One of the hottest outsourcing trends taking shape in 2008 is hiring Virtual Assistants to perform crucial and time-intensive Internet Marketing Services. Small Businesses are swamped trying to keep up with all these activities such as updating their various Social Networking profiles, managing affiliate programs, tracking website stats, perform ongoing keyword research, setting up shopping carts and managing their email campaigns and autoresponders - phew!!! This is just a snapshot of the many Internet Marketing services that are fast being delegated to  web savvy Professional Virtual Assistants.

So where can you find these types of Virtual Assistants who have current, up-to-date Internet Marketing know-how? There are many freelancer sites like Elance, Guru, Ifreelance as well as Virtual Assistant related networks like VAnetworking.com - those are all great resources. But a new marketplace at VAClassroom is quickly becoming the one-stop center for recruiting Internet Marketing Virtual Assistants. Their marketplace showcases the profiles of their graduates who have completed their popular Internet Marketing VA Training Program. In this program, VAClassroom members are being trained in Affiliate Marketing Research and Management, Keyword Research, Social Media Marketing, Blog Management, Web Content Submission, Email Marketing and many other "in-demand" areas. The Marketplace is solely focussed on Internet Marketing related projects and is broken down into a number of skill-specific categories including:

- Affiliate Marketing

- Search Engine Marketing

- Web Analytics and Testing

- Blogging

- Social Media Marketing

- Email Marketing

- Web Content Editing and Submission

VAClassroom also offers a handy Search Tool to look for VAs with particular expertise.  For example; let’s say you are seeking a Virtual Assistant to manage your Word Press Blog, you could type in "Word Press" and will receive the listings for those Virtual Assistants with that respective skill.

If you are serious need of delegating some Internet Marketing support services for your business, then the VAClassroom Marketplace will give you the ideal Virtual Assistant community you are seeking!

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A couple days back, I was on a very interesting call put on by Entrepreneur Coach, Melanie Benson Strick, called "Seven Simple Steps to Building Virtual Teams". She really spoke to the many Internet Entrepreneurs out there who are attempting to wear ALL the many hats of their company and as a result are less effective and are ultimately tied to their business 24/7. The inability to put the right systems and team in place for your business can be a serious limiting factor to your success and freedom!

The one thing that really resonated with me from the call was the idea of "Defining your Highest Payout Activities." So often, I find myself in the trenches spending way too much time on activities that do not yield a high payout! So, at the top of my daily To Do list, I have been writing this question: "What are my highest payout activities that I need to get done today?" This simple step is helping me to better focus on my top priority tasks!

I would definitely take an hour out of your busy schedule to listen to her call with Jack Humphrey - check it out here. I would definitely recommend checking out Melanie’s upcoming Virtual Team Building Bootcamp - could be worthwhile investment!

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Ironically, in the last week, I stumbled upon three different sites that are promoting Outsourcing Strategies and Tips gleaned from successful web entrepreneurs. With the roaring success of such books as "The 4 Hour Work Week", it seems that a number of new resources are emerging to capitalize on the Outsourcing boom we are seeing take place on the Web.  The reality is that many SMBs (Small/medium Businesses) are quickly recognizing the power that effective outsourcing has for taking their web endeavors to the next level.

Here are the three resources I stumbled upon this week:

1. Outsourcing Outtakes - This resource is set-up as a Online Video Ezine which provides short video interviews of Successful Web Entrepreneurs sharing some different Outsourcing tips and strategies. Look like an interesting resource. I have viewed one of the videos thus far and to be honest the tips weren’t ground shattering, but I have subscribed and will continue to see if these video interviews have good value.

2. TheOutsourceCode - Now, this is a new series of CDs by Dr Mike that again provide some tips and strategies for leveraging the power of outsourcing for any new or existing web business. I see that their site now says that their tool has been sold out. The tool was retailing for $497  (as my memory recollects), which seems a bit pricy, but I haven’t fully reviewed the series, so can’t comment on whether it is worth the investment.

3. OutsourceandDelegate - I had a review of the Sales Letter for this new tool and I think this one could have some good value. The author, Dan Lok talks about the Ceiling effect that all to often occurs with small businesses who are trying to be "all things" for their business and not effectively delegating or outsourcing tasks. He illustrates this phenomenon with a nice little "organizational flowchart" image, which includes "YOU" as the CEO, VP of Marketing, Affiliate Marketer, Customer Service Rep, SEO Strategist etc….Wearing too many hats and taking on too many tasks can cause your business to hit a "Critical Mass" bringing your success to a grinding halt. The cost of this tool is $47 (pretty cheap) and he actually offers a Free Audio series that you can test drive before you buy the product which is nice.  I am going to buy this one and will send some more feedback later!

Being a SMB ourselves, we are always looking at ways to better delegate and outsource those tasks that are pulling us away from our core (revenue-generating) responsibilities.

It is cool to see this growing interest and demand in the outsourcing realm as it bodes well for Outsourcing Solutions like ESalesGuru.com which we are slated to launch at the beginning of August!

