Category: Virtual Assistants

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.

Remote onboarding can save you time and money, and help you avoid a stressful experience with a bad hire.

We’ve all been there. Maybe they oversold their capabilities, or they didn’t completely understand what the job entailed. Maybe they were just difficult to work with. While those reasons are valid, perhaps we should also be asking the question, “How could I have avoided this situation?” or “What could I have done better to detect this issue earlier?” 

In this article, we will explore the benefits of remote onboarding and why you should give this step in the hiring process more attention.

What Is Remote Onboarding?

Remote onboarding is the process of familiarizing a remote hire with your company. This process involves acquainting them with company values, policies, culture, products and services, team members, and so on. The point is to provide them with the knowledge, tools, and guidance they need to perform their duties well. Good onboarding aims to seamlessly integrate new members into your existing team so they can effectively connect, contribute, and succeed with your company.

How is Onboarding Beneficial When Hiring?

Remote hiring already poses innate challenges, but proper remote onboarding can  prevent a lot of issues and improve your relationship with your remote hires. 

Below are a few vital aspects that onboarding can take care of for you.

Introduce Your “What”

You can think of onboarding as a type of orientation. It’s somewhat of a virtual tour of your company. You can familiarize them with your business, including but not limited to your company’s:

• Offered products or services
• Target audience
• Mission, vision, and values
• Rules and policies
• Goals and objectives 

Introduce Your “Why”

Sharing company information is more than just giving them a good foundational knowledge of your business and customers. When you let hires get to know the company beyond the job description, you’re giving them an opportunity to understand the “why” of your business. 

Let them get to know the face behind the company. Tell them your story and why you are passionate about your company.

The more your workers care about your company, the more they will care about the work they do for you.

Give A Better Understanding of Your Brand

If you’re hiring a web designer or other creative, part of their process requires knowledge of your brand. This includes a good idea of your brand tone, voice, and identity. Onboarding can be a great way to get them familiar with these details. 

Set the Tone

Onboarding gives you an opportunity to begin your working relationship on the right foot. This is your opportunity to build rapport and sell yourself as an employer. Working with new people can sometimes be daunting, so be the first to extend hospitality. Show them that you care about the experience they have while working with you. Leave a good impression as an employer and make your hires comfortable and happy to work with you. 

Lower Worker Turnover

A good remote onboarding program for new hires can improve retention by over 80%.

Turnover costs money, slows projects down, and delays business growth. If a worker leaves in the middle of a long-term project, you are going to need to invest resources to find someone, hire them, and get them up to speed. While this process takes place, you’re losing revenue potential. 

Even if a hire decides to leave after the project is done, you’re still losing out on the long-term value they could have provided for you and your company. 

Make Hires Feel Connected 

Onboarding provides a smooth transition from hiring to team membership. You can introduce them to the people they will be working with and provide some activities to bond and break the ice. 

This can help them feel like they are part of a community instead of just a cog in some machine. When you put effort into making sure they adjust well with your team and business, they will notice this and feel cared for. 

Boost Productivity 

Onboarding allows you to give a more detailed rundown of the roles and responsibilities associated with the position you are hiring for. This also opens the floor to any questions and clarifications the hire might have about the job. 

The more details you can iron out during remote onboarding, the less time is spent going back and forth on something that could have been easily addressed or explained earlier.

Attract More Talent

Your remote onboarding efforts go beyond the person you’re hiring. Of course, you want a talented person to work with you, and you want to retain them after investing in them. However, another benefit of onboarding is getting referrals from the people you’ve hired.

These organic recommendations are good for brand reputation. Not only do you save on hiring and recruitment, you also get introduced to more talented individuals with the same principles who can bring value to your company.

See if it Fits

Part of the remote onboarding process involves getting to know the personality of your hire. Once you’ve explained your company culture, values, goals, etc., you can ask them if this is something they would be interested in being a part of. 

You can have the most talented individual. However, if they don’t work well with others or have the same enthusiasm that you do, it will likely cause more trouble down the line.

What Is Discussed During Remote Onboarding?

1. Rate and Schedule

Two of arguably the most important things to discuss during onboarding are how much you are paying hires and what their work schedule will be.

Rate is typically measured either on a per-hour or per-project basis. Some freelancers include their rates on the website or marketplace you hire them on. You can also talk about weekly or monthly rates and discuss the payroll schedule during this meeting. 

The work schedule is set by the hiring entity. This is where you discuss the number of hours and even the times of day that you want hires to work. This is especially important if you are hiring someone from a different country who is working in a different time zone. When you need to have meetings, set deadlines, and establish communication norms, you need to be sure that you aren’t waiting for them to be active before you can move business along.

2. Internet, Power and Other Issues

For remote onboarding, future project meetings, updates, general communication, and actual work progress, of course, you need to make sure the person you hire has a strong and stable internet connection, and can manage to work despite power outages. If they live in an area that doesn’t have strong internet speeds or has frequent outages, that may be something you want to consider before hiring. 

Power and internet issues happen to all of us. However, if this is something that happens too often, it can slow down work and affect productivity. Any hire in this situation must have a backup system in place so that work is not disrupted.

Additionally, you may need to take into account any cultural or religious holidays that hires celebrate and if these dates will interfere with any deadlines.

3. Culture

Onboarding includes introducing a new hire to an environment with a set of values, beliefs, behaviors, and events. Company culture involves interaction and relationships within the company that can be affected by these elements. 

Cooperation and collaboration are essential to business growth, so everyone must be able to adjust to the culture. Some companies have online game days, icebreakers, open forums, temperature checks, and other events to facilitate rapport and a healthy working environment. 

Good onboarding aims not only to educate on best company practices and behaviors, but also strives to make hires feel like they are connected to a community. 

If you want to learn more about building a remote work culture, we’ve got you covered with our 4-step guide.

4. Communication

Remote communication can pose a lot of challenges. You need to schedule meetings and updates, and make sure you have a place where you can talk with your team effectively. 

Miscommunication can derail projects in so many ways, so getting this detail ironed out as soon as possible should be a priority. Do you have a preferred channel, application, or platform you use for internal communication? If you do, let your hire know and ask if they are familiar with it. If they aren’t, letting them know this detail early allows them to both download the application and learn the ins and outs of how it works before they are expected to actually start using it.

Should I Take Previously Hired VAs Through Remote Onboarding?

You might want to take older hires through remote onboarding for a few reasons.

First, say you are a company that hasn’t developed an in-depth onboarding process until recently. Re-onboarding previous hires is a great way to align them with any newly established company policies, goals, and objectives. 

Second, we mentioned that onboarding is a means of getting hires interested in the “why” of your business. For those who have worked with you for some time, it might be beneficial to revisit your goals and objectives and spark some passion.

Third, new hires and old hires may have different tenure, roles, responsibilities, etc. However, they should still operate under the same company culture and policies. Re-onboarding gives you the opportunity to organize and standardize certain processes and interactions. This is one step closer to creating a unified team, remote or otherwise.

Conclusion

Building a strong hybrid team that works well together to achieve business objectives begins with a good remote onboarding foundation. Never lose money due to a bad hire again, and nurture healthy worker relationships for higher worker lifetime value.

 

 

When you are managing a remote team, one of the biggest hurdles is handling virtual meetings. From selecting a platform and setting up the agenda to communicating effectively, we have brought you 11 tips to running successful virtual conferences.

