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Posts Tagged ‘Marketing Industry’

Tips For Outsourcing Ebooks

January 11th, 2009

Ebooks are quickly becoming very popular in the Internet niche marketing industry. Ebooks are essentially books which are available in software formats and distributed either through email or Internet downloads. There is usually a fee associated with downloading an ebook. These fees are usually considerably lower than the fees associated with purchasing a hardcopy of a similar book. This is because ebooks are typically less expensive to publish.

With so many Internet niche marketers relying on ebooks as part of their marketing campaigns, it is certainly understandable that many are beginning to outsource the writing of ebooks to professional writers. As ebooks become more popular and the level of competition rises, it is necessary for the quality of the ebooks to increase as well making it essential to outsource these projects to qualified candidates. However, many may have concerns about the process of outsourcing. This article addresses these concerns by providing tips for outsourcing ebooks with success.

Select the Right Person for the Job

The first step in outsourcing an ebook with a great deal of success is taking the screening process seriously and finding the most qualified candidate to write the ebook. When searching for a candidate to write an ebook, place a detailed advertisement specifying the exact project requirements including subject, length, milestone goals and ultimate deadline. This is important because it ensures candidates are aware of all of the requirements before they apply.

You may still receive countless applications from those who are unqualified but that is where carefully screening the applicants becomes imperative. In reviewing applications pay particular attention to the quality of samples provided, the amount of relevant work completed and the ability of the candidate to following the instructions in the advertisement. All of these elements will make simplify the screening process by enabling you to eliminate those who do not follow instructions or provide quality samples of relevance to the project.

Next narrow the list of candidates to a few who are most qualified and interview these candidates further. Ebooks can most often be written by candidates from remote locations so there is usually not a need for in person interviews especially if there is a geographical distance between the candidate and the buyer. Phone interviews and online interviews are sufficient substitutes. After the interviews determine which, if any, of the candidates is most qualified and offer the opportunity to complete the project to this candidate. If none of the candidates seem just right it might be necessary to continue looking and screening new candidates.

Be Involved in Developing the Outline

Once a professional writer is accepted for a particular project, it is time to start developing an outline for the project, if this has not already been done. The marketer should be heavily involved in doing this so they can ensure the ebook includes all of the information they believe is necessary. Asking the writer to contribute ideas to the outline is appropriate but it is accepted that the client will provide the majority of these details rather than relying on the writer to do so.

Maintain Final Editing Rights

Finally the client should always maintain final editing rights in any ebook they commission. They may work closely with the writer during the process of writing the book but upon completion the ebook should be reviewed and edited carefully. This process should include editing the ebook for grammar and sentence structure, flow and style, accuracy of content and any other elements deemed of importance by the client. The client is the one ultimately responsible for the information contained in the ebook and he should do his best to ensure the ebook he provides is not only interesting and informative but also accurate. This is especially important in situations where medical issues are discussed.

Another important reason to maintain finally editing rights is to ensure all stipulations by advertisers are met accordingly. Many ebooks are sponsored by individuals or companies who expect their website, products or services to be recommended in the ebook in exchange for their sponsorship. For this reason care should be taken to review the final version of the ebook to ensure the sponsor’s needs are met and that direct competitors are not touted as being superior to the sponsor.

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Outsourcing Everything Except The Profit

January 3rd, 2009

When it comes to outsourcing, there is no doubt about the fact that the most beneficial advantage is the ability to reduce costs by outsourcing tasks and projects when appropriate. Some Internet marketers take the concept of outsourcing to the extreme by outsourcing the majority of their niche marketing tasks. In other industries this strategy could lead to imminent failure because the client may lose control of the project. However, when it comes to Internet niche marketing this strategy can be very effective and result in the marketer have a greatly reduced workload and a substantially larger profit margin.

Why Outsourcing Almost Everything Works

In the Internet niche marketing industry, outsourcing almost all of the required tasks can be a profitable strategy. Some of these tasks include copywriting, website design and website management. The marketer may chose to outsource all of these tasks and keep the most important tasks, namely niche selection and keyword development, to himself to ensure he remains in control of these critical elements.

