Day: February 24, 2023

Are you ready to outsource appointment setting? We applaud you! We know many businesses that have benefited greatly from the decision to outsource appointment setting. This is just one of those tasks that takes up so much time and can therefore cost a whole bunch if you try to maintain it in-house.

1.  Upwork

Upwork does not demand any fees upfront to join the platform. If you want to use the system, you simply need to register. As soon as you are logged in, you can browse the available professionals on the platform and explore all the projects that they have done in the past. If you like, you can book a consultation before you decide to trust them.

When you’re ready to go, you can easily post a job – whatever project or task you are hiring for. Once that post is live, freelancers will be able to see it and apply for it. Then you can go through all the applications and see who best fits your requirements. Once you choose the person you want for the job, you can hire them. 

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of posting a job, Upwork can do the search for top talent on your behalf. You can still work with the best talent available without having to spend too much.

Many businesses choose Upwork because the low transaction rate makes this option affordable. Upwork also has been around for many years, so they have proof of quality. You can check any freelancer’s work samples and client reviews. Upwork also provides freelancer identity verification for added security.

You pay nothing until you hire someone. You can interview potential fits for the task you need done, go through rate negotiations, then pay only for the work that you approve. Upwork also protects your data and privacy, and provides round-the-clock support whenever you need it.

The average hourly rate you can expect to pay when you outsource appointment setting on Upwork ranges from $10-60. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors.

2. Onlinejobs PH

Onlinejobs PH is “The Job Board for Virtual Workers in the Philippines.” You can hire people exclusively from the Philippines on this platform. Start by either posting a job or doing a search through the available freelancers who are signed up to work through this system. Either way, you can find great talent for whatever tasks you need done.

When you proactively look for people who have the skills you need, you can catch the best talent before someone else snatches them up. Staying on the ball helps you to get a feel for what kind of talent is available. This helps you make the best decision when you’re ready to make the hire. 

When you post a job, you can focus on the specific details that you want to attract people to. This is also the time-saving option because you get the talented people to come to you rather than you spending hours looking for them. As long as you have a clear job post, you should be able to attract the perfect fits. 

Once you find a stand-out applicant, you can easily communicate with them through email and set up an interview. It works just like you were hiring in person, except you might need to learn how to do a virtual handshake! You can do everything online from meeting them to negotiating pay, setting work hours, and making sure that you are both crystal clear on your expectations.

One amazing thing about Onlinejobs PH is that you don’t even have to continue your subscription with them after you’ve made the hire. If you like, you can stick around to use Timeproof to manage your hire’s work hours and help you handle billing via EasyPay. You don’t need to worry about taxes, either.

The average rate for appointment setters on Onlinejobs PH ranges from $2-11 per hour. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors.

3. FreeUp

FreeUp has always promised “Access To The Top 1% Of Online Talent.” The FreeUp system was built on the system of internal recruitment, including pre-vetting and interviewing thousands of freelancers each week. FreeUp is one of the only freelance  marketplaces around that checks up on applicants’ skills, communication efficiency, and attitude before they are even allowed to join the platform. Of those interviewed, they allow entry to only the top 1%. This means that businesses looking to hire through FreeUp have special access to the best right off the bat.

Another key aspect of hiring through FreeUp is that you can get started within days. You don’t have to wait weeks or months to find a great fit. The system works to pair your job post with qualified freelancers on the platform who have shown aptitude and performance in the key areas that you indicated. You will get your desired number of applicants for the task or project within 24 hours. Then, you can communicate with them through the internal chat system, or through email. 

FreeUp provides concierge-level support by phone, email, and live chat, even though it’s completely free to use. There are no subscription fees, just the rate add-on that you pay only once you have hired someone. You can speak to an account manager for free if you need guidance on who to hire or what to hire for. The team can also help you get started with using the system so you can start working with a freelancer faster than ever before.