1. Use The Right Meeting Platform

The first order of business when planning to conduct successful virtual meetings is where to host them. Due to recent world events, virtual conferencing technology has had to evolve and improve quickly. This is great news because there are several options you can choose from. 

Some of the most popular options include:

• Zoom 
• Google Meet/Hangouts
• Slack Video Calls
• Microsoft Teams
• Skype

The platform that is best for you can be determined by looking at several factors. Consider the needs of your business and what the software can offer. Do you need screen sharing capabilities? Do you want built in recording software? Does it have an app? Is it accessible for mobile users? Does it cost a subscription fee and is it worth it?

The best platform for virtual meetings will be the one that fits your needs the best. This also goes for any other remote team management apps you choose to use.

2. Set Expectations

When setting up virtual meetings, it’s important to establish the scope of the meeting, the objective of the meeting, and of course, the date, time and platform. 

Ideally, this should be done prior to the actual meeting. This gives people a chance to prepare any needed documents, get in the right head space, and even note down any relevant information or updates pertaining to the meeting topic. 

Also, you can brief them once more in your short introduction before the meeting. (More on that later.)

3. Limit the Number Of People On the Call

It’s important that you determine who are the essential personnel for a virtual meeting and prioritize inviting them. This is especially true if you’re just getting started with virtual meetings and don’t have much experience handling a team remotely. As you gain a handle on things, you can invite more people if necessary. 

The more people you invite on a call, the less each person feels the expectation or responsibility to answer a question. This is similar to the Bystander effect, where if there are more people around, a person feels less of a responsibility to help somebody who is in need. 

Additionally, the more people on the call, the less time you have to do personal check-ins or receive updates from each member. Not only that, but if you end up doing check-ins for 20 people, that leaves the other 19 just waiting for you to finish. This is a waste of time and your people can lose interest or become frustrated because of this.

4. Avoid Distractions

As much as possible, it’s best to remove anything that can draw attention away from the meeting or agenda. 

If you’re leading the meeting, this sets an example of respect. You are showing that you are dedicating yourself to this meeting and this set timeframe. You are tuned in, ready to talk about the agenda, and reach the goal of the meeting. 

Whether it’s turning off your phone, secluding yourself in a room alone, or wearing noise canceling earphones, whatever you are able to do to keep you focused, do it. 

Additionally, distractions can interrupt the flow of the virtual meeting. Not only are you distracted, but other people can be affected by it as well.

5. Start With A Short Introduction

It’s important to get everyone on the same page. When leading a meeting, it’s your job to set the tone, and communicate the agenda effectively. 

Some people like starting with a little icebreaker related to the topic being discussed before giving a rundown. However, if you want to be more serious, you can simply outline the points of discussion or relay your goals and objectives for the meeting.

6. Do Personal Check Ins

Be it individual touch-base interactions or team meetings, it’s important to check in on your team. This is also called a “temperature check” to see how the person or the team is feeling. Are they enjoying the work? Have they come across any hurdles lately? Do they feel they are able to communicate effectively with you and their team? Is there something they wish could be improved? 

Even something as simple as making sure everyone is settled in and comfortable before starting your virtual meetings can show that you care about the status of your team. Members of a team who see that they are cared for are more likely to put care into what they do as well. 

Note: Part of team care is making sure everyone is comfortable. If you plan to record the meeting, clarify if everyone is alright with it, or assign a secretary to take down the minutes of your virtual meeting.

7. Go Over Team And Company Updates

Share with the team any important announcements, news, or changes within the company. Always make sure to keep your workers informed of anything that could affect them especially. This can include changes within the specific team project at hand. This helps keep everyone on the same track towards the completion of the task.

8. Ask Them To Give Their Updates

Contrary to personal check ins, updates refer to the work progress of individuals or teams. At this stage of virtual meetings, you are handing over the stage to your team and the members who hold responsibility for certain tasks.

Naturally, make sure you are attentive, responsive, and respectful while they are presenting their updates. Make sure their mics are working and their cameras are on (if they have been briefed on this requirement and are comfortable complying). Most platforms allow you to pin members or designate them as speakers. This is useful so people know who is giving their report and who to direct their attention to.

9. Ask For Their Ideas, Suggestions and Concerns

Feedback is important for a couple of main reasons. 

First, meetings can get boring if there is only one person talking all the time. Interactions keep your team engaged. Think of it like this: If all you needed to do was relay the same set of instructions without the need for clarifications or responses, then you could have simply recorded a video instead of calling for a live meeting. 

Second, it shows that you value people’s input as members of a team rather than preferring mindless yes-men. A leader is not just someone who speaks all the time and commands people to listen. A leader is someone who listens. They empower others to share their ideas and cultivate a space where that can happen. You have a team of intelligent people. Grab that opportunity and grow your business together.

10. Add Some Motivation and Appreciation For Everyone

This connects quite nicely to the previous point. It takes only a few seconds to say thank you to your team members for a job well done or to recognize their suggestions. Keeping up individual morale is keeping up team morale, and morale is important to productivity.

A study conducted by TJinsight revealed that over 35% of employees said that lack of recognition lead to a decrease in productivity. Rewards and recognition, on the other hand, increased morale, which then led to better productivity. 

When your team knows that you see the effort they put in and the initiative that they take, this will motivate them to keep up the good work. 

Remember, you wouldn’t have hired a team if you could do it all yourself. Don’t take for granted the manpower, talent, and overall greater value that people bring to your business.

11. Limit Your Meeting Time

The backbone of a conducting successful virtual meetings consists of two parts. The first is a detailed agenda, the second is a time limit to discuss these objectives. We’ve all been there where a meeting drags on for far too long and it seems like it isn’t really going anywhere. 

When you don’t limit the time allotted for a meeting, you could be inviting unnecessary tangents or talking about something that should be reserved for a separate meeting. 

Setting a dedicated start and end time and sticking to it shows professionalism. If you say “Let’s target 2:30pm as our end-time.” This gives the meeting more structure and signals to your team that the next hour is reserved for this agenda and this agenda only. This encourages them to hunker down and pay attention.

Conclusion

The importance of effective communication cannot be stressed enough. These 11 tips will get you up and running for your virtual meetings and knock your agendas out of the park like never before.

Want more help with your remote work set up and productivity, check out this guide from TopTal all about their Remote Work Playbook.

 

PPC is a valuable avenue for marketing your business, but not everyone has the ability or the funds to do it in-house. So, what do these companies do? They can outsource PPC! Here, we’ll show you how!

What is PPC?

PPC, also known as pay-per-click, is a method of digital advertising. This takes place mainly on SERPs (search engine results pages) like Google or Bing. However, you can also see this on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. How it works is you pay these search engines or social networks based on how many clicks you receive on your link or ad. 

PPC is a popular, effective, and powerful means of marketing your business. For one thing, PPC can generate a significant amount of traffic for your website. Additionally, PPC can produce fast results and is useful in driving sales. It is also quite cost-effective due to the fact that you pay only if someone clicks on the ad.

What Are The Pros and Cons to Outsourcing PPC?

Pro #1 – Expertise and Experience 

Learning PPC from scratch and effectively running a campaign can take a lot of time and a lot of resources. One of the best things when you outsource PPC services is that you are hiring professionals with years of accumulated knowledge. They not only have the theoretical knowledge, but they also have had many opportunities to apply it. They have had time to test out, analyze and create the best paid advertising strategies and techniques for various businesses. This also makes them more efficient at handling your campaign needs. 

