No matter what sort of business you run, knowing when to handle things yourself and when to outsource or automate is the key to successful scaling. In an ecommerce business, which has inventory to manage and sales orders to process and ship, every little bit makes a difference.
So, what services should be delegated to third-party contractors and which should be handled internally?
Here are 5 services your ecommerce business can and should outsource.
1. Telemarketing
Outsourcing to a telemarketing services provider can give you an edge over your competition. Whether you opt to have outbound sales, inbound support or services specific to your ecommerce needs, hiring a third party telemarketing service can save you time and money.
While online sales have grown exponentially in recent years, and consumers have more trust in the process, sometimes they want or need to talk to a human. A customer might have clarifying questions about a product they want to purchase or need a status update on something they’ve ordered.
Outsourcing your customer service to a telemarketing services provider ensures that your customers are taken care of while you address other areas of the business.
2. Social Media Management
Social media is a huge business driver for ecommerce sales, especially Instagram. Current statistics show that 65% of Instagram posts feature a product. As such, it’s no surprise that Instagram annual mobile ad revenue is set to reach $7 billion before the end of 2018. Ecommerce businesses that don’t take advantage of social media are missing a huge opportunity, but maintaining an active, branded online presence can be a full-time job.
Outsourcing social media management is a huge weight off the shoulders of ecommerce entrepreneurs. A skilled social media manager can schedule social media posts with strategic hashtags and engaging content to generate leads. They stay abreast of the ever-changing algorithms so that business owners can focus on their daily operations without worrying about sharing enough memes on Facebook.
3. SEO and Content Creation
SEO and content creation often go hand in hand. Expertly crafted content is often optimized for search engines and incorporates the appropriate keywords to help an ecommerce site rank on Google. While you can outsource SEO and content creation to separate contractors, there are plenty of skilled entrepreneurs who specialize in both.
Hiring someone to manage your SEO can also give you valuable insights into your website, as a part of their job includes tracking analytics. This information can tell you what pages are attracting or deterring customers so that you can plan your marketing accordingly. You may also discover a demographic of customers that you hadn’t previously considered.
4. Inventory Management
Consider hiring someone to oversee your inventory management, ensuring that you always have an appropriate amount of inventory in stock. They may also work to help put together orders for shipping, coordinating logistics and tracking parcels to ensure every purchase gets to its final destination.
Inventory management is something that can be outsourced to a virtual assistant with experience in this area. Look for someone who previously worked in a supply chain job or logistics.
5. Graphic Design
When it comes to telling a story, beautiful images and graphics can be the deciding factor when someone is making a purchase. It’s the one area that ecommerce businesses can’t afford to skimp on. If your resources are limited and your business doesn’t have the bandwidth to take beautiful product images or create custom graphics, outsource these tasks to someone who does.
Depending on your needs, working with a local photographer is optimal for selling products. Graphic designers can be found on sites like Fiverr or via virtual assistants with experience in this area.
Conclusion
There’s no need to handle everything when running an ecommerce business. Know what you do well and focus your energy on it while outsourcing other tasks to the experts.