Running a business has so many different areas that you are responsible for! When a business is just starting out, owners tend to do all of these areas themselves. However, as the business grows, there are certain tasks that owners begin outsourcing to a virtual assistant. If you’re at this point in your business, keep reading to find some of the areas you can choose to outsource, as well as reasons to begin outsourcing parts of your business.
Why Should You Hire a Virtual Assistant
There are lots of reasons to hire a virtual assistant (VA). While people choose to hire for different reasons, business owners usually feel at some point in their business that it’s time to bring in extra help.
You might choose to hire one because there are certain areas of your business that you are not as skilled in. Outsourcing these areas prevents you from having to learn a whole new skillset that you don’t really need for your business. Since a VA can specialize, they will not have as much to learn as you need to learn if you’re trying to do it all yourself.
Another reason outsourcing can benefit your business is there are tasks you have little or no interest in completing. Whatever these areas are, I can pretty much guarantee that there are virtual assistants out there who enjoy those tasks and want to do them. You just have to find the right one!
A third reason to consider outsourcing parts of your business is you have a special skill and interest that you are building a business around. When you are spending time on tasks that you could be outsourcing, you are actually losing money. Hiring a virtual assistant allows you to focus on the areas you are passionate about and continue growing your business.
These are just a few of the reasons for hiring a virtual assistant, you can read even more benefits of a VA here!
Outsourcing Administration Tasks
One area where people begin outsourcing in their business is with administration tasks. General admin tasks tend to be the most tedious, take up the most time, and require the least amount of specialization.
These can be tasks like data entry, email management, filing, and scheduling. All of these tasks are necessary for a business, but they can be outsourced quite easily and inexpensively. People with limited backgrounds in business can quickly learn these tasks and successfully complete them for your business. Of course, you want to make sure you hire individuals that represent you well, as I discuss in this post, but there will not be significant training required to teach a VA how to do these tasks.
Other administration tasks that can be outsourced are more involved and require experience, but it’s definitely possible to find very capable virtual assistants for these tasks. Bookkeeping tasks require a familiarity with accounting software and tax knowledge to be successful. Hiring a VA for bookkeeping can help with organizing financial information, invoicing, reconciling the books, and preparing taxes.
Customer support is another area where you can consider outsourcing. You can hire someone to respond to customer concerns in reviews, emails, or live chats. Hiring an experienced customer support VA frees you up to continue growing your business instead of spending time dealing with the back and forth of customer complaints. **Note: As the business owner, it is essential that you know what problems your customers are having, but a virtual assistant can be helpful as a gatekeeper. They can deal with minor issues and alert you to major problems that you need to handle. Make sure you have systems and boundaries in place to help your VA know what you expect them to do in these situations.
Outsourcing Design Tasks
Many small business owners choose to hire a virtual assistant or freelancer for their design needs. Whether they are looking for web design, print designs, or graphics, outsourcing these tasks can be a wise idea. Since these areas of design require some understanding of graphic design elements, choosing to hire professionals can save a lot of time and give your business a professional image that might not happen with the DIY approach.
If you decide to hire a VA for your design needs, remember that experience and education can cause a huge increase in price. A professional graphic designer charges an hourly rate that is significantly higher than a self-taught designer. While more advanced design needs might require that professional level, don’t discount a VA simply because they don’t have the formal design background. You are the final say in what you want your brand to look like, and if you like the designs from a less-experienced virtual assistant, go ahead and hire him or her!
Social Media
An active social media presence is an absolute must for a small business owner. It is also a huge time commitment to grow that presence. Outsourcing social media can save a business owner so much time! You can choose to hire someone to create your social media graphics, write or find your content, moderate your group(s), and even represent your business in following, liking, or commenting on social media. Whatever tasks you choose to outsource, make sure to choose a VA who helps create the kind of presence and reputation you want for your business. If you need help on identifying what characteristics to look for when hiring, you can check out this post.
[bctt tweet=”An active social media presence is an absolute must for a small business owner. It is also a huge time commitment to grow that presence. Outsourcing social media can save a business owner so much time!” username=”mvirtualassists”]
While social media usually includes networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, some people include Pinterest in social media, as well. I don’t include count it as a social network (you can read why here), but I will mention it in this category of tasks. You can outsource your Pinterest account and have a VA represent your business on Pinterest.
This is one of my specialties, so if you’re looking to hire a Pinterest manager, check out my services! If you are managing your own Pinterest account and need some tips, you can check out this post or this post. Understanding more about how Pinterest works and what you need to do to be successful can lead to significant growth for your business.
Hiring a VA for Specialized Tasks
There are many other areas of your business where you can consider outsourcing! Here are just a few examples:
- Writing – blog posts, emails, and sales copy
- Product creation – courses, ebooks, printables, podcasts, and videos
- SEO – keyword research, meta-descriptions, and optimizing content
- Networking – reaching out to potential clients, influencers, and collaborators
- Business tasks – sales funnels, systems, and workflows
- Photography – on-brand or product images
To help you figure out where you want to begin outsourcing for your business, I’ve created a checklist! You can subscribe below to get started on the path to outsourcing today.
Conclusion
No matter what area of your business you decide to outsource, there is most likely a virtual assistant out there who can successfully complete the tasks that you are outsourcing. There is not one specific way to hire a VA, so you really can do whatever is best for your business. Choose what area or areas that you want to outsource, and then find the virtual assistant (or freelancer) you need for those tasks!
Now it’s your turn – What areas have you outsourced or would you like to outsource in your business? Why do you want to outsource those areas? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on my Facebook page. I can’t wait to hear about your outsourcing experiences!
Until next time,
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