Pro #2 – Cost-effectiveness

Cost-savings are probably the biggest draw of outsourcing as a whole. There are several costs you need to consider with an in-house team:

• Hiring and Recruitment
• Employee Benefits 
• Payment for tools and other resources
• Training 
• Other overheads

On the other hand, when you outsource PPC you don’t have to worry about the aforementioned cost areas. 

Pro #3 – Tools and Training 

When you work with a PPC freelancer or agency, they are likely to possess the necessary tools and software to implement, manage and analyze PPC campaigns effectively. These tools will typically go beyond the free ones you can use. They also have people who have already undergone the training and possess the skills to use these tools.

Pro #4 – Learning Curve 

Learning all there is to know about PPC and implementing that knowledge in a way that produces optimal results is a difficult process. Not only is it time-consuming, but you may also have to try several things before learning what works. PPC campaigns have a lot of moving parts, and it can take some time to get familiar with everything you need to keep track of.

This relates to the following point. 

Pro #5 – Faster Results 

While we won’t discourage you from pursuing any kind of skill or knowledge, if you want fast results, outsourcing PPC is the way to go. Because they know how to maximize your ROI and have experience managing an ad budget, an outsourced team or individual  expert can help you become more profitable at a much quicker pace. 

Pro #6 – Time and Personnel Savings 

At the end of the day, PPC is about advertising what your business actually does and likely isn’t the business itself. Running a business costs a lot of hours. If you or your team are too busy looking over your PPC campaign, you can’t focus on your primary duties. Imagine all the time that would be taken away from improving your products and services, enhancing internal processes, brainstorming, and other necessary business decisions. 

Hiring an outsourced PPC solution frees up your time and your team to focus on applying their unique skills to propel your business forward. 

Con #1 – Picking a PPC Agency or Freelancer Can Be Difficult

While it isn’t as tedious as the typical hiring and recruitment of an in-house team, selecting an agency or freelancer to work with can be tricky. 

You could run the risk of hiring a freelancer or a team from an agency that looks good on paper but doesn’t deliver on its promises. This is why it is crucial to see verifiable social proof. Check ratings and reviews from people who have worked with the agencies you are considering. 

It’s safer to invest in a well-known company or an individual with high customer satisfaction ratings than something cheaper but obscure. Well-known companies typically have more experience and clients under their belt and are more likely to be caught up on the latest trends and use the best tools and software. 

Con #2 – Communication Problems

Naturally, you’ll want to outsource PPC to an individual or team that speaks the same language as you. However, hiring internationally could pose a problem if there is a culture clash, not to mention the issue of time zones. 

Additionally, there are also several communication challenges that come with hiring an outsourced PPC solution. How will you be communicating? What platforms will you use to conduct virtual meetings with your remote team? How often will you be meeting and with who? How often will you be receiving updates?

Con #3 – Loss of Control 

Whenever you are handing off a task to an outside person or team, you are handing off a level of control over that task. No matter how many calls you ask to schedule, you still are not going to be able to watch over everything. Some business owners prefer to be more involved than outsourcing allows. 

You are essentially putting your brand image in the hands of another company when you outsource PPC. Therefore, you need to have a high level of trust in the person or agency you will work with. This is yet another reason to do extensive research before choosing who to work with. 

Con #4 – Security Risks

You will have to give out company data to whomever you outsource PPC. This sensitive information about your brand could be leaked to competitors. It’s important that the agency or platform ensures data protection and privacy. There needs to be a level of accountability to prevent shady “agencies” from taking off with your company data. 

How Can I Outsource PPC Effectively?

1. Figure Out Your Campaign Goals

The first thing you need to do before you outsource PPC is determine your objective for running ads in the first place. What do you want to achieve through your ad campaigns? Are you aiming to build your brand awareness? Do you wish to generate leads? Do you want to drive conversions? You need to identify your target and then you can figure out what steps to take to get there.

When you have a clear idea of your campaign goals, you can begin thinking about what you need in terms of an outsourced PPC solution. Maybe you need a full-service team of researchers, strategists, analysts, and designers. Perhaps you only need a select individual to help you manage your campaign. 

Evaluate your business and educate yourself on at least the basics of PPC. List down any questions, suggestions, or anything that needs clarification or advice. 

When you outsource PPC, a lot of options out there offer consultations where you can discuss your specific situation and needs with the experts. You can then decide if they are a good fit for your business. 

2. Run Ads

Google and its SERPs are the most popular platform to use for running ads. However, as mentioned earlier, you can also run ads via Bing Ads and social platforms like Facebook Ads. You can also use AdRoll. 

Wherever you decide to run your ads, you want to make sure the agency or freelance team you hire has expertise and experience on that platform. 

3. Finding The Right Person To Outsource PPC To

When you decide to outsource PPC, the next step is figuring out who to outsource to. You have options to outsource to an agency or to hire professionals from freelance platforms. 

Whatever you choose, you must keep a few things in mind when hiring:

• Scale of the project – Freelancers may be enough for running a few ads but full-scale campaigns may require hiring an agency.
• Expertise – Educational attainment, certifications, and other training 
• Years of experience – Industry specific recommended
• Past projects
• Ratings and Reviews
• Hourly Rate/ Project Cost

4. Stay On Top Of Trends

You can’t just settle for someone who is knowledgeable about previous marketing techniques. The best agencies and individuals are always growing their knowledge, innovating, and staying updated. Be it brand new techniques, industry fads, software, technology, or terms of service updates, your ideal outsourced PPC partner will stay on top of these. 

Most agencies even provide this as a guarantee when promoting their services on their website.

5. Use the Right Tools

As mentioned, one of the benefits of outsourced PPC is savings in terms of training in different software programs. If you hire through an agency, you’ll also save by not having to purchase the necessary tools. These tools are instrumental to running successful campaigns, so on your own, you wouldn’t have a choice but to spend. 

From analysis tools to automation, make sure the person you are hiring already uses and is skilled in the necessary tools. Some of these tools include Ahrefs, SEMRush, HubSpot, Optmyzr, Wordstream, and Unbounce. Additionally, if you’re running ads on Google, Google Ads Editor and Google Analytics are very valuable tools as well. 

6. Overspending on PPC

Depending on your ad network, industry,  company size, and scope, the cost of your PPC management needs can vary. According to WebFX, startups can spend an average of $300-$1000+ monthly on PPC. Small businesses can spend $1000 to over $10,000 per month. 

Note that agencies are more expensive than freelancers, but tend to offer better overall services if you don’t want to go though a hiring process. A dedicated PPC expert or PPC manager might cost even more than going agency rates. Experts will give you much better results, though.

Again, outsourced PPC is much more affordable than hiring an in-house team. However, it’s still wise to evaluate your budget and determine how much you are willing to spend weighed against your potential ROI. 

Conclusion

There you have it! Hopefully, now you have a better grasp of PPC, the value of outsourced PPC, and how you can do it effectively without breaking the bank!

 

When you outsource bookkeeping for your business, you can save a lot of time. This also allows you to maintain productivity in the core areas of your business. 

 

Keeping your books in order is an important part of your success as a business. As such, we recommend outsourcing because not everyone can handle their books themselves. 

 

Now, you can find a ton of options available for where to outsource bookkeeping. Because of so many choices, we’ve compiled our top recommendations here. With one of these, you can more than likely outsource bookkeeping for your business with ease. 