Billing is super easy on this platform. Everything, actually, is all in one place. You never have to leave the website, so you can stay safe, too. The billing system at FreeUp is crafted to make sure that everyone is on the same page with billed hours before things get crazy. They also offer a “No Turnover Guarantee,” which means that if a hire quits, FreeUp will not only work to replace them as soon as possible, but also pay for the applicable costs for the replacement.

The average hourly rate to outsource appointment setting through this marketplace ranges from $5-30 per hour. You can, however, hire more expert-level freelancers if you need more. The range depends on where the freelancers are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors.

When you hire at lower rates, expect to work with entry-level freelancers who are good at working with businesses that already have systems and processes in place. Going a bit hire gets you more experienced freelancers who are specialized in their fields and can take over without a lot of guidance and even create systems and processes for you.

4. PeoplePerHour

Outsourcing through platforms like this one is great because you can get work done so easily. You can jump on, type in a few details, and find a few freelancer matches within minutes! PeoplePerHour offers dedicated customer service, too, with team members working around the clock.

What we love about PeoplePerHour is their money back guarantee and anti-fraud protection. You can feel safe working with this marketplace because if it doesn’t work for you, you haven’t lost at all. If it does work, you can keep going safe in the knowledge that you’re covered.

PeoplePerHour boasts about 3 million rated freelancers. This means that they have been reviewed by previous clients. These freelancers offer 8,766 skills combined. Of course, one of the top sellers is appointment setting!

The average rate for appointment setters here ranges from $10-60 per hour. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors. If you prefer to outsource appointment setting per call or booking, you can find freelancers who offer packages in 10s, 25s, etc.

5. Fiverr

Freelance talent is indeed at your fingertips when you can pay $5 here and there to get small jobs done. But Fiverr has grown a lot since those days, and you can find rate ranges and skills and project lengths to fit almost any business need. What they promise regardless of your budget, is high-quality services. They are also proud of their reputation for helping you get hiring done quickly, and being home to freelancers who get work done quickly.

Fiverr offers protected payments, every time. You will always know what you’re paying, And you only pay when you give the work your stamp of approval. You also get round-the-clock support to answer any questions you might have about the platform, the people you work with, billing, etc.

If you like Fiverr and want more, they also have the Fiverr Business option that’s created to serve teams. When you make this upgrade, you get a curated experience that offers you additional tools and benefits. One of these amazing perks is working with a customer success manager who matches you with the best talent for your project.

You won’t see hourly rates on Fiverr, just project-based pricing. The average package for appointment setters ranges from $20-175, and some go even higher. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, the scope and co,plexity of the project, among other factors. 

6. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is free. They don’t charge any fees or markups, and they don’t use any middlemen. This is an amazing selling point! On this platform, you can look over top agencies and freelancers, then get in touch with them directly. You don’t have to use Hubstaff tools, either. 

The average rate to outsource appointment setting on Hubstaff ranges from $3-30 per hour. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors. You will notice that the rates are much lower, but keep in mind that you are managing hires completely on your own. 

7. Freelancer.com

This website is known for housing the best freelancers online. It has a long track record for quality and is now the world’s largest freelance marketplace, with a talent pool of over 60 million. You can start without paying a lot since they offer free quotes and you pay only when you’re completely satisfied with the work you hired for.

To begin, you just post a job title, description, and budget. Then you wait for freelancers to bid. Most often you’ll get some within minutes. Then you can look at their previous work and reviews, and choose the best fit. Once you set milestones for the job, you can get started then pay as expectations are met. 

Freelancer.com also has recruiters who can help you hire the best fit, and managers if you need help handling your projects.

The average rate for appointment setters on Freelancer.com ranges from $5-75 per hour. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors like project scope and lead quality.

Conclusion

There’s no time like today to outsource appointment setting! Like we said at the beginning, appointment setting takes a lot of time, which can eat up a lot of resources if you try to manage it in-house. Outsourcing is an amazing solution for jobs like this, which can also be on and off. Paying someone 40 hours a week for work that may be seasonal or have different peaks throughout the week just doesn’t make sense.

