Showing posts with label outsourceing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outsourceing. Show all posts

Monday, March 14, 2011

“What are 4 Things a Blogger Can Easily Outsource?”

Free twitter badge

Image via Wikipedia

Blogging is a great way to get started making money online – BUT – it’s work. (All good things come with some effort, right?)

The absolute worst thing a new blogger can do is to do nothing. Yet, that’s what happens to many bloggers when they’re first getting started. While waiting to get their blog just perfect, they do nothing and, instead, spin their wheels – stuck in one place.

Meanwhile, they get frustrated, their dreams fade, and they end up giving up before they even had a fighting chance. It’s sad, especially since many of them are talented writers, are passionate about their topic, and have a lot to share with the world.

So, what can a new blogger do to avoid this from happening?

Simple. Outsource.

But, what, exactly is “Outsourcing“?

Outsourcing is just a fancy word for getting someone qualified to quickly and efficiently do a job for you that you

1. don’t have time for,

2. don’t want to do, or

3. don’t have the skills to do.

But what can you outsource, and how? And, can you afford to?

All great questions. Here are 4 tasks you can immediately outsource for a modest price (and boost your blogging efforts at the same time).

1. Blog Installation and Optimization.

If you’re planning to blog, the one thing you’ll need is a web host. Why not choose a multipurpose web host that will also install your blog for you?  Both MomWebs.com and ReliableWebs.com will install your WordPress blog for you. Why would they jump through these hoops? They want you to succeed so that you become a customer for many years.  As part of their service, both web hosts will also recommend and install plugins for you for a reasonable fee.

There’s no point in getting paralysis by analysis. This is an easy decision to get over your first hurdle – actually getting your WordPress blog online and ready to roll.

2. Design.

One thing I outsource gladly is graphics. When I try to do my own, they look unprofessional and, downright tacky. When I pay a more talented professional to create my graphics, they look awesome! You can find a professional designer at Shelancers.com who can make your blog look snazzy – just look around. Of course, you can also search places like eLance.com, but I’d suggest that you ask for a recommendation from a friend (or even on Twitter) before going with someone totally untested.

3. Content Management.

Keeping your blog active with fresh content can be a feat in itself. BUT – there is a big secret that bloggers use to make their lives much easier. It’s called PLR content and it’s something that I’ve also used in the past.

What is PLR content? Basically, PLR articles are written by ghostwriters and sold at a very affordable price (usually around $1-2 per article) to multiple bloggers and website owners. So, as a blogger, you can purchase these articles, and stick them on your blog. Or, as I recommend, you edit them a bit before posting them to your blog. While PLR is not totally hands-free – it can help you to get over the hurdle of having to write all of the content for your blog all by yourself.

By the way, the place I recommend you look for PLR Articles is EasyPLR.com http://easyplr.com/go.php?af=977615&u=www.easyplr.com

Of course, you can save even more time by hiring a Virtual Assistant to add the PLR that you purchase to your blog for you so that it’s waiting in there the next time you face writer’s block (as we all do).

4. Community.

Do you ever hear the sound of crickets when you go to your blog? How do some bloggers get such a conversation going while others seem to be talking to themselves?  The answer may not be what you think. Another big secret of top bloggers is that they sometimes “seed” conversations with their own assistants and friends. Yes, they have commenters who are paid to come by and leave comments to keep the conversation going. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

While you don’t have to go quite that far, it doesn’t hurt to be “comment buddies” with some friends and help keep each others blogs active with conversation.

What Next?

Outsourcing can be a big scary thing if you’re trying to figure it out on your own. So, if you’d like to learn more about how to Outsource in your Online Business, I recommend this course: http://www.OutsourceWeekly.com (You’ll see a free series of lessons on the top of that page.)

Or grab this outsourcing ebook with over 140 resources for less then 10.00 http://www.mcpromotions.com/outsourcing/index.htm

Enhanced by Zemanta

Monday, February 22, 2010

"How to Get the Help You Need"

Roadblocks. We all have them. What do I mean? Well, no one can possibly know everything there is to running an online business. No one. Not me. Not you. At some point you have to get help. In some way, shape or form.

The most successful entrepreneurs outsource -- they pay freelancers to help them with either one-time or ongoing tasks. But, did you also know that there are other free ways to get this type of help?

I didn't realize that either, until I checked out the Outsource Weekly course from Jimmy D. Brown & Nicole Dean. I'm loving it. Yes, I'll pay for things like Graphics, but I didn't realize that I could also get other jobs done without paying money up front.

Well, I won't tell you everything. Here's an excerpt provided by Nicole & Jimmy from their course.

After you read this excerpt, be sure to check out the full course. They pretty much cover all aspects of an online business - what the task is, if you need to do it for YOUR type of business, if it can be automated instead of outsourced, and, if you do need to outsource it, who to go to.

-----
Outsource Weekly Excerpt
by Nicole Dean

If there was one thing I'd go back and outsource sooner, it would be my customer support and my emails.

Why? For a number of reasons...

Benefit #1: It takes a LOT less time now than I ever spent.

I've never been accused of being aloof, so I'll tell you like it is.

This is embarrassing, but oh well.

I have “shiny object syndrome”. In fact, I think that most internet marketers have a bit of ADD where any shiny object pulls your attention away from the thing that you're doing.

Emails, instant messenger, a new product that's launching that everyone's talking about, a cool website, phone, twitter, “ooh a new friend found me on facebook...” etc.

“What was I working on again?”

When I was answering my own emails, I'd run off to investigate the answers or find out more about the topic, click through on the links that were sent to me, or just plain old get sidetracked and head off to work on more pressing matters.

I'd get shiny object syndrome and spend an hour answering an email and come back and go “oops, I never responded” because I'd run off in 100 different directions between opening the email and hitting send.

So, when I finally outsourced my emails, I was quite embarrassed to see that the virtual assistants were only spending 15 minutes/day on something that was taking me a lot more time.

Benefit #2: It keeps me more positive.

You know the story. You get one crabby person who is just downright mean, for no reason at all. Well, some people can let that roll off their backs, but, when it's your business that they're talking about, it can feel awfully personal in a hurry.

My poor hubby had to dry some tears after one particularly horrid woman came after me, repeatedly being mean. And, she wasn't even a customer! ((shudder))

Benefit #3: You're Going to Have to Do It Eventually. The Sooner you Do It, the Easier the Transition Is.

Anyway, I'd held off outsourcing my emails for a long time, because I couldn't believe that anyone would take as good of care of my customers, loyal readers, and JV requests as I possibly could.

That was until I realized that Bill Gates doesn't answer customer questions.

Hmmm...

So, in essence, I was again punishing myself for success. The BIGGER my business grew, the more emails I'd get – the more miserable I was and the more I was stuck on my bottom, working many more hours than I'd cared to.

Success had again became a punishment for me.

-----

This course is the perfect starting point for any beginner. You see, Nicole & Jimmy have this thing called "integrity" that has caused Nicole to pour a lot more into this course than she ever imagined. When interviewed recently, she stated "I can not teach people how to Outsource a task until they understand 1. if they need to be doing it, and 2. how it should be done effectively. Otherwise, they're just throwing money away."

Check it out by clicking here.

PS. Here's a great ebook loaded with hundreds of resources for outsourcing your business. Download it now.