Outsourcing Content Creation

Copywriting is one element of Internet niche marketing which can easily be outsourced. There is a plethora of talented writers with experience in writing copy for websites which is informative, interesting, accurate and also persuasive. There are many talented writers offering their services who are capable of creating this type of content. However, there is a much smaller pool of talented writers who are also skilled at the art of search engine optimization (SEO). These writers have the above mentioned skills but are also capable of weaving keywords into the articles in a way which appeals to both search engines and those reading the website.

Outsourcing Website Design

Similarly to the writing industry, there are countless website designers who are capable of creating high quality websites that are both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Again, there is a much smaller pool of website designers who have the capabilities of designing a website so that it is well optimized for search engines. SEO is critical to the success of any Internet niche marketing campaign because high search engine rankings improve website traffic. For this reason it is easy to understand why those with SEO skills are in such high demand. It is also easy to understand why those in the Internet marketing industry are willing to pay so much for these services.

Outsourcing Niche Website Management

Internet marketers who are balancing multiple niches have an even further opportunity to outsource even more of their responsibilities. They may find those skilled in the art of management to oversee a few of the niches. These managers will assume the responsibilities for organizing content for the website, and developing and maintaining the website design including the ongoing SEO effort for the website.

Special care should be taken when outsourcing management responsibilities. While it is important to verify the qualifications of copywriters and website designers and to search for highly qualified candidates, this is especially important when outsourcing tasks of a management nature. This is important because the tasks assigned to this individual can have a more dramatic impact on the niche market. If the manager fails to do an adequate job overseeing the assigned tasks, the niche may begin to wane in popularity. When this happens regaining the attention of audience members who were disappointed in changes occurring in the website can be extremely difficult.

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Comparing In-house Work and Outsourced Work

December 1st, 2008

Is there validity to comparing in-house work and outsourced work? Of course there is but the more pertinent question is how you make these comparisons. Those who are involved in the Internet niche marketing industry realize a large portion of their success is related to their ability to constantly evaluate their niche markets and determine what is working and what is not working. They examine and test aesthetical details such as font size and colors along with more technical elements such as coding and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. Since these savvy entrepreneurs are already constantly evaluating and making minor adjustments it is logical that they should also make comparisons relating to the work done in-house and the work that is outsourced. They should evaluate the work in terms of finances and in terms of quality.

The Cost of Outsourcing vs. Keeping Work in House

As with any business the bottom line in Internet niche marketing is often financial. There is no clear cut answer as to whether particular tasks will be completed at a lower cost in-house or through outsourcing. This will depend on a number of factors. For example the qualifications of the in-house staff is one of the major factors in the equation. The availability of the in-house staff members should also be considered.

If there are members of in-house staff members capable of completing the task and available to do so, it may be more affordable to keep the work in-house. However, outsourcing does reduce labour costs but often comes with a higher hourly rate as well as costs required to advertise the position and interview candidates. These costs will vary from case to case so it is important to always consider outsourcing as an option when possible.

The Quality of Outsourcing vs. Keeping Work in House

Comparing the quality of outsourcing versus in-house work is even more difficult. Again, there is no set answer for which is typically higher quality. In a situation where experts are required to complete a task it may be better to outsource the task because the in-house staff is not qualified to complete the task. In this case the quality of the work produced by the contractor will not only be of higher quality but will also likely be completed quicker and more efficiently.

However, in cases where the in-house staff and the contractor are equally qualified the in-house staff may hold a slight advantage because they are more familiar with company policies and procedures. In this case the in-house may be more efficient because they are already familiar with the standard procedures. This becomes less of an issue in cases where work is outsourced to the same individual regularly.

The other factor to consider when comparing outsourced work to in-house work is the work ethic of the individual completing the assignments. Two equally qualified employees given the same assignment, schedule and pertinent information may not produce the exact same results. This is because one employee may have a more diligent work ethic and a more keen attention to detail. In this scenario the more diligent employee will likely produce work of a higher quality. As this relates to personality rather than whether or not the work is completed in-house or outsourced it makes it even more difficult to compare in-house work to outsourced work.

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