verblio’s 2020
digital agency survey
Last year, Verblio conducted a survey of 115 digital agency owners from across the country to learn how they're creating content for their clients.
The takeaways?
Five Trends in Content creation
What the Most Successful agencies are Doing Differently
We asked about all things content creation: methods, outcomes, pain points, and more. We found a few common practices across the industry, but we also discovered one major way that a few agencies are setting themselves apart and winning the content creation game. Let's take a look!
Five Trends in Content Creation
trend 01:
Content is
GETTING LONGER
we asked:
"On average, is the content you create for your clients longer or shorter than it was 2 years ago?"
You answered:
Longer content = better results
What's up with the longform? Longer content means more comprehensive answers to your audience's questions, offering more value to them and better SEO results for you.
So, how long are we talking?
43% say the average blog post they create is longer than 1,000 words.
And gone are the days when a weekly 300 word post was all it took to have a solid content strategy. These days, a mere 10% of agencies say their average post is fewer than 500 words.
trend 02:
Video
Works
71 percent of agencies have used video embedded in content or on social media
we asked:
"If you've been experimenting with video, what kind of video? How did you source it? How did it work?"
There is no single approach to video...
“When we've done this, we've used existing video from the client."
“Whiteboards, product videos."
“Explainer Videos. Testimonial Videos."
"Sourced from YouTube."
...But regardless of the how and what, video is paying off for agencies.
“We create in-house and publish on social media, paid and organic, digital display, video preroll and in email marketing. Engagement is always higher."
"We create video content in house. We generally see better metrics for on-page time, total pageviews, etc."
"Explainer, blog content, etc. Typically done in house or even by the client. Video has proven to be very effective across all of our clients."
"Outsourced it. Improved engagement."
“Basic video - animated. Using Powtoon. Works great when we're allowed to do it!!"
"Video paired with great copy does well for just about every client."
trend 03:
Rewrites
GET RESULTS
we asked:
"What types of written content do you use most frequently to drive results for your clients?"
you answered:
Stop reinventing the wheel.
Rewriting existing content takes less time than starting from scratch, and it will also help you see results faster on Google. Most brands already have years' worth of posts on their site — with a little freshening up, they can start delivering results again.
Update links and statistics to more current sources. Conduct new keyword research to find relevant terms. You can even combine old, related posts to keep up with today's longform trend.
trend 04:
Create &
PROMOTE
96 percent of agencies do something more than just 'publish and pray' with their content.
we asked:
"How do you promote content you create for clients?"
You answered:
Promotion isn't optional
If a blog post is published in the digital forest and nobody sees it, does it make a sound?
With so much content on the web, it's no longer enough just to hit 'publish.' Whether by focusing on shares via social, distribution via email, or backlinks from relevant sites, content promotion is now part of nearly every agency's strategy for their clients.
trend 05:
Outsourcing
IS IN DEMAND
86 percent of agencies outsource content creation in some way
and 55 percent have no dedicated content writer on staff
we asked:
"How do you create content for your clients?"
You answered:
And 60 percent of agencies use a combination of outsourcing methods.
Wondering what to outsource? For a lot of agencies, it depends on the topic. how much expertise does it require? How complex and technical is the subject matter?
“Depends on topic, length, expertise, audience, and amount of research required.”
“If research is needed, we outsource to Verblio. If we can piece together content based on existing materials, we'll do in-house.”
“Anything we known would be better off written by an SME. Usually topics related to IT, software, finance, medical, legal, etc.”
But agency capacity also drives outsourcing.
“We decide on a case by case basis depending on the technical needs, timing and current workloads.”
“If a project is on deadline and is time intensive, we outsource those larger or quick turnaround projects.”
“Depends how busy our writers are.”
What the
most successful
do differently
Universal trends are great, but here's where the data gets really interesting.
we asked:
"How successful is your agency's content program?"
Our content program is very successful
Our content program is not successful or only somewhat successful
*Record scratch*
wait, what?
Only 25 percent of agencies think their content program is very successful?
That number surprised us, so we dug into the data.
First, we wanted to learn how agencies define "successful," and the answer was obvious: profit. For agencies with successful content programs, content is overwhelmingly a profit center, in most cases bringing in more than half of an agency's revenue.
Impressive, right? But we wanted to know more. How are they achieving that profit? Where are those 25 percent differentiating themselves in the content creation process?
After much digging, we found the answer in one particular area:
Pricing strategy.
3 components of a successful Content Pricing Strategy
01: Pricing a Single Piece of Content
we asked:
"How much does a 1,000 word blog post cost your client?"
agencies with successful content programs
agencies with unsuccessful content programs
you answered:
More than $300
Between $100 and $300
Less than $100
02: Marking Up Content
we asked:
"How much do you charge for a piece of content that cost $100 to produce?"
agencies with successful content programs
agencies with unsuccessful content programs
you answered:
More than $300
Between $100 and $300
No markup
03: Billing for Content
we asked:
"How do you price your written content offering to your clients?"
agencies with successful content programs
agencies with unsuccessful content programs
you answered:
We build content into our retainer
We bill pieces a la carte
We offer content as an additional line item
The Price is Right
Those percentages are pretty clear: The pricing structure is a major factor separating the successful 25 percent of agencies from the rest of the pack.
The takeaways? You should build content into your retainer, and you probably need to charge more for it. When you make the switch from viewing content as an optional, add-on budget item to an essential component of your marketing strategy, it’s easier to prioritize it—and easier to make it a healthy part of your agency’s profit.
LET'S RECAP
Six things every agency needs to know:
- Content is getting longer
- Video is rising
- Rewrites are getting results
- Promotion matters
- Outsourcing is the way to go
And the pricing strategy that will set you apart:
- Charge more for (and mark up) your content
- Build the cost of content into your retainer