Virtual Outsourcing: Advice for Clients and Freelancers/Consultants

Advice on Virtual Outsourcing... For Both Clients and Freelancers

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Want to hire a virtual freelancer or start your own freelancing career?

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According to Forbes, the size of the global online work industry is expected to grow to $5B by

2018 and it’s expected that more and more corporate teams will

include virtual members.

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As both a marketing freelancer and a hiring client I have

learned a few things.

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Some tips based on my experience...

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FOR CLIENTS

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Do as much as you can to figure out exactly what you

need help with and what the scope of work will be.

1

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2If you are unsure of the scope

or the exact skills needed, do some research to try

and figure them out. Set yourself up for success.

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If you’ve never looked for virtual talent before,

test and learn before bogging yourself down in endless

profiles and resumes.

3

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Talk to people in your network; they may know someone

that fits the bill. Also browse freelance platforms like Elance, Guru, and oDesk.

4

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Consider the investment you need to make to get a good

return vs. how much it’s going to cost you.

5

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Be nice to candidates; be a grownup; treat others as you want to be treated. What goes

around comes around. Keep that in mind.

6

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FOR FREELANCERS

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Know what you want, what you’re great at and how you can help people. Figure out

who your target client is and map your messaging, resume

and profile to that.

1

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Work your network; brand and market yourself; find leads;

build relationships.

Freelance  pla*orms  are  but  one  way  to  find  projects  and  I  don’t  recommend  depending  on  them  as  your  sole  source,  par<cularly  if  you  are  just  star<ng  out.  

2

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Allow for a startup period where you may not get any

business and/or need to undercut the market temporarily to get work and a track record.

3

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Be confident in your skills; stick to your guns on what

you want from your freelance career.

It’s OK to make it about you.

4

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Similarly, work diligently to get projects that suit your goals (as

well as the client’s). Try and build your pipeline based also

on what you want.

5

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Consider this a baseline and general food for thought.

For  more  context  and  the  full  narra.ve  visit  the  complete  blog  post  at    Lydia’s  Marke.ng  Blog:    

Advice  on  Virtual  Outsourcing  —  For  Both  Clients  and  Freelancers  

Lydia’s  Marke.ng  &  Communica.on  Consul.ng    Visit    www.lydiamarke.ngconsul.ng.com      Contact  informa.on:    LYDIA  VOGTNER    lydia@lydiamarke.ngconsul.ng.com  415-­‐672-­‐1870