 

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Well, I am officially in mourning…… My Canucks (NHL Hockey Playoffs) suffered a gut-wrenching defeat in overtime to go down 3-1 in the best of 7 series. But life must go on:)

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the practice of Outsourcing for Internet businesses has become an inevitable reality as they seek to meet budgets and remain competitive in a quickly change Internet landscape. I would say approximately 85% of the time, I have been very satisfied with my outsourcing endeavors and have been pleased with the results.

But, I want to chat about the 15% today! I recently suffered a set-back with a web application that I had outsourced to an International Firm. The overall performance and productivity of the company had started to spiral downward over the past couple months, which led me to the tough, but inevitable decision of letting this development team go. While this was a difficult process to deal with and costly from a time and invesment standpoint, it was also a great learning experience!

Many of you may have had an opportunity to read my report, Six Success Strategies for building Effective Outsourcing Partnerships. You can access the report at ESalesGuru.com.  My sixth strategy is to establish realistic and specific performance measures. I see that in my recent Outsourced project, I faltered on this particular strategy and let the performance measures get blurred.  The development firm repeatedly missed the mark on our agreed upon performance measures and yet I delayed the tough decision of pulling the project.  Yes, once again I did not follow my own strategies and advice that I always preach about!

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of being a pro-active Project Manager that continually evaluates the project progress against the original performance measures and time-frames that were established.

Well, I am happy to report that the "Outsourcing Blues" are behind me. I have moved on and selected a talented firm and have laid out clear expectations for the completion of our project.  Again, if you haven’t had a chance to review my above report, I highly encourage to to take a read as it may just help you avoid some of those pitfalls that I have personally experienced. Here is a quick summary of the Six Strategies:

1. Define for motivations/objectives for Outsourcing.

2. Know your Core Competencies.

3.  Choose the Right Outsourced Professional/Firm (The report includes a good evaluative process to help in your selection)

4. Build an effective project management Process.

5. Communicate effectively with your Outsourced Partners.

6. Establish realistic and specific performance measures.

 

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The term Out-tasking is basically Outsourcing on a "micro level". So instead of outsourcing your SEO platform to a Search Marketing specialist or firm, you would continue to manage the SEO program in house, but out-task particular services to supplement and support the work of your in-house team. 

Now, while some of you may not be comfortable completely outsourcing the whole SEO platform, out-tasking of certain niche SEO services is a great way to dip your feet into the Outsourcing pool and closely evaluate the risk and rewards that go along with it.

Now, in my humble opinion, Out-tasking SEO services makes great business sense, especially since the Search industry is evolving at such a rapid pace and it can be very benefical to out-task certain elements to SEO specialists with current and cutting-edge knowledge and skills. Over the last couple years, we have seen the emergence of many specialty SEO companies that focus on certain functions and not necessarily the whole platform given this growing trend towards out-tasking.  

Here are some of the SEO functions that you might consider out-tasking on an as needed basis:

1. SEO Content Writers for Keyword targeted articles, newsletters and website content.

2.  SMO Specialists  - develop presence in Social networks and utilize social media strategies to bolster traffic and exposure

3. Site Optimization Specialists - Update and tweak meta tags, page titles and overall content and navigation to make it more Search friendly.

4.  Bloggers - Hire Blogger that can write relevant and keyword-rich content for your business blog.

5.  Manual Directory and Article Submission Services

6. Link Building or Baiting Services - Bolster your one-way links to sites with decent Google PR

7.  Online Press Release Campaigns - Using PRweb.com and SEO tools to increase your natural listings and grow your exposure.

8. PPC/Bid Management Services - PPC experts can be worth their "weight in gold".

9.  RSS Services - Building RSS feeds of your content for syndication purposes.

Those are just a few that you might consider out-tasking from time to time depending on your business needs. If you have the resources to handle it all in house, then that’s great, but for many small and medium web companies, out-tasking SEO services has become a practical necessity.

 

 

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If I could be painfully honest, I would have to say that one of the biggest headaches I experience in my business is the ever-changing and highly unpredictable world of Search Engine Optimization. I am an avid reader of Search Marketing trends and still find it difficult at times to stay ahead of the curve.

As you know I am a huge advocate for the Outsourcing of Search Marketing Tasks, primarily because I have personally reaped the benefits of recruiting outside Search Marketing Experts to bolster the success of my campaigns. In 2006, Marketing Sherpa conducted SEO research with 2000 marketers whose sites had been optimized and it revealed the following:

• Marketers who use in-house SEO resources saw a 73% lift in overall traffic
• Marketers who outsourced SEO to an expert saw an average of 110% increase in overall site traffic.

Okay, I will stop preaching the virtues of outsourcing  your Search Marketing tasks!

Whether you choose to outsource or to keep your SE efforts in house, I would HIGHLY recommend an invaluable SEO resource I purchased the other day. SEOBook.com is a 328 page PDF that is full of many nuggets of wisdom for building a successful SEO platform for your business. The great thing about the  resource is that the author, Aaron Wall, updates the content on a regular basis. This is a major bonus, as I have purchased multiple hard-copies of SEO books, only to find that some of the content quickly becomes out-dated and not as relevant. I noticed that Aaron last updated the resource just in January.

