You’re clever enough to outsource but for some reason you’re not doing it.
Taking the first step is the hardest. It’s not as easy as handing over the work to someone else and voila, you’re outsourcing!
This is your business we’re talking about, your baby, your pride and joy. Will you find someone else who will care as much about the work as you do? Will they make it worth your time and money to outsource, or will the whole experience be a complete mess?
There are businesses (like mine) who thrive on helping copywriters like you. Whether it’s outsourcing keyword research, bookkeeping or business admin, you can find someone else to do all the tasks you hate doing.
That stuff you hate doing, we LOVE (I know, we’re a bit weird like that).
But before you jump in the deep end and bring in other businesses to help you run and scale your own, there are things to consider to help make the whole process a lot smoother.
Focus on doing what you’re best at, and get the experts to do everything else
We’re all an expert at something, and being an expert means we can provide the best value for money for our clients.
Sure, you can do keyword research yourself. You may have even learnt from me during my free 5-day SEO Challenge, but I’ve been doing keyword research for over 5 years for many different types of business and projects. It’s my bread and butter, not just something I do on the side once or twice a year. I have lots of experience.
Outsourcing keyword research to an expert like me, website maintenance to a web developer or bookkeeping to a bookkeeper means you’re getting the best level of service from an expert who keeps up to date with industry best practice.
An expert will have a different perspective from you and will know the most effective way to do whatever it is they’re an expert at. They will know things you don’t, even if you think you know everything.
Have you ever had a potential client say to you “I can write my own content for free”? Yeah, you know what I’m talking about…
The value of an hour of your time vs an hour of {insert mundane task}
One of the biggest barriers to outsourcing is the perceived cost. Most people think in terms of the actual cost of the service they’re using, when there’s a lot more to it.
I come from an accounting and finance background and was taught to always consider the opportunity cost when making a decision. An opportunity cost is the loss from not making a certain decision.
In a copywriting business, the opportunity cost of doing your own keyword research is the cost of not writing copy for your client. You’re losing money in your business when you’re not writing.
Think of it this way: how much would you pay for an hour’s worth of bookkeeping? Is this less than what you’d earn for an hour writing copy? If so, it makes financial sense for you to outsource your bookkeeping.
I order my groceries online. Yes, I need to pay a delivery fee but the cost of me spending up to an hour in a supermarket, walking up and down the aisles, packing and unpacking my groceries, and petrol/car costs is greater than the delivery fee. It’s a no-brainer.
Add an extra revenue source in your business
Add-on services in your business are a great way to earn more revenue. And even better if you can outsource the add-on services rather than do them yourself!
I offer keyword research, SEO content audits and competitors analysis. These are potential add-on services for your business that your client can pay for and that you don’t need to do yourself. You can read more about introducing SEO add-on services for your clients in this blog I wrote.
Keyword research complements your content writing- it lets you optimise your client’s copy and content for increased success. Your client will benefit from it! And getting some market intel through a competitors analysis will help you and your client make better content and marketing decisions.
What other add-ons could you build into your business and outsource to other suppliers? Perhaps your client wants social media content creation too- could you pair up with a social media expert?
Save money on expensive software subscriptions and tools
How many business subscriptions are you paying for right now? Are you paying for tools you only use a handful of times per year?
When outsourcing, you may not need to pay for some of these tools and subscriptions because it’s something that your supplier takes care of.
For keyword research I use tools that my clients don’t need to pay for. Yes, I build the cost of these into my project fees but it’s still more cost effective for my clients than paying for a month of SEMrush or Ahrefs themselves.
Outsourcing helps you grow your business
You may love working on your own, but eventually you’re going to need a team of people to help you grow your business.
You don’t need to have people on your payroll- you can outsource tasks when required, to give you more time and energy to focus on doing the tasks that will grow your business.
Rennie Sanusi from Top Notch Edits (proofreading and copyediting for copywriters):
“Outsourcing lets you focus on the tasks you need to do to grow your business…E.g marketing (like pushing out more content online). If you’re bogged down with the little tasks, your business will remain stagnant because you don’t have time to do the things that will grow it.”
Proactive prevention of problems
Outsourcing to experts means they’re more likely to predict potential problems and prevent them from occurring. This could save you time, money and stress. For my copywriting clients, when I’m performing keyword research I look out for other potential SEO opportunities or threats to their clients’ business.
Outsourcing improves your personal life too
It’s not always about business. If you’re working long hours and on weekends and you wish you had more time for your family, enjoying life or picking up a new hobby, outsourcing can free up more personal time.
Your business can continue operating even when you’re not working- you can outsource your email marketing or your social media marketing while you’re on holidays, or get a VA to keep an eye on your email inbox. Your business doesn’t need to stop just because you do.
Right now if you’re juggling running a business AND helping your kids with online learning, how much easier would your life be if you could cut out those time-wasting tasks so you could focus on helping your kids with their maths?
Clear your schedule of less important tasks- someone else can do these for you!
I really want to outsource but…
These 7 points are valid arguments for outsourcing keyword research and other business tasks, but what if you still have some objections?
By the time I explain something to someone else, I could’ve done it myself
The first time you outsource a task to someone, you’ll need to spend time showing them what to do and making sure they understand your instructions.
This is where it’s important to establish and document your business processes, known as SOPs (standard operating procedures). Do it right once, and you won’t need to do it again. You can then share this SOP with your supplier, to minimise the time spent explaining things.
I need to have complete control over everything in my business
If you want your business to grow, you’ll eventually need to relinquish some control. But if you’ve created SOPs, this is one way to help you maintain control over quality.
I’ve heard nightmare stories about outsourcing on Fiverr and Upwork
Outsourcing doesn’t have to be via Fiverr, Upwork or Air Tasker. Ask for recommendations from your network- you’re bound to find someone qualified for what you need. Most of my copywriting clients have found me via word of mouth from other copywriters or via LinkedIn.
One final word
There’s a lot to gain from outsourcing keyword research and other business tasks, not just more time. It’s a great way to earn more revenue, make more profit and grow your business and improve productivity and efficiency. It’s a win for your clients, your suppliers and ultimately, your business.
Start small- you might not be ready to outsource your entire marketing strategy, but even something as simple as getting someone to do data entry, proofreading or working on an Excel spreadsheet could give you a good taste of outsourcing.
If you’re ready to outsource your keyword research to me, find out more about my keyword research services and contact me for my rate card or a quote for an upcoming project.
Latest posts by Nat Alleblas (see all)
- 42 Helpful Content Ideas For Service Businesses - August 19, 2022
- 7 time-saving Excel tips for keyword research - August 18, 2022
- Should you outsource SEO or do it yourself? - August 7, 2022
No Responses Yet