Small business owners frequently turn to outsourcing instead of in sourcing for their online small business marketing. However, it has been my experience that in sourcing is a great option.
Have you considered what your staff or sub-contractors are capable of doing in terms of marketing your small business online?
When you allow your staff or sub-contractors to contribute to online marketing of your business you are achieving a number of things:
- building their knowledge and skill
- displaying their expertise
- cultivating their creativity
- developing their self-confidence
- increasing their engagement with your small business
- developing a sense of ownership.
I have been excited by the quality of the contribution made to the online marketing of our small business by our staff and sub-contractors. I think that “in sourcing” is an option that needs exploring before outsourcing but it requires an open mind and a readiness to experiment. For example, I encouraged one of our staff to write an article from their Gen Y perspective – something I could not have done.
Unlike people to whom you outsource, your staff know your products and services, understand your small business environment and have first-hand knowledge of your customers’ needs.
You can engage your staff or sub-contractors in online marketing for your small business by encouraging them to:
- build their profile on LinkedIn and connect with your small business profile
- write articles and/or blog posts
- comment on articles/blog posts on your site or other relevant sites
- produce podcasts about your products or services
- record a video interview for uploading to YouTube.
We often overlook the capacity of our staff and it is important to consider in sourcing before engaging in outsourcing.