Outsourcing Online: A New Spin On An Old Tradition
12 April 2007
What’s All The Buzz About Outsourcing?
Outsourcing has become somewhat of a buzz word in Internet marketing circles lately, especially since the release of Rich Schefren’s Internet Business Manifesto, released over the summer of 2006. One look at the now infamous graphic on the cover, (see left) and it hit many of us like a ton of bricks. Now I understood why I was feeling so overwhelmed, battling marketer’s ADD and information overload!
Because the majority of online marketers are running the show by themselves or with a limited pool of extra help, there are just too many tasks to complete alone. In addition to the time factor, it’s very rare for any one individual to possess all the technical skills necessary to accomplish all aspects running an internet marketing business.
Outsourcing is not really a new concept, but it has taken on a new dimension as tens of thousands of people turn to the Internet in search of wealth and freedom – much like the Alaskan miners in the gold rush of 1899. However, there are a number of issues you should keep in mind when considering outsourcing, as an alternative to doing it yourself.
Skill level and time are the two main factors that lead online marketers to outsource, so it’s important to know which of these two needs you are fulfilling when planning which tasks to outsource.
Outsourcing To Save Time
Delegating tasks on the basis of time savings, it’s a valuable to understand what an hour of your time is worth relative to the task at hand. As an example, let’s say it takes to five hours to do a task that it would only take 20 minutes to teach someone else how to do. If you’ve documented that training using screen capture video, you only have to do it once.
What else could you be doing during those five hours? Create content? Work on product creation? Set up a new JV? What are those activities worth compared to some tedious task that could cost you just a fraction of what your time is worth?
Outsource The Expertise Of Others
Outsourcing on the basis of skill expertise is a little trickier. It helps to know a little bit about what the task entails to be sure you’re not being overcharged. You still need to be in control of the project, so that costs don’t run away from you. For example, it helps to know a little bit of HTML code, if only to make it easy for you to make minor changes to a site, fix typos, or change prices. This could take just minutes, and knowing how can save you money (and aggravation) in the medium and longer term.
Once somebody’s pipe dream, we can now run an international company from a spare bedroom with virtual employees scattered all over the globe! How cool is that!
Outsourcing online is just a new spin on an old tradition that businesses have used throughout history, and knowing how to apply this in your business will increase your chances of success, and boost your bottom line. Happy outsourcing!
