Things Business Owners Can Outsource to Free Up Time

Are you considering how to outsource marketing to save time? You’re not alone. One of the most precious commodities a business owner has is his or her time, and there never seems to be enough of it. Business owners everywhere have shared in the common experience of feeling like there are simply not enough hours in the day to tackle every task their business demands of them.

As a result, they get stuck spinning plates, wearing all the hats, and other numerous metaphors for being overwhelmed and overworked. As you’re reading this, you’re likely nodding along in agreement because you’ve been there before, or you’re perhaps still there now.

But what if you could change that, and gain precious time back in your day? You can, and it’s called outsourcing. While you’ve probably thought about outsourcing, it can still be difficult to figure out exactly what you should outsource. We recommend you begin by thinking about how to outsource marketing. Here are a few areas you might consider outsourcing to save time: 

Copywriting: Not everybody is a natural, or willing writer, though many business owners find themselves stuck in front of the dreaded blinking cursor. Copywriting is an art form, and when done right, it can be the catalyst for a visitor deciding to make a purchase from you. You could easily outsource this task to a copywriter who can work their magic.

Graphic Design: Design is time-intensive and important. Good design is even more so! When it comes to graphic design, it often becomes a nagging task that somebody does to jazz up a page, advert, or post. Business owners often find themselves trying to throw together something visually appealing while wishing they could spend their time elsewhere. If you don’t have the skill or desire to design, there are people who do. Besides, you want to make sure your branding is consistent. Working with a professional graphic designer or company can help you stay consistent with your brand identity while saving you time! Hand it over!

IT & Website Management: If you don’t have a dedicated IT department and website management team, chances are, you’re fixing and updating only the necessary things between meetings or on your own time. Managing a website, updating plugins, and fixing what’s broken can be incredibly time-consuming. Even updating your website can easily become incredibly a beast in and of itself, not to mention backend work, such as SEO optimization. If you’re not already doing so, it may be time to look into using a third-party consulting service to outsource IT and website management. 

Social Media Marketing: Social media management is another task that eats into your time, especially if you find it overwhelming. Planning, writing, and scheduling relevant posts can be an intimidating undertaking for many business owners, but it doesn’t have to be. You can outsource your social media tasks and breathe a sigh of relief. Here are a few ways you might outsource marketing related to social media.

• Write the copy in-house, then send it to a graphic designer to build out the creative.
• Use a social media management company to write the copy, design the creative, schedule your posts, and review analytics for you.
• Use a social media management tool to schedule your posts in advance if you’re not already doing so. 
• Work with a copywriter to write the copy for your social media posts.

Email Marketing: Every business is a little different, but email marketing can be a giant time suck depending on how you’re using it. If you aren’t already, consider automating your email marketing so emails are sent based on consumer activity. Did your customer put something in their cart, then leave it for 12 hours or longer? Automate an email. Did your customer receive a sample box from you today? Another opportunity for an email! You can also use a copywriter and graphic designer to help design the content of your emails as well. This can be a significant time saver!

Marketing Analytics: Bogged down in the day-to-day but not sure what to measure or what it means? Having a clear plan and key performance indicators to measure your marketing efforts is key to running a marketing department. Consider using a specialty agency to help you streamline your analytics so you’re only measuring useful information to inform future decisions and strategy. 

Marketing Strategy: While it can be extremely helpful to outsource some of your daily marketing needs, outsourcing your marketing strategy might be one of the most useful ways to use your resources. By outsourcing marketing strategy, you’ll feel freer to use your strategic thinking skills elsewhere to grow your business. 

As a business owner, your time is extremely valuable. While it might feel tempting to want to do it all, it’s important to decide where you can let go in order to free yourself to prioritize strategic decision-making. Consider outsourcing your marketing in one, or all of these ways to save time.