer trust. A professional content writer can plan and stick to deadlines to build a strong brand voice. Consistency in offering good content for the audience is a critical competitive advantage.

A Content Writer Can‘t Fix Everything

While hiring a professional content writer can have many advantages for a business, it’s no cure-all solution. Businesses need to consider the costs of a professional. Whether employed or as a freelancer, a content writer expects compensation for their work. Small businesses often struggle with financial issues, and there is no point in hiring a professional if it ruins the company. Additionally, a new team member needs time to get introduced and gain an understanding of the company and its business model. It takes time for a writer to be able to capture and sell the company’s image.

As explained by the Content Marketing Institute, giving all responsibility to a single person can be problematic. If the content writer falls sick, for example, the work stagnates. That’s why companies need to decide whether they want to build a content management team internally or can afford to hire external partners. A survey conducted by SEMrush shows that almost 80% of small businesses and marketers still write content themselves, while 17% use in-house writers and only 14% work with freelancers.

Ultimately, it depends heavily on the budget and resources available to a company. Before investing in a content writer, the company’s business plan must be sound.

AI As A Content Writer Alternative?

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Today, AI is on everyone’s lips, making it even more difficult to decide which path to good content is the right one. While humans have better and worse days and can suffer from writer’s block and creativity fatigue, AI tools can churn out complete texts in minutes. With the added advantage that the costs are significantly lower, AI cannot be sidelined by accidents or illness.

However, for a truly successful business model, it is important to use both professional staff and AI. AI can indeed be useful for creating short texts or FAQ pages. However, you always need a human being to ensure that the AI is fed with relevant information and that the resulting texts are correct. Additionally, it is still a quality reserved for humans to give texts depth and emotions.

According to HubSpot, already 66% of marketers are using AI globally in their roles. They claim it’s not a matter of if you should use AI, but how. Many successful companies are using AI to generate ideas, create outlines and drafts, and are satisfied with it.

AI’s impact on creativity, business, and marketing is profound. Companies that use AI to perform simple, routine tasks gain a clear competitive advantage. This allows them to produce original content, analyse vast amounts of data, and optimise decision-making processes, all while saving time and human resources. Incorporating AI into the business model is reshaping industries and business practices. By handing over automated tasks to AI, the energy saved can be channeled into creative processes to further drive the company’s success. However, human review of AI-generated content is essential. This is the only way a company can ensure that the facts are accurate and the tone matches the company’s image.

Quality and Reach Matter Most

Most UK citizens spend their time on only a handful of platforms. According to the Ofcom Online Nation Report, in May 2024, UK adults spent approximately 4 hours a day online, with almost half (48%) of the time spent on online services owned by Alphabet or Meta.

For UK companies, this means that they need to stand out on these platforms to achieve reach and attract customers. Accordingly, the content they provide must be tailored to these platforms and the respective target group that uses them. How businesses achieve that doesn’t really matter, with or without AI. While AI helps to gather ideas, it is still human insight that guarantees the implementation and success of content.

Author Profile

Manuela Willbold
As the Chief of Marketing at the digital marketing agency ClickDo Ltd I blog regularly about technology, education, lifestyle, business and many more topics.