 

1. EcomBalance

 

 

EcomBalance was created to fill a gap left by bookkeeping services aimed at small to medium-sized eCommerce businesses. Having sold millions of dollars’ worth of product on Amazon, the founders are entrepreneurs well-versed in the eCommerce space. They value long-term client relationships and strive to provide pinpoint accurate numbers. This way, they help clients make more informed business decisions. 

 

EcomBalance aims to help businesses selling on all kinds of online platforms such as Shopify, Amazon, eBay, and Etsy with all their bookkeeping needs. They also extend their services to agencies, consultants, coaches, software companies, freelancers, content creators, and others. 

 

What They Offer

 

• Integration with sales channels and tools: Amazon, Shopify, Ebay, Walmart, Bigcommerce, Xero, Stripe, Square, Intuit Quickbooks
• Onboarding and Assistance connecting all Sales Channels 
• A dedicated team of expert eCommerce bookkeepers inclusive of a Head of Bookkeeping and a Bookkeeping Assistant
• Reliable and process-driven bookkeeping vetted by 2 different levels of bookkeepers
• Monthly financial analysis and reports: Profit & Loss statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow statement by the 15th of each month
• Key takeaways for each month and on-demand recommendations and advice for financial decisions 
• Fast support: 1 day email response and option to text and call your team 
• Tax ready Financials 
• Additional services like Clean Up & Catchup Bookkeeping 

 

Note: EcomBalance can do bookkeeping for international companies, but on a case-to-case basis. Contact them to see if your company is a fit.

 

Plans and Pricing

 

EcomBalance offers regular, monthly bookkeeping services charged by type of service. You can also choose to pay for a full year upfront for a discount. All Clean Up and Catch Up bookkeeping work is charged upfront.

 

EcomBalance also offers customized quotes for clients that don’t fit into standard packages. After a call, they will send you a quote for your bookkeeping billed on a monthly basis. 

 

Add-On Services are one-time up front costs that start at $50/month. Let them know during your onboarding call and they will quote you for these additional needs.

 

For more information, you can visit the Ecombalance pricing page.

 

2. Bench

 

 

Bench aims to help entrepreneurs focus on what they want to do and their goals for their businesses. They do this by taking care of their bookkeeping and tax needs. They care about making finances something that is simple, effortless, and affordable for small businesses. 

 

Their outsourced bookkeeping solutions combine intuitive online bookkeeping software together with expert, human bookkeepers. They currently support thousands of US-based small businesses in a variety of different industries. 

 

Bench is more than numbers; they care about giving business owners the opportunity to focus on what they care about. 

 

What They Offer

 

• Secure account connection and automatic uploading of monthly financial statements with Plaid 
• Dedicated bookkeeper
• Regular monthly bookkeeping – a modified cash basis method 
• Tax Advisory, Tax Preparation and Tax Filing 
• Catch Up Bookkeeping – For business <2 years behind bookkeeping
• Bench Retro – Specialized catch up bookkeeping for businesses >2 years behind
• Hybrid software and small business expert financial solutions
• Personalized expert support – get in touch with a dedicated expert any time you have questions or need assistance 
• Constant Communication – receive regular updates, 1 business day or less response times, schedule review calls with your bookkeeper (end-of-year or monthly check-ins )
• Tax ready and complete financial statements 
• Clear financial reports 
• Real-time financial insights
• Tax filing for Premium Plan subscribers complete with year-round tax support and advice 
• Year-round 1099 reporting and IRS filing forms

 

Additional perks: 

• Receive discounts if you work with a Bench partner like Stripe or Gusto 
• Get a $150 reward and a month of bookkeeping free for every person you successfully refer to Bench 
• Bench is tax-deductible

 

Plans and Pricing

 

You can choose their Essentials plan and pay either monthly ($299/month) or annually (which comes out to $249/month). You can also go for their Premium plan billed monthly ($499/month) or annually at $399/month.

 

Their add-on services like historical bookkeeping and other specialized services are separate from their monthly bookkeeping fees. 

 

For more information, you can visit the Bench pricing page.

 

3. QuickBooks

 

 

QuickBooks by Intuit is one of the top financial management software solutions you can find. Its solutions are built to help anyone from freelancers to small and medium-sized businesses. Their services include instant invoicing, personalized reports, access to organized records of receipts, payroll, tracking expenses, and tax preparation. 

 

QuickBooks Online can be downloaded on your desktop. You can also use it on your phone via their mobile app (IOS and Android). Alternatively, you can also use the tool as a cloud-based solution wherever there’s internet access. 

 

What They Offer

 

• Add-on services and features: point of sale solutions, mobile payments, online banking integration, and more
• An easy to use and intuitive software 
• 650+ integrations with software and tools you already use 
• Cleanup bookkeeping – This is where they thoroughly check your books and bring everything up to date. They also help you with onboarding, setting up your accounts, and connecting your bank. 
• Ongoing bookkeeping – a live bookkeeper to handle your books with complete accuracy every month 
• Automated accounting procedures – This includes syncing bank info and credit card transactions, issuing invoices, reconciling spending, setting payment reminders, tracking income and expenses, etc. 
• Monthly financial statements – Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, etc.
• Personalized financial reports – Get insights to help you make the next business move. Access 20 different pre-built reports like your trial balance or 1099. These reports are also emailed to you and some are downloadable so you can view them on the go. 
• Tax ready financials – Face tax season without the stress
• Access to tax deduction tools

 

Plans and Pricing

 

Only cleanup and ongoing bookkeeping services are available for their Full-Service Bookkeeping plan.

 

Other things not included:

• Sending invoices
• Paying bills
• Management of inventory, accounts receivable, or accounts payable
• Financial advisory services
• Tax advice
• Facilitating the filing of income or sales tax returns
• Creating or sending 1099s
• Payroll management

 

You can view the details of their pricing tiers on the QuickBooks pricing page.

 

4. Pilot

 

 

Another good choice to outsource bookkeeping to is Pilot. Pilot supports the front office dealings of their customers with their financial management solutions. They were made for startups, growing, and small businesses. These solutions include bookkeeping, tax preparation and filing, as well as CFO services. 

 

Their team of financial experts focus on taking care of your books. This leaves you free to concentrate on other business areas. They aim to provide their clients with unmatched quality and accurate, detailed bookkeeping. 

 

What They Offer

 

• Monthly bookkeeping performed by professionals and aided by powerful bookkeeping software
• Accrual basis bookkeeping 
• Hundreds of integrations with tools and software such as Bill.com, Stripe, QuickBooks, Expensify, and Gusto.
• Dedicated financial expert – Provides in-depth onboarding, helps manage books, taxes, and other additional services like assisting in the selection of payroll and providing financial advice 
• Automatic transaction import 
• Connect your banks, credit cards, and payment processors
• Chart of accounts
• Complete monthly financial reports (P&L, Cash Flow, and Balance Sheet)
• Monthly industry-specific metrics to inform business decisions 
• Full service tax preparation, tax filing, and CFO Services (Tax and CFO are additional expenses) 
• For startups – burn rate calculations and reporting 
• For eCommerce businesses – inventory updates

 

Plans and Pricing 

 

Pilot has two pricing tiers: Core and Plus 

 

Core starts at $499/mo billed annually for companies earning $0-$29,000 monthly. The price increases depending on monthly expenses. Plus is a custom pricing tier molded to each client. 

