**6 Minute Read**

Are you sure you know how much in-house content is costing you? Probably more than you think.

Content is the gasoline that fuels the entire marketing engine. Without it, your marketing strategy grinds to a halt.

And, just like gasoline, there are different types of fuel — or in our case, content — you can use to power up your marketing campaigns. Consequently, each type of fuel has a different price point.

But here’s the kicker: more expensive content doesn’t always equate to greater, more beneficial results.

When it comes to your content marketing strategy, you need to make wise decisions. And, you can’t make those decisions until you know the true cost of your content.

Original Content: In-House Content Creation

All businesses need some original content to build a brand presence, attract their target audience, and establish authority within their respective industry.

But, in-house content creation is expensive and time-consuming!

To properly execute branded content in-house, you’ll need to hire a team of professionals who know how to write, design, and distribute quality content.

Of course, on top of salaries comes the overhead costs:

• Building rent
• Building utilities
• Technology/software costs
• Employee benefits

The list goes on and on.

Additionally, in-house content creation is costly in ways outside of general expenses. These hidden costs include:

• Unproductive employees from constant multitasking
• Too many individuals are involved in the content creation process, extending the project timelines significantly
• Constantly shifting team priorities as content projects evolve

Ultimately, in-house creation can end up being more expensive than efficient and effective. Between wages, business expenses, and hidden costs, a simple single piece of in-house content can cost upward of $400+.

Original Content: Contractors & Outside Resources

To combat the rising costs of in-house content creation, marketers turn to contractors and outside resources to get the job done.

While more efficient, this option still comes with its fair share of expenses.

By utilizing an outside content contractor, businesses can eliminate typical expenses such as rent from the equation. And the final payment amount is agreed upon upfront.

However, there is still an in-house component to this option, as you’ll need to designate someone to manage the contractor relationship and content projects as a whole.

Many marketers also find the turnaround times for contractors to be more complicated, especially when immediate marketing needs are present.

On average, the cost per piece when using a contractor will range from the low $100s to $1,000+. This price depends on factors such as:

• Contractor rates
• Any fees for content outsourcing services
• Project scope and timeline

Although cheaper and more efficient than in-house content efforts, keep in mind that outsourcing your content can get pricey if you’re not careful.

Curated Third-Party Content: The Most Affordable Option

While original content is a necessity, it is not the end-all-be-all.

Marketers can affordably supplement or “fuel” their content marketing strategies with curated content from verified and trustworthy third-party sources. And, doing so will drastically reduce your “cost per content piece” price tag without sacrificing content quality or relevance.

Using an intelligent content curation tool such as Vestorly, Buzzsumo, Content Studio and others marketers can find and leverage digital third-party content from anywhere in the world that’s as valuable and effective as the primary content created in-house — for a fraction of the price. Not only does this save on out-of-pocket costs, but it also helps boost your content marketing ROI at the same time.

Content curation software leverages artificial intelligence to find quality content that meets your criteria. You can set specific content parameters or filters to discover content that supplements your marketing campaigns, social media marketing calendar, and so much more.

Content Cost vs. Effectiveness

At the end of the day, marketers need to compare the cost they spend per content piece to the end results.

Did choosing the premium content “gasoline” really make your marketing engine operate better?

The answer depends on the marketing campaign.

For the majority of marketers, the value heavily favors the content curation of third-party and licensed content. This rings especially true for those with significant social media and email marketing efforts.

These marketing campaigns need a continuous source of high-quality content inventory — something that counting on original content just can’t handle cost-effectively.

Do the math. How much is your in-house content costing you?

Calculate Your Content Costs

Content curation tools and strategies level the playing field for companies that don’t have the financial or human resources to create original content in-house. For pennies, brands can find endless supplemental content pieces and watch their campaigns thrive.

• In-house content creators will cost you $100s per piece — before the general business costs are amortized.
• Contractors offer a more efficient and streamlined process but can be just as expensive if the project scope gets out of hand.
• Content curation tools will handle the work of finding relevant, personalized content pieces for you.

[reposted with permission from The Content Insights Blog by Vestorly]