Once you decide that outsourcing is the right move for your business, you can start your search for freelancers.
By now you’ve realised just how many freelancing platforms there are to choose from, so how do you narrow down your search? Where should you place your focus to find the right freelancers for your projects?
In this guide, I will take you through the aspects you should consider as you evaluate potential freelance platforms for your business.
Choosing Freelance Platforms for Your Business: Key Considerations
Here is what you should consider as you evaluate freelance platforms for your business:
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The Project.
Before you even begin to consider platforms for your outsourcing project, you need to create a clear project outline. What are the objectives and what skills do you need to achieve these objectives? It’s best to create a detailed overview of the project that includes the skills you have available in-house and what you need to outsource. Remember, not every freelance platform caters to all skills and expertise, which is why you need to get specific.
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Your Budget.
Next, you need to decide how much you are willing to spend on a freelancer. While it’s important to have a budget in mind, you also need to consider what the average freelancer would charge for a particular service and skill. Fortunately, you can easily find this information via research reports or by browsing freelance platforms.
Keep in mind that you can’t always expect the same results from a less-experienced freelancer as you can from someone who has been in an industry for over a decade. This is not to say you can’t find talented freelancers for a reasonable rate, it’s just something to consider as you start your search.
Lastly, you also want to factor freelance platform fees into your budget. Each platform has a different fee structure.
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Terms and Conditions.
Every freelance platform operates a little differently. Some allow you to hire freelancers as and when you need them, while others need you to pay a monthly fee for access to their database of professionals. Whether or not the terms and conditions meet your requirements is dependent on the specifics of your project.
If you don’t see yourself requiring a freelancer on a regular basis, it makes more sense to select a platform that allows you to hire on an adhoc basis.
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Support.
While knowing how to select and hire the right freelancers will already place you on a solid foundation, it helps to know you have support available. If this is the first time you’re hiring a freelancer, you may want to select a platform that is known for its customer support. This way, if something happens to go wrong, you have some assistance and recourse available (this is also where those terms and conditions become important).
Taking the Next Steps
Ultimately, outsourcing can save you thousands of dollars every year and it gives you time to focus on other aspects of your business – growth in particular. Many business owners only realise how much time they are losing once they hire freelancers to assist them.
If you want to find out more about the freelance platform options available to you as a business owner, get your copy of Outsourcing for Success on Amazon.