 

Pilot also charges an onboarding /setup fee equal to a month’s worth of bookkeeping. If you are a pre-revenue company, Pilot has a special $200/month discount for the first year.

 

If you want to go more in-depth, check out the Pilot pricing page.

 

5. Xendoo

 

 

Xendoo offers a hassle-free solution to outsource bookkeeping and accounting needs. Their technology solutions, paired with their dedicated team of financial experts, ensure organized and accurate books delivered on time. 

Xendoo’s solutions cater to small and medium-sized businesses. Their team will get to know the ins and outs of your business and industry to help you save money and give you the space you need to grow your business. They love bookkeeping, and they do it so you can do what you love doing.

 

What They Offer

 

• Seamless integration with QuickBooks Online and Xero 
• Set up your dashboard in under 60 minutes with an Onboarding Specialist to help you connect your accounts for view-only access.
• Weekly reconciling of books 
• Dedicated bookkeeper backed by a full team – for accurate, up to date, and compliant bookkeeping 
• Clear and regular communication – They will contact you whenever they need clarification regarding your transactions. 
• Support – email, text, or call your team whenever you have questions. (8am – 6pm EST and after hours with advanced notice) 
• Monthly financials – access them anytime, anywhere
• Tax preparation, tax filing, and tax consulting services -Tax ready financials for tax season 

 

Plans and Pricing

 

Xendoo offers three pricing tiers based on the monthly expenses of a business. The Essential tier $395. The Growth tier is $695. The Scale tier is $995. The tiers are billed on either a monthly or annual basis. 

For more information visit the Xendoo pricing page.

 

Conclusion

 

When you outsource bookkeeping, make sure you know what you need, and then do some research to find the service that fits your needs.

 

 

You can outsource social media marketing to an individual or a team to build your brand. As your brand grows, so will your reputation, reach, and revenue. Just make sure that you know how to hire for the job, especially if you’re looking for remote talent working from another country.

What Is Social Media Marketing (SMM)?

Social media marketing (SMM) uses social media platforms, also known as networks, for brand building. These platforms are where the majority of today’s consumers go to share information. Many brands have developed a presence on these networks. They have also successfully driven traffic from there to their websites and increased their sales.

An effective social media marketing campaign involves these key elements. 

Profile

Your profile includes your profile picture (photo of the face of the company or the logo), your bio (a description, company slogan or tagline), your company name, and important links. You can think of your profile as the summary of who you are as a business. 

Content

Content is the lifeblood of your social media profile and marketing efforts. This is where you communicate your branding through images, videos, and short-form content like reels and stories. The way you curate content should be optimized to attract your target audience. 

Engagement 

This is one thing makes social media marketing so valuable. You can respond to interactions on your posts (likes, comments, shares) and gauge the performance of a particular post or content strategy as a whole. You can also follow other brands, influencers, and customers in order to build a community around your brand.

Paid Advertising

While organic social media advertising is ideal, paid advertising can help facilitate organic results. Paid advertising allows your brand to get in front of more people. Through various algorithms and targeting tools, your ideal customers are able to see these ads.

How Will Outsourcing Social Media Marketing Help My Business?

Social media marketing can benefit your business greatly. You can get your brand in front of more people than you would have otherwise. You can gain a greater level of customer interaction and engagement, too. Furthermore, you can get access to valuable customer data via SMM tools. This data will help you optimize your SMM strategies. 

If you’re wanting to start social media marketing but don’t have the time, have a limited budget, or limited personnel, then outsourcing social media might be the solution for you. 

Let’s go through the benefits of deciding to outsource social media.

What Are The Pros of Outsourcing SMM?

Saves Time

Building and maintaining social media marketing strategies can take up a lot of hours. Think about it. 

• Content creation itself requires a lot of time. You need to come up with engaging material, take the time to create each piece, and maintain a constant stream of this content to keep your customers engaged. We actually know of at least 7 reasons you should outsource content marketing. 
• Speaking of engagement, a lot of time goes into connecting with customers. It’s important to allocate time to answer comments and interact with your customers. 
• Not only that, but you also need to evaluate the efficacy of your strategy and monitor your analytics. 

As you can see, SMM is heavy and demands consistent time and effort. Outsourcing social media management, marketing, and content creation means freeing up time for both you and your teams. This way, you can all focus on other core business processes, objectives, and goals. Even if, for instance, you want to keep a foot in content creation efforts, outsourcing social media alleviates a lot of that pressure and workload. 

Expert Help

When you outsource social media, you are handing the reins over to a team of qualified  professionals. They bring their experience working with other companies and brands and can improve the efficiency of your SMM efforts. They have tried-and-tested processes and strategies. You can even look for people who have worked with businesses similar to yours who can bring valuable industry-specific marketing techniques to the table. 

They can build and significantly improve upon the foundation that you’ve started. They can help you boost engagement and connect better with your followers and target customers. Their knowledge and expertise can help you attract your ideal customers and grow your customer base. Their edge can propel you forward ahead of your competitors, too.

Hiring Flexibility

The great thing about outsourcing social media is that you can pick and choose the type of skill or talent you need, when you need it. For instance, let’s say you need to hire a video editor for a single promotional ad that you might need tweaked a few times over the course of half a year. Instead of hiring and paying an editor full-time, you can outsource the job quickly and cut costs significantly. 

Outsourcing provides you the flexibility to expand temporarily. If you have to pump out more content for a specific week (like during the launching of a new product for instance) you can outsource content creation for that specific week. No need for full-time staffing or lengthy recruitment and hiring processes.

Saves Money

If you’re familiar with outsourcing, you’ll know that one of the main draws is the cost-cutting benefits. The whole process of recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and maintaining a full-time staff member is pricey. It’s even more costly to hire an entire in-house team. In-house staff maintenance requires you to pay salaries, benefits and other overhead costs like utilities and rent. 

Outsourcing social media is much more cost-effective. You pay their rate and potentially some marketplace or agency fees depending on where you hire. Even then, it’s still much cheaper than maintaining full-time in house workers. 

Unlock Scaling Potential 

When you have more time to focus on core business processes and more funds to spend on growth opportunities, you have the recipe to scale your business and reach your goals faster. 

Brand Consistency 

Your brand is your identity. When you outsource social media to a professional team, they have the experience and skillsets needed to help you build and maintain your brand image and voice. Through content creation and customer interactions through your posts, they can help you build your online presence and manage the reputation of your company. 

Software and Tools 

Experts typically come with professional technology. These social media marketers have knowledge and access to technology to better your advertising endeavors. From automation to analytics software, these valuable assets can boost efficiency and bring your SMM to the next level. It also saves you time and money since you don’t have to purchase the software yourself or invest hours learning how to use it. 

What Are The Cons of Outsourcing SMM?

Lack of control

Giving over the wheel to a professional team also comes with the caveat that you don’t have as much control. The management role is passed to them, so you have to put your trust in an outside team to handle your brand image. This may be off-putting to some as you also will have difficulty checking the quality of the work being done. This is why it’s important to check their previous projects and portfolios beforehand. 

Barriers 

If you outsource social media internationally, you could come across some hurdles. For instance, time zones could interfere with content posting schedules. Though there are  cases where a vastly different time zone could be beneficial, it could also put a strain on internal communications. 

