Content marketing is absolutely vital for any successful inbound marketing strategy, but it can also be pricey.
It’s easy for big companies to allocate 30% of their budget on content marketing, but what do you do if your small business simply can’t afford it?
I often get approached by small businesses looking to increase their leads and sales, but simply don’t have the budget for Stargazer’s services, and a lot of them ask me about content mills.
With this in mind, I thought I’d put together this blog post to highlight everything you need to know before deciding to try a content mill.
What are content mills?
Content mills are online platforms that connect business with writers. They often have very quick turnaround times, and allow you to simply post the work you need done and wait for a writer to accept.
Many companies choose to use content mills because they are also a lot cheaper than hiring freelance writers or agencies for their content marketing.
As I’ve said before, content mills are the Primark outlet of content marketing.
However, there are certain things you need to be aware of before going to a content mill, which is why I’ve outlined the pros and cons below.
The pros of content mills
- Cheap content: You can easily get a 500-word blog post for around £10 (or less!)
- Quick turnaround: Work can be completed in a 24-hour period if specified, with hardly any effort on your part
- Access to thousands of writers: This means there will always be someone interested in doing the work, regardless of topic
- Only pay for what you need: And only when you need it. It’s a way to get the very bare essentials
The cons of content mills
- Unpredictable content: You can’t choose who accepts the work (unless you directly assign) which means the quality can be erratic
- Inexperienced writers: Who find themselves writing any number of topics with very little experience
- Poor quality: Even if you get an experienced writer, you can’t expect them to take their time over the work.
- No strategy: With a freelancer or agency, they will help you to come up with a proper strategy, rather than just blindly producing content
- Unfair rates for writers: Some content mills offer rates so cheap that no-one could be expected to make a decent living
Tip: If you do decide to use a content mill, I’d recommend providing as much information on your desired content for the writers as possible, to avoid disappointment.
Conclusion
If you want to adopt an inbound marketing approach for your business, but simply don’t have the budget to spend on quality content, content mills are an option. They provide an online platform that connects businesses to writers, and allow you to have content written in no time – usually very cheaply.
However, using content mills often has its downsides, and the quality of your content can suffer. Even if you get an experienced writer, at £10 for 500 words, you can’t expect them to take much time over the work, and some content mills offer extremely unfair rates for writers.
Have you ever used a content mill?