9 Things You Can Outsource When Running an Online Business
Outsourcing is something that many business owners consider these days. There’ll always be things you’ll eventually need help with. It’s easy to strive to do everything yourself (aka the Superhero Syndrome) at the start of your business. That’s pretty normal and it happens to everyone. You want high standards because it’s your business that’s at stake.
But why should you consider outsourcing? Outsourcing some of your business tasks gives you more time to focus on more important business matters. It allows you to run stronger campaigns when you outsource to experts in the field. Because outsourcing doubles or triples your productivity levels, at the end of the day you make more money.
Wondering what kind of tasks can you outsource? Here are 9 things.
1. Proofreading
On content creation, you’ll be able to publish high-quality content by having a second set of eyes check your work. Hand over the job of checking for spelling errors, typos, and spacing. If you have a content writer, your proofreader should work closely with him or her.
2. Designing or graphic work
Got no skill in creating logos or other creative materials for your branding? Bring in a graphic designer. Sure, you can enroll in several online courses on graphic designing but mastering the skill takes time. Do that later but for now, get things done by outsourcing.
3. Managing your social media presence
Social media is an essential tool that connects you with your existing audience and reaches new ones. Remember that your social media manager acts as your voice. You’d want to be sure that his or her posts and responses reflect yours. From the start, make sure that he or she understands the nature of your business.
4. Managing inventory
Some solopreneurs run a dropshipping business. If you’re into ecommerce, you won’t be able to effectively track your products on your own. This is true, especially if you get many orders and have a growing collection. When you outsource, be sure that an inventory management software is in place. Streamlining inventory management keeps things up-to-date, boosts your sales, and retains your best customers.
5. Blogger outreach
One of the things you should do to increase brand awareness, generate good backlinks, and attract traffic to your website is to do a blogger outreach. In this outreach campaign, your virtual assistant has to write a personalized email requesting an opportunity to guest post. Have the VA fill out a spreadsheet so that you can monitor the campaign’s progress.
6. Search engine optimization
Working your way to the top positions of Google search results is a time-consuming process. SEO requires skill and experience too. You need a good strategy based on the competition and your likelihood to rank. There are many SEO firms out there that charge excessively and bring you minimal results. You’d better set a contract with two individuals who can work together and run a quality and affordable campaign for you.
7. Keeping track of industry trends, news, and updates
To create useful content and create a good marketing strategy, you should keep track of what’s going on. Lack the time to read the news, magazines, and other blogs? Outsource it to someone who can email you these things each week. If you outsource content creation, you can have your writer research these trends and incorporate them into your blog posts.
8. Website development
WordPress, Kajabi, and other website creators have made it easier to build an online presence. You can start a website on your own but without knowledge in coding, you won’t be able to maximize a theme. Web developers can tweak your website based on your branding requirements. At the end of a day, you get a fully customized website that looks amazing.
9. Photography and video editing
Having a skilled individual handle your visual content needs is a great thing. After all, visual elements capture people’s attention better than words. You can focus your time on content creation. When you outsource, make sure you check their portfolio in a chosen niche. Most of all, your guys should have a can-do attitude and be available for a Skype chat.
Outsourcing Grows Your Business
I never heard of solopreneurs who didn’t succeed because he or she outsourced. Sure, outsourcing presents challenges, especially in the beginning. In time, it’ll get better when you’ve established rules, a good interview/testing process, and found VAs you can trust.