 

Why outsource content writing? Content is king. Everyone knows that. However, not everyone can manage their content writing by themselves or do it in-house. Here in this post, we outline the benefits of outsourcing content writing, the challenges, where you can start looking, and some best practices to get you started.

What Does a Content Writer Do?

The main goal of a content writer is to inform or educate readers about a person, company, product, service, process, etc. Content writing is typically associated with online articles, blogs, and long social media posts. However, you can hire a content writer for email campaigns, newsletters, whitepapers, reports, and much more. 

Content writers can be hand-picked for their specialized knowledge in a particular industry, or technical knowledge like SEO. Some freelance content writers are incredibly flexible and able to write on a variety of different topics. The elite can write effectively on a range of topics and also properly optimize their posts so search engines will quickly pick them up.

How Does Content Writing Benefit My Business?

Advertising

Written content is advertising for your business. Content writers are necessary to create engaging content used in content marketing strategies. 

Branding

You can effectively communicate your brand voice through content. The content you create builds your brand identity, too. It represents the personality that you want to convey to your target audience. It can also differentiate you from the competition.

Search Engine Visibility

You can rank higher on the SERPs with SEO-friendly content. A good content writer uses SEO best practices when writing blog posts, web page content, and the like. This increases your chances of appearing high on search engine results pages. The higher you rank on SERPs, the more people see your content, and the more clicks you get on your website. With quality content, you also have a higher chance of converting visitors to customers. 

Recognition 

High-quality content improves brand awareness and reputation. Content is valuable when it is written with an understanding of searcher intent. High-quality content answers searcher questions and anticipates what their next question will be and answers it in the same article. 

Backlinks refer to when other websites link to your website content. This tells readers that other companies recognize your authority in the space. This is also a Google ranking factor.

Can I Do My Own Content Writing?

Absolutely, if that’s something you want to do! However, content writing can be demanding. If you are a small-medium-sized business owner, chances are, you will be better off if you outsource content writing. Even if you’re a good writer, this is true simply because you are probably juggling multiple roles at once. When you outsource content writing, your business will be able to produce the volume of content recommended to gain the visibility you need, and to acquire the number of customers you need. You will also be able to maintain the quality, which may not happen if you focus on all the content yourself. This also ensures that you focus on important business objectives. 

When you outsource content writing, it provides you with the freedom and flexibility to use your expertise to grow your business.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Content Writing?

Pros

Expertise

As we mentioned previously, you can definitely do your own content writing, and do it well. However, you may not have access to specialized knowledge, such as SEO best practices, email marketing copy strategy, useful writing and research tools, etc. 

Note: If you decide to write articles or other blog content yourself, we still recommend also hiring a writer well-versed in SEO. This gives you a better chance of getting that content in front of people. 

Flexibility

With content, you want to be consistent and pump out content at a healthy pace. Sometimes, this can’t always happen because you and your team are focused on furthering other important business goals. Outsourcing it to a team can free up your time and human resources. 

Cost

You can save on hiring and recruitment costs, in-house employee benefits, salaries, training, and more when you outsource content writing. Sometimes, hiring locally can be more costly than going international. Get the same quality and access to a larger pool of talent when you outsource content writing.

Efficiency 

Freelance platforms make hiring and paying a content writer easier. This means you don’t waste time going through long recruitment processes. Content writers have years of experience and their own writing processes that make them more efficient at churning out excellent, relevant content at a faster pace. Not only that, but hiring a content writer who is an expert in your industry could cut the time between posts down even further. 

Scaling

Outsourcing content writing can directly improve the rate at which your business grows. More writers mean more content. More high-quality content increases your reputation. Better email marketing language means more potential conversions. More conversions means more profit. More profit means the ability to scale different operations of your business. 

Cons

Risk of misrepresentation 

A content writer represents the voice of your company. When you outsource content writing, you are essentially allowing a person to speak to your audience on your behalf. Now imagine multiple different freelancers writing for you. There’s a risk that they could misrepresent the tone of your brand. 

This can be mitigated by onboarding them properly. Get them familiar with your brand, your goals, your values, and have them review previous content. 

