Guest Blog written by
Connor Gillivan is the CMO and co-owner of FreeeUp.com, a rapidly growing freelance marketplace making hiring online simpler. He has sold over $30 million online, has hired hundreds of freelancers to build his companies, is a published author, and is the owner of ConnorGillivan.com. He currently lives in Denver, CO.
http://twitter.com/connorgillivan @ConnorGillivan
10 eCommerce Tasks You Can Outsource to a Virtual Assistant
Managing and running an eCommerce business can be tough. Especially if you are trying to do all the different ecommerce tasks by yourself.
Not only do you have to run your business, you also have to manage the day to day logistics of your online store. Then you have to update products, add in new products, create and update pricing, manage marketing and promotions, handle shipping, customer service and more! The list is truly endless.
As a business owner, you may be better served by spending your time doing what you do best – running and growing your online business.
If you are ready to hand over more of the routine and administrative duties to an assistant, below are a few key eCommerce tasks to consider outsourcing.
Product Sourcing
Not only can a virtual assistant manage your inventory, he or she can keep your store stocked with products. They can also work with your suppliers to make sure your products are top notch, send invoices to keep your finances in order, and handle getting stock organized in a warehouse. Passing off these eCommerce tasks will save you so much time and frustration!
Store Design
Setting up or moving your eCommerce store to a new platform can feel like an absolutely overwhelming task. Whether you are using a WooCommerce plugin on WordPress or creating a Shopify storefront; having a web development professional by your side to make sure your vision comes to life and works the way it should is an invaluable investment.
Product Listing
Product listing can be such a boring and repetitive task, but in order to make sales, you have to list your inventory online. By working with an assistant to list your products, you can easily get back hours of your day and focus on the aspects of the business you enjoy.
SEO
Having amazing content on your website is not enough to reach potential customers. If search engines can’t find your content or your website, how will you make a sale? This is where SEO comes into play. A seasoned SEO expert can get your content and website to show higher up in search results, which can do wonders for your business.
Much like content creators, you should also consider hiring virtual SEO specialists to make your website content search engine friendly. Many times, you can hire one person to do both tasks, but the decision will be based on their knowledge and expertise in each field.
Graphic Design
If graphic design isn't in your zone of genius, you should consider outsourcing these visual types of eCommerce tasks to highly skilled designers. Your company logo, banner, catalogs, and promotional spread are all part of your branding, so these must not be left to the amateurs. Working with a designer can help propel your business forward in a professional, streamlined manner.
Order Management
A virtual assistant can handle processing your company’s orders including order entry, shipment and invoicing. The work can include compiling orders, sending customer invoices to your vendors and shipping companies, as well as other routine tasks.
Customer Service
To have a successful business, you have to keep your customers happy. A virtual assistant with great customer service skills can help answer customer questions via phone, live chat, email and social media. This will help you focus on what you do best while also keeping the customer experience positive and efficient.
A virtual assistant can also guide your customers through a unique sales process while they’re still on your website, which may help to increase your conversion rates.
PPC Advertising
Getting customers to land on your website and buy your products can be a time consuming job unto itself. Programs like Google AdWords, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, YouTube and others, offer ways for business owners to promote their websites quickly and obtain data that can be used to make campaigns more cost effective at converting and generating sales. Instead of wasting money trying out PPC ads on your own, why not work with an expert who knows how to attract your customers easily to your website?
Blog Writing
Any successful eCommerce website knows how important content marketing is in the current digital age. Regularly writing and uploading blog posts, infographics, and any kind of website content will usually signal to search engines like Google that your site is active.
Outsourcing blog creation to virtual assistants can take the creative and technical pressure off of you. It will also allow you to plan out promotional blog content months in advance to be prepared for big events such as Black Friday and Christmas.
Copywriting
Much like blog creation, a veteran copywriter can help you reach your target customer by creating engaging descriptions, inviting home page messaging, and more. This is just another way to ensure that your store feels welcoming and professional to your buyers.
Conclusion
If you are ready to scale up and grow your eCommerce business, it may be time to relinquish some control and outsource these eCommerce tasks that weigh you down. Outsourcing can help you to focus on your business and compete with bigger companies online. You can also get access to professional services and save money by paying for quality work instead of doing it all yourself.
Before you hire an assistant to take over these eCommerce tasks, decide which tasks you need the most help with so you’ll be able to find experts in those specific fields.
Curious as to how you can find the best fit for these 10 eCommerce tasks? Freeeup takes the guesswork out of finding your next virtual assistant by pre-vetting the top 1% of applicants. The FreeeUp Marketplace offers over 85 different skill sets in a variety of areas for $5 to $75 per hour. Businesses from any industry can utilize FreeeUp for skill sets that they need to hire for their business. And the hands-on experience that this marketplace has provided since its early days makes hiring so easy. Get started with Freeeup today. 
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