Myth: Outsourcing is just for the big guys
There seems to be a myth floating around that says outsourcing to a Virtual Assistant is solely for the big guys! Guess what? It’s not. Whether you’re a large business with a vast workforce on your payroll, a business with a decent revenue that allows you to outsource, or a small creative business with only a few employees (or no employees at all) then outsourcing absolutely can be for you!
In this week's blog, we are going to talk about how outsourcing can be beneficial to all size businesses, big or small!
Before we dive in, let’s talk about the definition of outsourcing. You can check out the official definition here. Outsourcing has been around for some time and is the perfect way for both big business and small to use specific skills when needed without having to hire full time employees. This way of working saves a considerable amount of money because you don’t have to provide sick pay, holiday leave, employee benefits or taxes.
In any business, no matter the size it’s important that you are productive and use your time wisely. While it’s only natural to want to be in control in all aspects of your business, it is yours after all, a one-person team can still benefit greatly from getting help with the small tasks. This is where a remote personal or virtual assistant can come in handy, especially when you’ve found the right person for the job, with the ever growing reliance on technology and the constant changes that come with it.
Ahhh…”I don’t need to hire someone, I can do it myself and save money” I hear you say. I want you to take a moment to really put your business into perspective. Are you really saving money? It might seem that way, but I want you take a look at the following example:
Rebecca creates items to sell in her www.etsy.com Etsy shop. She sells a one-hour training session and charges each attendee £20 with a possible 8 people attending. She can potentially earn £160 for one hour BUT she doesn’t, because this week she had to focus on her administrative tasks. She had to design and keep up with her social media posts, write and send emails to her customers, update her records, set up scheduled marketing posts, reply to email enquiries as well as allow time for planning the training and facilitating it.
Can you see where I’m going with this? Rebecca spent so much time divided between so many tasks that her overall marketing fell short, and she failed to sign the desired amount of attendees she needed.
Money lost, whereas had she had a Virtual Assistant by her side for say, £20- £30 an hour, she would have had the time and focus on getting those attendees through the door, make the £160, payout £30 to her VA to do some tasks and still have £130 left over. So even with the cost of outsourcing, Rebecca still made more money than she would have if she tried to do it all alone.
So what can you outsource?
Here are 5 things just for you!
Web Design & Maintenance
I don’t know about you but the world of web design can be mind boggling! The great thing is, you can outsource it, meaning you don’t even have to try to wrap your head around it, saving you time and making your life a whole lot easier. Whether it’s full design, a refresh, content & copywriting, or regular updates…you can find someone to do the job for you.
Social Media Management
Social media is a full time job in itself and requires consistency for a successful campaign. When you’re juggling so much, it’s unlikely you will be dedicating the time that you need to, which is why outsourcing to someone who can keep up with it for you works like an absolute dream resulting in increased brand awareness, lead generation and a fantastic reputation.
Market Research
Need a little market research? Wondering what the public wants or what your competitors are up to? There’s someone for that too.
Blog Writing
If writing isn’t your forte, but you know blogging is one of the best ways to promote your business, outsourcing to a writer is a great way to ensure your writing connects with your audience in the way that it should boost your brand reputation.
Virtual Administrative Tasks
Admin is probably one of the most time-consuming tasks when it comes to business because there’s just so much. Outsourcing is the best way to stay on top of it, making sure everything is done, up to date and delivered on time. Honestly, you can’t go wrong.
These are, of course, just a few ideas, and I am sure you would be able to think of more once you set your mind to it. The good thing is, most Virtual Assistants will be happy to help. Why not give it a go? What have you got to lose?
And if you’re looking for an organised, experienced VA to help with day-to-day management, scaling up your social media presence, and more, feel free to get in touch with Erin at Bizzybee.