In order to be successful, you have to master the art of delegation. No one makes it to the top alone because success is the result of a team effort. Again, I am not trying to talk anyone out of attempting to tackle difficult tasks, but you have to
know your limitations. The faster you recognize your capabilities the closer you are to achieving success. Why did you go into business? You need to consider outsourcing the following tasks if these were not mentioned in your answer:
Research: If you are like most small business owners you went into business because you wanted to follow your gut instinct. There is nothing wrong with wanting to follow your passion, but your gut instinct can only carry you so far! You can have the greatest idea in the world but if you don’t have the facts and figures to support it, you will not be able to persuade others to invest or purchase your product or service. This is why research is so important. You can’t be successful without determining needs that are not being met in the marketplace, knowing your competitors, etc. There are two types of research: Everyday Research and Market Research.
- Everyday Research: This is what I consider to be basic research. You are typically using the internet to find the answers to basic information on a subject, company etc. using popular keywords (i.e. marketing).
- Market Research: This type of research is a lot more in depth and will enable you to receive information such as demographics, psychographics (aka behavior information), statistical data based upon qualitative and quantitative data about your target market.
Why waste time trying to figure it out yourself when you could give it to someone who knows what they are doing?
Website Design: You only get once chance to make a first impression. Statistics indicate people form their opinion of a person within the first thirty seconds of meeting them. Therefore, increase your chances of making a memorable introduction with a website that reflects your personality, is welcoming and easy to navigate. I learned this lesson the hard way and am in the process of trying to remedy my mistake. Get someone else to do it and call it a day!
Blogging: Blogs are an amazing way to connect with potential customers and clients. If you are not convinced, take a look at this study
HubSpot conducted (they are one of my favorite company blogs). Subscribing to the old
if you build it they will come mentality is setting yourself up for failure. Producing quality content is the only way to attract and retain readers. The downside of blogs is that they do require a lot of time and effort to maintain (I discuss this in further detail in the interview I did with
POV) and if you do not have the ability to devote time to ensuring your blog will pass the quality test—delegate it to someone else.
Article marketing: If you are looking for a way to establish yourself as an expert in your industry, you might want to consider article marketing. Articles drive traffic to your website (this applies to blogs too). You are probably wondering,” Shouldn’t I be the one writing the articles?” The answer to that question is yes and no. If you have time you can and should write the articles. However, when you go to submit your articles to various directories, you need to alter them so you have different variations of them floating around online. Do you have time do this for every article you write? If not, then you should consider getting assistance with altering the article(s) or avoid this situation altogether and hire a
ghostwriter.
Social Networking: This is one of the most cost effective forms of marketing. The only currency required comes in the form of conversation. You must be willing to communicate on the turf of your target market. There are numerous sites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. and industry forums (i.e Virtual Assistant Forums). Social networking is ideal because it will increase your brand recognition. Having profiles on numerous sites can increase your organization’s exposure....
Click here to read the rest of this post at the TargetStars Blog.
The TargetStars Blog is authored by VAF member
LaTosha of TargetStars.
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Top Ten Tasks to Outsource - TargetStars Blog
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