It ’ s important to learn new skills , but it ’ s even more important to understand where our limitations are .
It ’ s important to learn new skills , but it ’ s even more important to understand where our limitations are .
new and prevent you from doing it incorrectly . I regularly see people trying to do everything themselves with regards to social media , marketing , sales , copywriting and the like . What often happens is they get a poor result and have to invest more time , money , energy and other resources in trying to fix it all — which becomes a very expensive exercise .
Most of us feel time-poor at some point , but we fail to see that by trying to do everything ourselves , we are wasting a lot of time ( and often getting less results too ), so here are 11 ways where you ’ re likely to get a return on your outsourcing investment . When done correctly , outsourcing will reduce time wastage , and provide you with more time to do the things that you ’ re best at ( which is also good for business ).
1 . Refine your online presence
Having a great website and landing pages ( squeeze pages ) are still as important as ever . Things change so dramatically and so frequently , it ’ s almost impossible to stay up-to-date with the skills required unless you ’ re a full-time designer . The good news is it ’ s no longer as expensive to get professional help with web and landing pages design . You just need to ensure you use someone who understands the latest and best way to design and develop websites that contains both quality content and compelling visuals that clearly represent your brand and its culture .
Creating your own website could save you some money in the short term , but in the long term your limitations in this area will show through . To ensure your brand ’ s image is concisely represented online , hire the best person or people you can afford to create and manage your web presence to attract and engage your desired leads , and make you money .
Landing pages ( squeeze pages )
An important part of any website is the collection of landing or squeeze pages . These pages specifically relate to your marketing activities . For example , if you publish a blog , write an article , or have an advertisement distributed in the community , you ’ ll typically send the readers to specific landing or squeeze pages , which relate to each individual marketing activity . This enables you to track exactly where your leads are coming from . It also helps you identify which marketing activities generate the best response . Creating effective landing and squeeze pages can require specialised expertise , so again , if you are as time-poor as many of us are , consider working with someone who has this skillset , rather than trying to acquire the skills yourself .
2 . Capture your brand in pictures
Using stock images in your marketing is acceptable , but what ’ s even more engaging is using professionally photographed images of real people in your facility . Your prospects want to see what happens inside your four walls and see what it looks like to be part of your brand . People want to see who they ’ ll be working with , so show them .
For just a few hundred dollars , a professional photographer will capture compelling photographs to present your brand in a very persuasive light . This activity also enables you to showcase why you are superior to your competition and confirms your authority in the marketplace .
3 . Invest in automation
These days , the most efficient businesses use automated systems . For example , when someone opts in or makes an enquiry on your website , they ’ ll automatically receive a personalised ‘ thank you ’ message from the system . You ’ ll receive a notification so you know you have a new lead and can take action accordingly . You should have auto responders set up so that whenever someone takes action on your web pages , you are alerted and their effort is responded to . It ’ s a much better use of your time to deploy auto responders than having to manually react to every activity on your website . I ’ ve come across so many people who are saving so much time ( and therefore money ), after having experts help them automating their businesses .
4 . Hire someone savvy in social media
Lead generation via social media is a minefield . Whether you ’ re working on Facebook , Instagram or LinkedIn or other social media platforms , they are all a science in themselves . I ’ ve done a lot of courses in this area myself , but even I ’ ve come to the conclusion that I don ’ t have the time to become an expert and need someone to take care of this for me . Now I have an expert who takes care of these activities , and it ’ s really made an enormous difference . Knowing what to do with Facebook , which changes every few months ; making sure ads gain traction ; understanding if you should be doing ads versus engagement activities — all of these things take time to understand and master .
32 WHAT ’ S NEW IN FITNESS - SUMMER 2017