One of the major pitfalls of outsourcing is overexcitement. Once you realize that you don’t have to do everything yourself, it can be awfully tempting to start delegating work just as quickly as you can.
I totally get it!
When you’ve been single-handedly juggling every business task for ages, outsourcing looks like the light at the end of the overwhelm-tunnel. And it absolutely is … but only when done strategically. Hiring the cheapest freelancers can be disastrous, and entrusting your work to the first contractor who applies can lead to heartbreak.
This is especially true if you want to outsource your marketing workloads. Since your marketing copy, imagery, and graphics are direct reflections of your brand, you don’t want to delegate them to just anyone!
You need people who have the right skills, perspectives, and experience to create the messages you want to broadcast.
Wondering how to make sure your team members meet your marketing expectations?
Here are some tips on screening new contractors to handle this important work!
Outsource Marketing Tip #1: Delegate to Brand-savvy Freelancers
Anyone doing any kind of creative work must have a good understanding of your brand, whether visual (for graphics), voice (for writers), or audience (for social). And in order for that to happen, they need to understand and excel at branding-related work across the board.
Writers who can whip up killer blog posts aren’t always skilled at creating SEO-optimized marketing copy for your website, and social media mavens who know how to build followings may have no clue how to sell products.
Seek out freelancers to outsource to who specialize in marketing, branding, and promotion instead of generalists.
Outsource Marketing Tip #2: Hire Marketing Contractors Who Have Great Reputations
Hiring is a trade-off: If you want a seasoned pro, you’ll need to pay more.
You can certainly hire someone with less professional experience and invest in training them yourself, but this is risky. Especially when you’re looking to outsource for marketing support.
For this type of work, I recommend checking reviews and testimonials before hiring.
Does the freelancer show fluency in marketing?
Has she worked in this capacity for a business similar to yours?
Have her previous employers given her glowing reviews?
If you want someone who can fulfill your expectations and deliver work that captures your voice and brand right off the bat, seek candidates who’ve done top-notch work for other entrepreneurs.
Outsource Marketing Tip #3: Start by Delegating Small Marketing Tasks
Always a good policy!
Before you dive into a long-term relationship with a freelancer to outsource your marketing to, start with a few small projects. Marketing is incredibly subjective, so you’ll want a trial period to be sure it’s a good fit.
If you’re hiring for visuals, ask the freelancer to create a few templates, design a new Facebook header for your page, or create Pinterest-friendly images for a blog post.
If you’re looking for a marketing writer, request a write-up of a new offering or class.
For social media coverage, try asking for a batch of tweets, Insta captions, or FB posts to be delivered to you before they go live.
Outsource Marketing Tip #4: Outsource Structured Marketing Workloads
Need help with your marketing vision or strategy? Probably best to work with a consultant on those high-level needs. For straight outsourcing, you’re better off sticking to specific task sets and discrete marketing projects.
So ask yourself:
What exactly will this contractor be doing?
What needs the most regular coverage, and which tasks can be delegated easily?
It’s also a good idea to structure projects with measurable deliverables, such as “find and follow 50 Instagram accounts per week” or “create 2 new pins per blog post and pin to 7 boards.”
The more guidance you can give, the better!
Believe me, I know how thrilling it can be to finally outsource your marketing tasks to freelancers!
But before you do, you NEED to be certain you’re handing off that crucial work to the right contractors. You want your marketing efforts managed by team members with the right skills to meet your expectations and handle the exact scope of work.
Follow the tips outlined in this post, and you’ll be on your way to assembling a stellar team of marketing experts!
xoxo
Melissa
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