As your blog grows, you will find a need to hire help. Hiring a content contributor or a virtual assistant for your blog is a big investment for many, but well worth the money spent to keep on top of changes, needs, and the growing business you have developed. As you begin looking for help to manage your blog, keep these tips in mind.
Tips For Hiring A Content Contributor Or VA For Your Blog
Determine which areas you need the most help. It can be tough or nearly impossible to hand over the reigns of any part of your blog to another. The longer you blog, the more your site becomes a part of who you are, and that can be a tough thing to let go of and let someone else manage. However, you must begin to consider and accept the fact that you only have so many hours in the day and as your business grows you will need help.
To determine which areas of your blog need the most help, or which areas are best for you to hire a contributor for, we have a few things you should consider:
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What areas of promotions, writing, management do you dislike the most – hand these off to someone who is better suited to do the job.
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Are their topics you wish to cover but don’t have experience with? Hand these off to a content contributor.
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What areas of your blog take the most of your time but aren’t areas of passion for you? Hand these off to a VA to complete.
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Hire out any busy work that is nice to have done, but not bringing in a large revenue stream. This can be some social media scheduling, interaction on some social media, editing images, creating slide shows or videos, or even creating printables to share on your blog.
Ask for personal recommendations from people you trust. There are dozens of places to find a freelancer, content contributor, fellow blogger, or virtual assistant that can help you on your blog. However, since most of these people are going to be strangers other than your virtual connection, it is hard to gauge if they are trustworthy or their work will be quality. This is when word of mouth really does make a huge difference. Ask trusted friends in the industry for their recommendations. Follow up on references given, and weigh not just the cost of their services, but the quality you will receive.
Be specific in your needs when you hire. There is nothing more frustrating on either side of the agreement than to find out what you needed completed wasn’t done to your specifications. When you hire a virtual assistant of any kind, the best thing you can do is to have a very clear plan of what you need. Be as specific as possible so there is little or no confusion. This will help you know if they are a good fit, but also gives them a chance to truly know exactly what you are requesting. If there are issues with what or how they deliver something, follow up with more specifics to attempt resolution.
Pay in a timely manner. Just as much as you want them to deliver on their end of the bargain, this is their livelihood and paying them in a timely manner is important. If you don’t have the funds in hand the day you hire them, then do not hire them. Wait until you can truly pay them for their services, and do so as you are invoiced and as agreed upon in your contract.
As your blog grows, hiring a content contributor is going to be a must. It’s a great thing for your overall business, so don’t hesitate. Do, however, take the time to do research before hiring and make sure you are picking the right person for the job.