The ability to communicate effectively with your outsourced team is imperative. It’s more than just speaking the same language. There could be differences in values and culture. This is why it’s crucial to make sure your working values align during the hiring/interview process. Otherwise, these could be an obstacle to a smooth working relationship. Mastering virtual communication within your business is a key to productivity and profitability.

Company Culture

The risk of dissonance in this area is greater if the outsourced team is not sufficiently onboarded. You need to make sure that you communicate your company’s mission, vision, values, and culture. This can help your outsourced social media team get a better understanding of how your company communicates to your audience. 

You can start by hiring teams that have worked with clients in similar industries. This helps with the general understanding of your industry. Then you need only focus on the messaging and tone of your brand specifically so they can represent your brand as authentically as possible. 

Over Reliance

It can be a great help to have someone else take care of your SMM needs. However, there is a risk that you will be too dependent on the outsourced team, especially if you hire them for long-term work. Make sure you have a backup solution available. Maintain flexibility in case you will need to take over some SMM tasks or switch to a different solution. 

Where Can I Find Someone to Outsource Social Media Marketing to?

Freelance Marketplaces

Marketplaces such as FreeUp and Fiverr give you access to hundreds of options for your social media marketing needs. You can check their profiles, client reviews, ratings, portfolios, and how much it would cost to hire them. 

Agencies

You can outsource your social media marketing needs to an agency that specializes in this area. They typically cost more than freelance marketplace hires, but you get more experience and guarantees. They will likely have worked with more companies and will know what SMM strategy would work best with your company. 

Recommendations

If possible, ask for a referral from co-workers, other businesses, or friends who have worked with an SMM team or individual in the past. This way, you have access to first-hand experiences you can trust. They can tell you if the work they do is high quality and what they learned from working with them. 

Conclusion

When you outsource social media marketing, it’s important to know know exactly what you need for each task you’re outsourcing. Make sure that you also have safeties in place to avoid the pitfalls and manage the risky areas.

A website should appeal to your target audience, hook their attention, and make them want to stay on a website. A big factor is the design of your website. 

In the first half of this post, we will dive into web design, what it is, and how it differs from web development. In the next half, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing web design, how to outsource effectively, and where you can find someone for your outsourced web design needs.

What is Web Design?

Web design is the art or process of conceptualizing and creatively organizing websites. This includes their pages and the elements on them. These elements include the content (images, videos, text), shapes, fonts, colors, logos, as well as structural and interactive elements like dashboards and their navigation buttons. 

Web designers aim to capture and communicate to website visitors the message, tone, and overall brand identity of their clients. Part of web design is also making sure that the layout of the site elements is cohesive, intuitive, and easy to understand. This also involves creating different site versions for desktop and mobile users. 

Web design combines UX (user experience) design, UI (user interface) design, SEO (search engine optimization), content creation, and relevant client-specific input and knowledge of their target audience. Web designers may possess skills in these areas or work together with a team of people who specialize in these fields.

What is the Difference Between Web Development and Web Design?

Web design and web development are fields that work closely together and both are essential to the creation of a website. 

As mentioned, web design primarily focuses on the look and feel of a website. However, elements such as layout, structure, and interface are not totally about aesthetics. In fact, marketing has a lot more influence on these elements than looks. Web designers simply style these elements to present a more aesthetically pleasing look. The bulk of the work is in arranging them to make browsing the website easier. As such, You could say that web designers are responsible for creating the schematic for your site. Whatever can be seen, that’s web design. 

Now, web developers, or coders, are responsible for taking the designs and making them functional. They are the ones that build and maintain the structure of a website. Their job is to translate the designed elements into code so that the visual elements can appear and work properly on the web. Their work is more behind the scenes, but absolutely fundamental for a working site.

If you’re interested, we also have a post about how you can effectively outsource web development. 

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages for Outsourcing Web Design?

Advantages

1. Cost Savings

One of if not the most alluring advantages when you choose to outsource web design (or outsourcing in general) is the cost benefit. Hiring an in-house full-time web design team is far more expensive than contracting with a freelancer or design agency. You have to think about salaries, employee benefits, overheads, and taxes. When you outsource web design, you don’t have to think about any of that. You just need to pay your designer their hourly or per-project fee. 

Another place you save costs is in training and tools. A freelance web designer or agency partner will likely already have the needed design tools or software available and know how to use them.

Additionally, if you hire from a country with a lower cost of living, you can generally get the same quality and expertise at a lower rate.

2. Fresh Perspective

When you outsource web design, you are introducing a fresh set of eyes to your project. They can bring an unbiased perspective to your current web design processes or provide a second opinion for your creative ideas. Remember, these are experts. They bring valuable knowledge, technique, and experience to the table. If you hire a designer who has worked with many clients before, they can tell you with authority what can work and what can be improved. 

3. Flexibility

Another good thing about outsourcing web design is the flexibility it provides you, your team, and your business. Hiring an outsourced web design team means you and your team have more free time to focus on other business objectives. These tasks include product development, optimizing the services you offer, creating pricing models, creating the content to display on the website, etc. 

4. Wider Talent Pool

When you outsource, you are broadening your options. You have access to a global pool of talented individuals you wouldn’t otherwise have been able to access, or possibly even ever considered. 

5. Efficiency and Expertise

When you outsource web design, you are outsourcing to someone who has spent years honing their craft. With that comes efficient processes and techniques. What you and your team might spend months trying to figure out yourselves can get done much faster with a professional at the helm. 

Disadvantages

1. Creative Differences

You need to do your due diligence to find the right designer for you. Otherwise, you might clash creatively. This becomes a problem if you can’t effectively communicate or show them the type of design you want for your site. Without a comprehensive onboarding process, an external team might not understand your brand or its messaging the way you want them to. 

2. Lookalike Branding

If you’re working with an agency that has experience with multiple clients in the same industry, you may find their methods or designs to be too similar to your potential competitors. This won’t be a concern, however, if you are able to view their portfolios and past client projects. This will help you to ensure that their designs uniquely reflect your brand and are not just a copy of other brands they have worked with. 

3. Less Control

Some businesses are hesitant to outsource because they are essentially giving away some control to an outside entity. You won’t be able to be as closely involved as you would with an in-house team. You will need to put your trust in their capabilities, processes, and internal management structures. 

Of course, you can also make sure to schedule regular updates so you can track the progress and ensure the project is on the right track. 

4. Data and Security Risks

You may need to give your outsourced design team access to company information. This data may pose a security risk, so make sure to hire an individual or team from a recognized site with verifiable experience with other clients. 

How to Outsource Graphic Design Effectively?

Here are some useful tips to follow when canvassing for and working with a web designer. 

Have a Clear Budget

The cost of graphic design can range widely depending on the skill and the scale of the project. Setting your budget also means setting your expectations for the results you can expect from that budget. It helps you filter your candidates. 

Know Exactly What You Want

When looking for a web designer, one of the first things you need to look at is their portfolio. This is especially important if you have a particular style that you want your website to follow. You can’t just pick any designer and expect them to be able to match the style you want. 

Think of them like chefs. Yes, all chefs can cook good food, but not all chefs specialize in the same type of cuisine. You can’t expect a sushi chef to make you the best burger you’ve ever tasted. This isn’t to say they can learn the recipe. However, this will take time and they won’t have the same level of expertise as someone who has been making burgers for years. The same rings true for graphic designers. When you have a clear idea of what you want, make sure to find someone who is best able to actualize that idea. 