For $79 US, you gain access to life-time updates of the SEObook, plus some very useful add-ons such as recommended SEO tools and interviews and resources from SEO and Internet Marketing gurus.

Now, although I outsource a lot of my SEO tasks, in order for me to effectively manage those specialists and projects, it is imperative that I remain in the know on current SEO practices. This is a KEY point when it comes to outsourcing… Some businesses fail to outsource effectively primarily cause they do not have an in-house project manager that has a good working knowledge of the outsourced project at hand - big no no!

I know that I certainly will not able to do all the tasks he includes in the book in-house, but by digesting this current SEO information, I will be in tune with the questions to ask and what to evaluate when managing my Outsourced Search Marketing Specialist.

I have to say that SeoBook.com will be the best $79 you will ever spend on your Search Engine Optimization endeavors… NO, I am not getting paid for this endorsement - this is just the plain truth!

 

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Well, I wanted to hold off on publishing today’s post until after the Canada/Russia World Junior Hockey Final, so I could say a BIG “YIPPEE” for Canada’s Gold Medal Win today! Great job guys - Way to make your country proud!

As you can probably tell, I am a bit of a hockey nut being a Canadian and all eh?:)

I digress….On to the topic of the day.  A couple weeks ago, you might remember a post I wrote titled, Red Flags To Watch For When Recruiting a Search Engine Marketing Specialist of Firm. Well, I came across a very informative ebook that certainly compliments my initial post… More

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Well, I have to say I am growing weary of shovelling snow here on the west coast of Canada! It is cutting into my early morning blogging time:)

In finishing out our “mini-series” on Outsourcing in the Search Marketing Realm, I would like to discuss the important practice of “Out-tasking” in your Search Marketing Endeavors. Now, quick definition: Out-tasking involves the outsourcing of certain tasks within a particular business process. So, Out-tasking your Search Marketing endeavors would involve contracting out certain elements of your Search Marketing Platform, while retaining core tasks in-house.

For those new to the “Outsourcing Game”, I actually highly recommend that you begin with Out-tasking a non-core task or two and closely evaluate the success before ramping up to a Full-Service Outsourcing program. This gradual process enables you to test out the potential of outsourcing without having to make many adjustments to your in-house roles and functions.

Now, Out-tasking is becoming a very common practice for many ebusinesses give the wide range of current SEO activities and development of niche firms that specialize in specific SEO functions. These emerging niche firms might concentrate on such tasks as:

• One-way Link Building Partnerships
• Website Page and Copy Optimization
• Pay Per Click Management
• Blog Content Writing and SEO Optimization (Credible Blogging and Pinging Strategies)
• Keyword Rich Articles and Press Releases
• RSS Feeds

Of course, there are also many reputable full service SEO firms that could provide one or all of these services as well. Personally, I believe that the practice of “Out-tasking” is a sensible way to keep your Search Marketing Platform fresh and competitive in a cost-effective fashion.

It is evident the SEO trends are moving at a meteoric pace and it is hard to keep up, so out-tasking certain functions to those experts “ahead of the innovation curve” might give your ebusiness an edge over some of your competitors. Out-tasking will also free up internal resources to invest more time on the core-competencies of your SEM platform (ie. PPC Management).

In my own experiences, I have enjoyed working with a small group of niche SEO specialists that I can continue to add certain tasks to the mix as my confidence grows in the outsourcing partnership. There is some wisdom in diversifying your SEO outsourcing endeavors to at least a couple different companies, so that you don’t hold all your SEO initiatives with one firm.  There might be some differences of opinion on that one, but that has been my experience!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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In continuing with our “mini-series” on Outsourcing in the Search Marketing realm, I would like to discuss a couple of the key markers or red flags to watch for when recruiting a Search Marketing Professional. In reviewing a few of the industry sites like Sempo and Topseos, I am amazed at the unprecedented number of new Search Engine Firms continuing to emerge daily. It is like visiting Baskin Robins Ice Cream shop as a kid for the first time and being overwhelmed with the many ice-cream flavors to choose from! So, the question is, how do avoid the nasty flavours of the Search Engine Marketing industry? (like the Black Licorce and Watermelon kind - Okay, I will stop with the Ice Cream analogy - it is dying quickly:)

In recruiting a outsourced Search Engine Marketing Professional or Firm, it is essential to have the right knowledge and insight to effectively separate the Good, Bad and Ugly of the Search Marketing Space. With approximately 84% of Internet users finding the websites they frequent and shop from through the Search Engines, that is all the more reason to make sure you are choosing the right SEO professional/firm for our outsourcing endeavors. Here are a couple key red-flags to keep on the look out for: More

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In my next couple posts, I am going to be doing a little “mini-series” on the popular trend of Outsourcing Search Engine Marketing Services on the Web. Now, as many of you know, there has been a widely held debate on whether to keep Search Marketing Services inhouse or to outsource to a SE Specialist or Firm. More

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