Today I turn the view-finder inward. I had a conversation last night on Twitter ...would that be a twonversation?... that lead me to rethink how I've been working in my own business.
I work with businesses who don't have an internal marketing function. I am typically brought in to educate and / or then help integrate new media into a traditional business / marketing strategy. Depending on the client, I help them with everything from broad strategy to hands-on, ongoing implementation of things like Twitter, blogs, Facebook groups / pages, LinkedIn, etc.
As we all know, there's a whole lot of "stuff" (another "s" word comes to mind, but this is a G-rated blog) that must be addressed in running a business - much of which has nothing to do with your client-focused job, per se. Paying the bills, invoicing, keeping the books, planning and executing your own marketing and promotion, sweeping the floor, and on, and on.
Like many, I have been doing it all myself. The "been doing" is a bit of a misnomer. More appropriate would be to say, I haven't outsourced any of it, not that much has been "getting done". It's a funny thing, too. I've been working so hard!
So the question is, how does - when does one decide to outsource? Some of us hit a wall and have no choice. That's unfortunate. Others, you might consider asking yourself some pointed questions; which brings me to today's blog post by by Stoney deGeyter, The Big, Bad List of Pre-SEO Questions You Need to Answer, Part I.
It's a synchronicity thing; first the twonversation on Twitter last night - now the blog post. My challenge isn't in SEO, but other "stuff" that isn't getting done and how to know what to do myself and what to outsource. deGeyter's post helped me decide. He gives you 11 questions to ask yourself. If you're honest, this will guide you to the right decision - for your business, yourself and your clients.
Question 2: Do I have the time? As a business owner your time is your most valuable asset, and the simple fact is: you can't do everything. You have to prioritize your time and think about what you can and can't do, and where productivity--and results--will be the greatest.
Question 3: What is my time worth? Take an objective look at the value of your time. Now, if you're the business owner and you crunched the numbers you'll probably find that you make somewhere close to minimum wage. But that's just because you are a hard worker determined to succeed. The value of your time can be better assessed by looking at what you charge for your product or services. If you can put a dollar amount for what your time is worth that can help you determine if you can make time for SEO (your "stuff").
Question 4: Is my time better spent on other things? Just because you have time to work on something doesn't mean that you should. We can all make time for the urgent/important tasks, but that isn't to say there are not more important tasks or tasks better suited for our skills. You may find that you are more adept at (and therefore your time is better spent on) customer relations. Or perhaps you're an idea person, therefore your time is better spent developing new products, services or tools. Think about what you can do that provides the greatest benefit for the company before you decide that you should allocate your valuable time to the SEO ("stuff")."
There are 7 other questions for those of you still hanging on to your "stuff". He has me a #4.
There are two points I want to make.
First - Being in business for yourself doesn't mean you have to do it all yourself. It takes a village and sometimes increasing your expenses to get "stuff" done, you increases your overall success.
Second - Is Twitter a productive business tool? Absolutely, YES. My whole line of thinking re: outsourcing, the conversation I will be having with @MarketersVA tomorrow, and an inevitable realignment of my "stuff" started with a twonversation last night.
Want to know more about social media and how it can help you, your clients, your business? Be BOLD. Engage. Follow me on Twitter: @Lynnelle.
Comments