Be Open to Suggestions

Whether or not you have a strong idea for what you want your website to look like, you should always be open to any recommendations your web designer might have. It’s good to know what you want, but don’t be closed off to any suggestions they may have. It’s a collaborative effort.

If you have any pre-existing ideas or preferences for the way you want your website to look, make sure you list them all down. Create mood boards and give them images and any design elements you would like them to imitate.

Onboard Properly

As mentioned earlier, a comprehensive onboarding process can save you from unnecessary stress. Tell candidates about the mission and vision of your company. Let them know that you have a particular target audience and share the goals that you have as a business. It’s better to give your designer a ton of information and inspiration than to give too little for them to work off of. 

Communicate

Set up effective communication channels and regular meetings. This is a collaborative process. You’ll want to make sure you can get in touch with one another, share updates, provide feedback, and give the designer any other necessary information they may need while conceptualizing and throughout the actual design process.

Where Can I Find Someone To Help With Web Design?

If you’re looking to outsource web design, there are several places you can look including: 

• Freelance Marketplaces
• Online job boards
• Web design firms and agencies
• Social media 
• Google SERPS
• Referrals from people you know

Here are our 5 recommendations to outsource your web design needs.

Ultimately, you will need to assess what your needs are, and which solutions work best for you.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of outsourcing web design varies depending on several factors such as where you outsource, the scope of the project, level of experience required, and who you hire (freelancers vs agencies). 

Generally, though, hourly rates for web designers can be between $70-150 for US and UK based freelancers. For Asia and Eastern Europe, rates usually range from $15-50 per hour. Agencies can be a couple hundred per hour, depending on the expertise you require. A quality custom website can cost from around $500 to upwards of $6000 for more complicated projects.

Final Thoughts

When you follow these tips to outsource web design, you will enjoy a smoother hiring experience and more productive working relationships. Read through our blog for more tips or reach out to us if you need additional outsourcing help.

 

Outsourcing web development may sound daunting at first. In reality, however, it does not have to be stressful at all. In this post, we’ll go over the key aspects of the process. By the end of it, you should know the basics of how to do it and how much you can expect to spend when outsourcing web development.

What Is Web Development?

Web development is basically all the work that revolves around building out and maintaining websites. These can be sites that are hosted on the internet or on local networks. The operations involved focus on making sure that the site performs the way that it is expected to. This usually means that it offers a great user experience and is prepped for optimization so it can rank on the major search engines.

The work includes all the tasks that are commonly associated with creating websites. The most common of these tasks include coding and scripting – whether that’s client-side or server-side – writing markup, and network security configuration, which a lot of people think of as IT work. These are the non-design aspects of building websites, but some web developers also do web design.

What Are the Key Benefits to Outsourcing Web Development?

Outsourcing web development offers several major benefits. 

Skill

Web development is highly technical. If you try to do it yourself or pass the task on to someone on your payroll, it probably won’t go very well. You might think that it will be easy because it’s just a website. However, even if you use one of those DIY website builders, you will probably soon discover that there’s a lot more to it than you expected. Outsourcing web development ensures that the people working on the project know what they’re doing.

One-Offs

The average business owner does not need web development done on the regular. It’s usually a one-off project, with most of the maintenance and management done in-house. So, at the very least, you can outsource the build-out, which is the bulk of it. Then, you can pay a bit extra to get a tutorial on how to keep the site running properly with the needed updates and clean-ups. You can also learn how to do small updates, and more importantly, how to use child themes and create backups so you can hit undo if you mess up.

Cost

Outsourcing web development cuts your costs down considerably. You can get the same quality or even better without paying local rates. Your savings can add up to as much as 65%, depending on how complex the project is. That leads to the fourth benefit, which is access to more top talent. Outsourcing web development opens up the doors to a worldwide pool instead of just the devs who are available near you.

What is the Cost of Outsourcing Web Development?

The cost of outsourcing web development projects varies. The main factors that influence the rate ranges are location and project scope or complexity. You can hire for less outside of the West, but you will still pay more for highly skilled devs.

Basically, outsourcing web development to a freelancer or agency will cost from $10 per hour for simple sites to $100 per hour or even more for highly technical builds that require a ton of know-how that you can’t find just anywhere. 

Many agencies give project estimates based on the average time that it takes to build certain types of websites. For example, you can expect to pay between $200 – $5,000 for a basic website (no frills, just the main pages and functionality) and from $1,000 – $30,000 for an eCommerce website, depending on the level of customization and number of features. A custom web application will usually cost you between $1,500 – $50,000. Mobile apps can go up to $150,000.

Note that these rates for outsourcing web development include agencies in the western world. Rates for US development companies can be higher. If you hire a freelancer who will come to you rather than working remotely, you can expect to pay travel expenses. Language and cultural barriers can also mean additional costs in terms of time spent ensuring that communication is clear.

Where Can I Find Someone for Web Development?

You can find someone to do web development for you almost anywhere in the world. What you want to zone in on are the ones you can trust to deliver quality projects on time. For the trust factor, we go to established online marketplaces and freelance platforms like FreeUp and Upwork. These companies have safeties in place that will give you peace of mind. 

Just to drive the point home, we want to tell you that outsourcing web development at random can be very dangerous. Going to individuals on platforms that provide no guarantees can leave you in the lurch. We highly recommend working through marketplaces that care about your security and the reliability of their member freelancers.

What Kind of Skills and Experience Should I Look For?

You should always be as detailed as possible about the project you need done. Write out all the aspects you envision so that prospects can identify the skills that they would need. This way, even if you don’t know all the technical terms, the devs looking at the project will know what you mean. Anything that you may have missed can then be discussed and clarified during an initial interview. 

You want to make sure that everything in the scope is crystal clear before you agree on a quote. What you pay will likely change when you change different things about the project. These changes may seem small to you, but it may not be that simple on the development side.

That’s the technical side. You need to look for more than these skills when outsourcing web development. Communication is vital, and can be a rare thing when it comes to such technical individuals. People don’t normally think of communication at all, really, but it isn’t as easy as one might think. See how easy it is to get on the same page as a candidate. If you’re constantly misunderstanding each other or going off on different tangents, that is going to constantly plague you down the line. You need to master virtual communication to succeed at outsourcing anything.

Reliability can only be measured by either reviews or experience. You should look at both. Check out how they are rated on the platform, or on their business website, if they have one. Then look at the other projects that they’ve done. Hone in on projects that are similar to what you have in mind.

What Should I Know Before Hiring Someone for Web Development?

Outsourcing web development is not as simple as outsourcing a simpler task like data entry or blog writing. Web dev has so many moving parts. Because it’s highly technical, you may not also know exactly what you want until you see that what you asked for is not exactly what you expected. You need to go into the process knowing that there will be some trial and error. Unless you can provide super clear instructions and samples that match the outcome you desire to a T, you cannot expect a developer to produce exactly what you envision.

How Do I Get Started?

The best way to start outsourcing web development is to learn how to outsource. This is what we’re here for! Reach out to us to see how we can help make the outsourcing process go more smoothly for you. 

Once you are clear on your plan for outsourcing web development, you can start looking for the best fit. Once you hire, start with smaller aspects of the project that can be completed in shorter timeframes. You want to break it down and make the larger project more modular. This ensures that you can evaluate the developer’s performance along the way. If you need to go with someone else, you won’t be left with a big mess and have to start over. It also helps you to stay safe in case you need to make changes. 