Loss of control

When you outsource content writing, or any task, for that matter, you surrender an amount of control. You cannot monitor the creation process as closely as you would with an in-house team. 

Cost variation

While you don’t pay as much as you would with an in-house team, freelancer rates can fluctuate from person to person. Sometimes, freelancers will change different rates depending on the type of content, scope of responsibilities, their expertise, etc. 

Risk of turnover

Freelancers aren’t bound to typical employee-employer contracts. Freelancers could drop the project without any notice. This could lead to business slowing down while you search for a replacement and begin the whole process of explaining the project all over again.

Communication

Communicating with remote teams can be a struggle. Miscommunication can lead to errors and wasted time. Ensure that you have an understanding with your hire about the channels of communication you will use during the course of your work relationship. 

How Do I Outsource Content Writing?

Perhaps you are considering outsourcing as an option, but aren’t exactly sure how to go about doing so. Preparation on your part can make hiring an outsourced content writing team much less of a gamble. Below are some tips you can follow before you start canvassing for your content writer.

Scope of Work

One of the most important things to prepare is a list of tasks and responsibilities that the writer will be handling. What type of writing is it? Are they writing full articles or editing AI generated paragraphs? Do you want them to help you create a style guide to help maintain brand voice across multiple writers? Do they need to do research? How extensive is the research? 

Additionally, you will also need to indicate:

• The number of articles or posts you require
• The length of each piece and the length of the whole project (short or long-term)
• Milestones they should hit every month
• Meeting schedules, timelines, and deadlines
• Other deliverables

Getting A Good Fit

We mentioned earlier how you can be taking a risk when you outsource content writing. A writer could do bad research and taint the reliability of all the content you produce. This is why it’s important to screen your candidates. Thankfully, freelance marketplaces make this easy since most of them show reviews and ratings from other clients. This can give you an idea of their experience with the freelancer, and if you can expect satisfaction. 

Even so, a highly-rated writer might not necessarily be the right person for you. You need to consider the type of content needed and if this person has experience with companies similar to yours.

Ideally, you want someone with extensive knowledge pertaining to your industry, however, a less experienced writer could surprise you. On top of reading reviews, ask them for samples of their work or a portfolio so you can assess their abilities and quality of work. 

Setting up a test project for promising candidates can show you their ability to adapt to the topic given. You could be saving yourself some money by choosing a less specialized writer with a lower rate yet great writing quality and adaptability.

Determining Length and Frequency of Content

Whether it’s a weekly or a monthly objective, make sure to lay out how many articles, posts, newsletters, etc., you want the writer to complete in that time period. 3-4 articles per week is the typical amount to ensure your website remains updated. However, this number can vary depending on the industry you are in. If you are in a dynamic industry, you may want to create more frequent content to keep up with changes and new developments. 

Now, sometimes business can pick up and the number of articles needed increases. Be sure to communicate this to your writer ahead of time. Ask if they can take on more pieces or hire more writers to accommodate the increase in volume. 

When it comes to the length of posts, this can vary depending on the topic and audience. However, a general estimate is between 1,500-3,000 words. Quality does not always mean length, however, so make sure you have enough content to provide answers to a searcher’s questions.

Determining Your Budget

Freelancer rates can vary depending on the country, level of expertise, specialized skills and knowledge, and scope of the project. Make sure to do your research, compare rates, and get an estimate of fair compensation for outsourced content writing services. 

Think about how much you are willing to spend for consistent content. Weigh your options. Is it better to pay for 2-3 articles a week from a good writer or spend for a more specialized writer that can do 1-2 articles a week? Assess your potential ROI and see if it’s worth digging a little deeper in your pockets for higher-quality content that’s more likely to perform well on search engines, attract customers, and drive conversions.

Final Thoughts on Outsourcing Content Writing

Outsourcing content writing can be a game-changer and give you the space you need to grow your brand and reach your goals. There are a number of freelance marketplaces online with hundreds of skilled content writers. Some of the most popular include UpWork, FreeUp, and Fiverr.