How to outsource your digital products
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E-commerce has led to a rise in the creation, sale, and purchase of digital goods. People have used the internet to trade their skills and expertise in various fields, like marketing and advertising. This also includes authors, musicians, and artists who make their crafts available online. As a digital entrepreneur, making your digital products available can require more than you’re qualified to give. Due to this, many have resorted to hiring third-party help with their product creation process.
Digital outsourcing has provided relief to lots of online content creators and traders. Hiring a reliable team member online may be difficult because of many factors and risks. We are here to help make this process easier through an informative, tried, and tested guide. Follow these seven simple steps to ensure you outsource the best talent for your digital products.
Step 1: Compile Your Requirements
Before you approach anyone to join your team, you need to know what skills your digital product requires. This means fully understanding your brand, mission statement, and the digital product you aim to create.
Consider the tasks you want to outsource and define the requirements for the specific roles. Articulate the outsourced team member’s ideal qualities, such as reliability, flexibility, positive attitude, and good work ethic.
Step 2: Plan Your Pitch
You may be the employer and must convince potential members or partners to join your team. To do this, you must appear professional and prepared and show them you know what you’re doing.
Start by creating a work plan that includes time constraints, work hours, and features you want your digital product to possess. You may also include the salary range and experience requirements in this plan.
Step 3: Search for Outsourcing Sources
You can find multiple companies to fulfill the tasks you want to outsource from a quick web search or online directory. But not all of them are reliable or certified, so you need to dig deeper. Include relevant keywords in your web search and include “top” or “best” to pull the best results. If you have friends or associates in the industry, ask them for referrals or testimonials from companies you’re interested in. Read through unaffiliated reviews and testimonials to get a fair idea of each company’s service quality.
Alternatively, you could outsource individuals specializing in the field. Online marketplaces are the best place to find industry-specific freelancers and remote employees. Hiring individuals may be riskier, but the option offers more flexibility and no hidden fees. Also, individuals may provide services or skills that an outsourcing company may not have available. This option is ideal for small business owners who can’t afford to hire outsourcing companies or prefer hands-on experience.
Step 4: Narrow Down Your List
Once you have compiled all the companies or individuals that caught your eye, shortlist them according to experience, cost, flexibility, and technical ability.
From there, try to narrow it down to five potentials, including companies and individuals so that you can get a broad set of choices. Ensure you closely inspect each candidate’s unbiased reviews and have an idea of their experience level in the field.
Step 5: Interview and Consult Your Choices
As you might expect, most outsourcing companies will have opportunities for you to consult and ask questions related to the service. Still, you should contact them to schedule a virtual consultation if they don’t offer one.
When you interview them about their platform, ask questions about the company’s history, how they provide services, and what it can contribute to your digital product. Request proof of qualifications, portfolios, and relevant case study material to see what unique factors they can offer.
Interviewing an individual candidate is more extensive because there is typically a greater associated risk. Thus, it would be best if you were prepared with the right questions and offered them a detailed explanation of the task requirements. Ask them for verified copies of their certifications, a resume, and a portfolio of their previous work. Ensure there are credible contacts to backup their skills that you can contact should you choose to recruit them. Ask the candidate about their work experience, internet connectivity, work hour flexibility, and work rates.
During each interview or consultation, articulate your digital product requirements and state specifically what you’re looking for in a team member. Make sure the candidates know your business model, the time constraints, and salary or wage rates. Ask if there are additional costs or extras they may require from you to make the alliance easier. Inquire about safety measures, quality control processes, and assurance controls to prevent falling victim to scams. To conclude the interview, ask for an accurate quote or an estimate of the services you’re seeking.
Step 6: Choose the Most Promising Candidate
Once you have gathered all the information you need about the prospects, make your decision. You can base this decision on experience level and choose the option with an impressive, lengthy portfolio. You could also base your decision on cost and choose the candidate who will give you the best service at an affordable price. Finally, you could go for the team or individual in an ideal location. Extreme time zone differences could slow down your product development.
Step 7: Test Run Capabilities
Before handing over complete reign over the outsourced task(s), test your chosen company or individual’s capabilities. Most companies and freelancers will offer paid trial runs, so use this opportunity to test their competence. While this may come at an extra cost, it’s better than paying heavily for mistakes down the road.
You can have them complete a part of the task or process you’re outsourcing during this trial period. Should you be content with the service delivery, congratulations! You’ve successfully outsourced the making of your digital product.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What advantages does digital product outsourcing have?
Digital outsourcing is a great way to divide the workload and gain diversity on your team at an affordable rate. It also allows you to find people who can set up processes that you may not be able to. Digital outsourcing gives start-up entrepreneurs access to seasoned experts qualified to build and improve their products.
2. Can I outsource my software development?
Yes, you can. Many people choose to do so because software development can be a long process. You can get on-demand service from an outsourcing vendor, which hands you more control over your project. Also, hiring an expert in the field will yield better results than doing it yourself.
3. What tasks or processes should I not outsource?
Any actions involved with customer care are not ideal for outsourcing. You must have direct contact with your customers or target market to maintain a strong relationship. Outsourcing customer care processes may also lead to your clientele getting poached or not receiving the best care. Human resources and unique business competencies are also vulnerable elements that you should not outsource.
Conclusion
Outsourcing the making of your digital product to a credible company or individual yields impressive results. You can focus on areas in your product development that you are qualified for while experts handle what you cannot. Good results are guaranteed if you understand your product requirements and do adequate research on potential vendors. Ensure you ask the essential questions during interviews and obtain relevant proof of qualification before settling on a vendor. The digital outsourcing process will save you time, worry, and unnecessary costs.