Conclusion

Outsourcing web development can be tricky – we won’t lie. But with our proven process for outsourcing work to other countries, you can rest assured. We help you put safeties in place so you’re covered. We also show you what to focus on so you don’t miss major red flags that can end up costing you big time. This way, outsourcing web development doesn’t have to be so scary that you end up losing hair over it. 

 

 

When it comes to outsourcing, there are many benefits why you should outsource seo to a marketing assistant.

This can be a great way to improve the visibility and performance of your website. By working with a professional with expertise in SEO, you can use their skills and experience to drive traffic, improve the user experience, and achieve your business goals.

However, outsourcing SEO can also be a complex and time-consuming process, especially if you need to become more familiar with the ins and outs of SEO. This article will provide tips and guidance on how to outsource SEO to a marketing assistant effectively.

This includes defining your goals, choosing a marketing assistant, communicating your strategy, setting clear expectations, and monitoring progress. By following these steps, you can ensure that your SEO efforts are successful and that you are getting the most out of your partnership with a marketing assistant.

1. Define Your Goals

When defining your SEO goals to a marketing assistant, it’s important to be specific and communicate what you want to achieve with your SEO efforts. Some potential goals might include the following:

Increasing traffic to your website

This could involve targeting specific keywords or phrases to rank higher in search engine results or implementing technical SEO tactics to improve the visibility of your website.

Improving the user experience

 This could involve optimizing the structure and content of your website to make it easier for users to find what they are looking for and navigate your site.

Improving the quality of your website

This could involve optimizing the content on your website to make it more informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience.

Generating leads or sales

This could involve optimizing your website for conversions by including calls to action or implementing landing pages to capture leads.

Building brand awareness

This could involve creating a consistent brand message and presence across your website and other online channels, such as social media.

It’s essential to be as specific as possible when defining your SEO goals when you outsource seo to your marketing assistant. This will help them understand what you want to achieve and how they can support you in meeting those goals.

2. Choosing a Marketing Assistant

When outsourcing your SEO to a marketing assistant, it’s important to do your research and choose a professional with the experience and expertise to help you achieve your goals. Here are a few steps you can follow to research and choose a marketing assistant:

Determine your budget

Before you start your search, it’s important to determine how much you are willing to spend on a marketing assistant. This will help narrow down your options and ensure that you consider professionals within your price range.

Identify your needs

Think about the specific tasks and responsibilities you want to outsource to a marketing assistant and the skills and experience they should have. This will help you determine which professionals best fit your business.

Search for marketing assistants

There are various ways you can search for marketing assistants, including online job boards, freelance websites, and professional networks. You can also ask for referrals from other business owners or industry colleagues.

Review portfolios and resumes

 Once you have a list of potential candidates, review their portfolios and resumes to get a sense of their experience and expertise. Look for examples of work they have done similar to what you need and any certifications or training they have received.

Conduct interviews

It’s important to conduct in-depth interviews with potential marketing assistants to ensure that they are the right fit for your business. Ask about their experience, their approach to SEO, and their availability. You can also ask for references to get feedback from other clients they have worked with.

By following these steps, you can ensure that you choose a marketing assistant who is qualified and capable of helping you achieve your SEO goals through outsourcing.

3. Effective Communication

Effective communication is vital when you outsource seo to a marketing assistant. By clearly communicating your SEO strategy, you can ensure that the marketing assistant understands your goals and has the necessary information to help you achieve them. Here are a few tips for communicating your SEO strategy:

Create a standard operating procedure (SOP)

Developing an SOP can help ensure your SEO strategy is clearly communicated and consistently implemented. An SOP should outline the tasks that need to be completed, the tools and resources used, and any relevant deadlines or expectations.

Provide specific details

Be as specific as possible when communicating your SEO strategy to the marketing assistant. This should include information about your target audience, your target keywords, and the specific goals you want to achieve with your website.

Share relevant data and research

Providing data and research about your target audience and keywords can help the marketing assistant understand the context in which they are working and make more informed decisions about your SEO efforts.

By following these tips, you can effectively communicate your SEO strategy and ensure that the marketing assistant has the information they need to support your efforts.

4. Set Clear Expectations

When outsourcing your SEO to a marketing assistant, it’s important to set clear expectations to ensure that both parties are on the same page and working towards the same goals. Here are a few tips for setting clear expectations when outsourcing SEO:

Clearly outline the tasks and responsibilities

Be specific about the tasks and responsibilities the marketing assistant will be responsible for when it comes to your SEO efforts. This information should be in your SOP and include information about the tasks they will be completing, the tools and resources they will be using, and any relevant deadlines or expectations.

Establish communication protocols

Establishing clear communication protocols with the marketing assistant to ensure that they can easily communicate with you and share updates about their progress is important. This could include setting regular check-ins, using project management tools, or establishing a preferred method of communication.

Set clear deadlines

Establishing clear deadlines can help ensure that the marketing assistant can complete their tasks on time and that your SEO efforts stay on track. Be sure to allow enough time for the marketing assistant to complete their work, but also be firm about the importance of meeting deadlines.

Define deliverables

Clearly define the deliverables the marketing assistant will be required to produce, such as reports, analytics, or content. This will help ensure that you are receiving the outputs you need to measure the success of your SEO efforts.

By setting clear expectations when outsourcing your SEO, you can ensure that the marketing assistant understands their role and can effectively support your efforts.

5. Monitor Your Progress

Monitoring the progress of your SEO efforts is essential when you outsource seo to a marketing assistant to ensure that you are on track to meet your goals. Here are a few tips for monitoring the progress of your SEO when outsourcing to a marketing assistant:

Review reports and analytics

The marketing assistant should provide regular reports and analytics about the progress of your SEO efforts. Reviewing these reports can help you understand how your website is performing in terms of traffic, rankings, and conversions and identify any areas where you may need to make adjustments.

Communicate with the marketing assistant

Regular communication with the marketing assistant can ensure they are on track to meet your SEO goals and identify any challenges they may face. This could involve checking in with them regularly, asking for updates, or providing feedback and direction.

Test and experiment

Testing and experimentation can help you identify which tactics and strategies are working well and which may need to be adjusted. Work with the marketing assistant to identify areas where you can test and experiment to improve your SEO results.

Set benchmarks and track progress

Setting benchmarks and tracking progress can help you measure the success of your SEO efforts and identify areas where you may need to make adjustments. This could involve setting specific goals for traffic, rankings, or conversions and tracking your progress toward those goals over time.

By monitoring the progress of your SEO efforts, you can ensure that you are on track to meet your goals and make any necessary adjustments when outsourcing to a marketing assistant.

Wrapping it Up

When you outsource seo to your marketing assistant, you can improve the visibility and performance of your website.

By following best practices and taking the time to carefully research and choose a marketing assistant, communicate your strategy, set clear expectations, and monitor progress, you can ensure that your SEO efforts are successful and that you are getting the most out of your partnership with a marketing assistant.

Sometimes, if you outsource seo, it will require some time and effort upfront, but the long-term benefits of working with a skilled and experienced professional can be well worth it.

You can focus on other aspects of your business by outsourcing your SEO to a marketing assistant. At the same time, they handle SEO’s technical and strategic aspects, helping you achieve your business goals and drive growth.

Looking for a more outsourced SEO solution? Check out TrioSEO. They’re a full service SEO agency that will put together an SEO strategy for you, publish SEO content monthly, and drive more traffic and leads to your website.