Perhaps you’re just starting to explore your brand voice. Maybe you’ve worked with a few freelancers or agencies on short-term projects, but you haven’t yet engaged a long-term content partner to truly discover your voice and start connecting with your audience at scale.
Or maybe you’ve been managing content in-house or relying on a few select freelancers for years. You love what your team can do, but the constant demand for content is starting to take its toll. You need a reliable partner who can step in seamlessly—handling large or complex projects at a moment’s notice.
At MarketSmiths, we’ve had the privilege of working with many clients who were once in your shoes. We love supporting brands through pivotal stages of growth and being a part of those magical moments when the right words click into place and bring their story to life.
At the same time, we know that embarking on a new journey—and placing trust in a new team—can feel daunting. So, we put together a little guide to help ease your mind. If it’s your first time working with a long-term content partner, here’s what to know.
Get ready to gab
No one knows your organization, your goals, and your audience better than you. So get ready to spill the details—it’ll help us hit the ground running with copy that captures the intricacies of your organization right off the bat.
At MarketSmiths, we kick off every new client relationship with a deep-dive conversation: a 1.5-2-hour session with you and a few key members of your team. We’ll dig into your brand’s origin story, your immediate and big-picture goals, and everything you know about your audience. We’ll also explore where your existing content stands—what you love, what feels off, and where you see room for growth.
The more you share, the better. Every detail helps us sharpen our understanding of your brand voice. Plus, the more we know upfront, the faster we can deliver content that feels spot-on from the start.
Set aside some initial time to give thorough feedback
The first few projects with a new content partner set the tone for the entire relationship. These initial drafts are learning opportunities for both you and your content partner—so it’s important to take the time to give thoughtful, thorough feedback.
Highlight any words or phrases that don’t align with your brand voice, and make sure that your content partner hasn’t made any false assumptions about your brand. And be sure to note what you love, too.
Try to be as specific as possible. If a sentence feels off, take a moment to pinpoint why. Is it a particular word? The phrasing? Does it miss a key nuance? The more insight you provide, the faster your content partner will be able to dial into your voice and start delivering the ‘no edits’ drafts you crave.
Commit to realistic workflow, timeline, and communication expectations
A strong content partnership is a dynamic, back-and-forth process built on collaboration. Your content partner needs your insights and expertise to craft truly effective content, while you rely on their writing skills and strategic chops to bring your messaging to life in a way that generates real results. And throughout the review and revision process, both sides will need to work together to refine and perfect each piece.
The key to achieving this harmony? Setting clear expectations from the start. Aligning early on workflow, timelines, and communication expectations will help ensure a smooth, efficient process—and prevent unnecessary friction down the line.
To get the ball rolling, consider questions like:
- What’s your preferred mode of communication? Will you schedule regular check-ins? Set up a Slack or Teams channel? Or keep most discussions over email?
- Who needs to be involved in content review? Pairing down reviewers to just the necessary stakeholders in a given situation will help prevent bottlenecks and get your content out the door quicker.
- How many days does your team realistically need to review a piece of content? Agreeing on realistic turnaround times, on both ends of your partnership, will keep you on schedule and regularly reaching your audience.
By laying the groundwork upfront, you can set the foundation for a partnership that’s efficient, productive, and built for long-term success.
Track performance and share your wins (and losses)
Once you start publishing content from your new partner, keep an eye on the numbers. Metrics like page views, leads generated, and conversion or click-through rates will give you valuable insight into how your content is performing.
And don’t keep these insights to yourself—share them with your content partner. Did an email set a new open rate record? Did a new web page start pulling in leads? Did this week’s blog post get fewer visitors than last week’s? Every data point is a nugget of gold for informing the next round of deliverables.
By tracking what’s resonating—and what’s missing the mark—you’ll help your content partner refine their approach. They can take the tactics that are working and apply them across future pieces—getting even closer to messaging that truly connects with your audience.
Prepare to have a teammate in strategy
A true content partner isn’t just a content-producing machine—they’re a strategic teammate in your overall marketing efforts. They’re not afraid to engage in big-picture conversations—sharing expertise, pushing back on ideas that don’t align with your goals, and serving as a true collaborator.
With the right long-term content partner, you’re never flying solo—you have a teammate who’s always in your corner, ready to champion your growth at every turn.
At MarketSmiths, we stay deeply plugged into our clients’ industries, and they rely on us to be in their inboxes with fresh content ideas tailored to the moment. But great partnerships go both ways—we expect our clients to lean on us for guidance, whether they’re launching a new product, engaging a new audience, or simply wondering where to go next.
Questions? Let’s talk.
