Running a small business? Chances are, you’re going to need help in a number of areas at some point or another. This is where outsourcing can come into play. Of course, there are countless areas that you could outsource, so, for the moment, let’s focus on marketing!

What Is Outsourcing?

If you’ve been in business for a while, chances are, you are familiar with the process of outsourcing. Outsourcing is a commonly employed business practice that companies in all fields, industries and areas of specialism use. Put simply, when you outsource, you will distribute certain elements of your work (such as tasks and projects) to an independent third party. This third party will usually be either a self-employed individual or an agency who can source the help of self-employed individuals on your behalf.

The Benefits of Outsourcing

So, why might you engage with this practice? Well, the truth is that outsourcing comes hand in hand with a number of significant benefits for your and your business. When you engage with outsourcing, you will find a significant weight and workload lifted from your own shoulders. If you’re running a startup, you may find that you do not have the funds to bring in employed staff on permanent contracts, but don’t have the skillset or capacity to undertake certain tasks yourself. When you outsource, you get the help you need without having to commit to long term contracts. The individuals you use will be highly experienced in the work you require of them, without needing any training. They also won’t need management. in the field that you are assigning to without any need for preliminary or additional training. On top of this, they will have their own tools, equipment and software to complete the task, meaning that you won’t have to invest in these areas either.

Marketing Tasks to Outsource

Marketing is essential for any business. You could have the best service or product in the world, but if people don’t know it exists, aren’t shown its benefits and aren’t encouraged to buy it, chances are, you won’t make many sales. So, which marketing tasks might you want to consider outsourcing? Here are a few to mull over!

• SEO –  you’re going to need to focus on SEO, or “search engine optimisation”, to get your pages ranking highly in search engine results. This can boost traffic to your site and convert more sales. An agency like Rsmconnect.com will be able to assist you with this.

• Market research – market research is essentially any research into consumers and their behaviour. It can include conducting surveys, getting people to complete questionnaires, holding focus groups and seminars and a number of other tasks. The majority of companies outsource this process to agencies who already have participants ready and available.

These are just a few of the basics when it comes to outsourcing marketing tasks. Hopefully, some of the information will prove useful to you!