It’s no secret that as an entrepreneur, you are called upon to be a jack of all trades. Entrepreneurs typically have to learn several freelance skills from scratch, often with little to no help. But as their business grows, most are unable to spend much time learning new skills. They need to be busy building customer relationships.
To add some time back to your average workday, you might need to outsource to people who are already experts in specific freelance skills. Listed below are the most in-demand freelance skills you should consider, especially when it’s too soon to hire a dedicated staff member.
In-Demand Freelance Skills You Need to Outsource
1. Content Writing and Copywriting
When building your brand, generating sales, or addressing customer concerns, you need content to help get your message across to the right audience. If you’re running your own business, you might say that you can write everything you need, especially for marketing, from social media to website copywriting to SEO blogging.
But here’s an inconvenient fact: creating quality content is difficult. Not only that, it’s time-consuming too.
Even if you can write your own marketing materials, there are times you just can’t sit in front of a computer to write a 1000-word blog. In the modern world, working in an agile work environment helps writers create meaningful copy. However, with that said, it takes a lot of focus and concentration to create copy that sells.
If this sounds all too familiar, you might try hiring someone with freelance skills to write your SEO blogs, social media content, and website copy for you. You not only gain access to an expert copywriter, you also get to add time back to your day. That’s time you can best use for growing your business.
2. Video Editing and Graphic Design
Another time-consuming task is video editing and graphic design. Not everyone has an eye for great design. It also takes time to learn how to create animated videos or design brochures.
If you’re in the retail business, your marketing most likely relies on images, videos, and other eye-catching visual materials. You rely on design expertise to showcase your products, not to mention create eye-catching ads that generate leads.
Instead of spending your work hours doing that, it might be better to outsource to a pool of talented creative types who can design professional-looking graphics. Not only that, you now have dedicated talent available to create new designs for your customers.
If you’re currently sticking to a budget, you might hire designers from overseas at a reduced cost. Another option would be to get someone who can work on a per-project basis. That way, you don’t have to pay them in full if there’s nothing to work on for long stretches of time.
3. Accounting and Bookkeeping
Accounting and bookkeeping are two essential freelance skills for every business. Particularly if you’re running the business on your own, you might need expert help counting the beans.
Some entrepreneurs need assistance crunching the numbers, particularly when analyzing monthly or annual sales and formulating data-driven decisions around them. If you’re handling accounting on your own but need help during tax and audit seasons, you can hire a bookkeeper on a temporary work basis. This is another good reason to outsource these functions as well.
Aside from that, reputable accountants and bookkeepers are highly skilled with the latest best practices in terms of finance and compliance. They’re required to comply with accounting principles and regulators. These are both critical for establishing consistency when delivering accurate financial statements and reports.
4. Information Technology (IT) Services
As your business leverages digital tools to keep operations running, you’ll need freelance skills to handle the tech for you. Serious tech incidents — such as system downtime, computer malfunction, or even a cyberattack — can prove catastrophic to your business.
However, in-house IT services are expensive. If you can’t afford any amount of downtime, but you don’t have the funds to pay for a full-time IT expert, you can outsource tech services.
IT outsourcing gives you access to expert tech professionals who are licensed and trained to do the job. On top of expertise, you can also leverage the best-in-class tools that IT outsourcing companies offer. There is reduced risk, too. You have someone you can call 24/7 in case you encounter downtime or a cyber-attack.
Not only does IT outsourcing provide your business with IT expertise, but you also get to save time you might otherwise spend resolving a tech issue on your own. The best part is, you can typically cancel your agreement with the outsourcing company anytime. If you’re not satisfied with their services, you can easily find someone else with the right freelance skills to do the job for you.
5. Web and App Development
New entrepreneurs typically hire developers to set up a website or mobile app for their businesses. Web and app development is not only time-consuming but highly technical, too.
Website and app development requires a certain level of expertise and attention to detail. Freelance web and app developers get the necessary training to improve their performance which can be very expensive. Skilled developers stay compliant with software development methodologies such as Scrum, Kanban, and more. Not everyone is qualified to tackle complex projects but if your requirements are minimal, you might opt for a no-code website builder.
Outsourcing freelance skills can save you time and money.
As you grow your company, you have to save, scrimp, and reinvest every dime you earn. Outsourcing oftentimes provides you with the best value for your buck. Just take time to find the right talent so you can delegate tasks that you would typically handle on your own.
Great insights on freelance skills to outsource! Your article offers valuable tips for entrepreneurs looking to streamline their operations and free up valuable staff time. As a freelancer, I appreciate the focus on optimizing efficiency. Keep up the excellent work!