Most bloggers start out on their own when they create their blog, writing new content every week or so and gradually growing their site. If you've been doing things by yourself for a while now, and find that you just don't have enough time or energy to concentrate on actually growing your blog any further, it's probably wise to think about outsourcing, automating, and streamlining some tasks ASAP. Read on for some tips you can follow today.
I.T.
Since blogging is done online, and tends to require the use of numerous technological devices such as plug-ins, blogging platforms, and the like, most bloggers have lots of tech-based tasks to do every week. If you're like most writers though, you probably don't find these jobs easy or enjoyable and, as such, they should be one of the first things you consider outsourcing.
For starters, it is imperative to keep your blog safe from hackers so that information isn't stolen or held for ransom by cybercriminals, or your site crashed, and readers prevented from gaining access. As such, you need to secure your blog carefully. Purchase comprehensive antispam, anti-malware, anti-spyware, and antivirus software that will help keep hackers at bay.
Next, speak to a specialist I.T. service provider about running regular checks on your systems to ensure security gaps haven't opened up, and about securing your Wi-Fi router with a username and password if you don't know how to set this up yourself. Consultants can also advise you on common scams hackers use to gain access to systems, so that you know what to avoid; and set up a disaster plan and recovery system to help you get back up and running quickly if an issue ever does arise.
Also Read:An IT firm or contractor can also be charged with regularly testing your blog to ensure each link and button is working properly; and with setting up a comprehensive data backup system so your work is automatically saved each day.
Furthermore, you might want to outsource the design (or redesign) of your blog to a tech firm, get them to handle your site's hosting, and pay them to boost your search engine optimization (SEO) results so your rankings on Google and other engines improve.
Accounting
Unless you're a real numbers person, another good area to consider outsourcing and automating is accounting. These kinds of tasks can be very time consuming and energy sapping, and are often best left to the experts, and apps and other software.
Accountants work in the area day in and day out too, so they stay up to date on the various different tax laws and other rules and regulations you probably don't have time to track. You can hire an accountant to handle all of your finance-related work, or just get them to do the bits you really hate or struggle to complete.
To help you save time, also look at using a popular accounting program, such as Freshbooks or Xero, that has lots of features built into it which will save you time and reduce human errors. For example, most of this kind of software can automate or streamline jobs such as invoicing, sending out reminders, coding expenses, generating reports, storing digital receipts, and more.
In addition, look online and you'll find many great apps designed to help entrepreneurs handle their finances more easily, particularly when it comes to setting and sticking to a budget and paying bills on time.
Social Media
No matter what topic you blog on, in this day and age it's important to use social media to make connections, share posts, get new followers, engage readers, and the like. However, if you're like many bloggers, you likely find that handling this side of your marketing really eats into your time each week.
To help combat this issue, turn to tech tools for help. There are thousands of great free and low-cost apps on the market which can streamline and automate social-media marketing tasks such as creating quality images and written content, scheduling posts, building relationships with influencers, and tracking analytics.
There are apps which help you to edit photos and add text to them, for more engaging posts; and those which will analyze the results of previous posts to help you determine which keywords, videos, images, words, promotions, and other content types got the best results.
Apps can help you find key people to network with online, or keep you up to date on any news relevant to your particular niche; and they can allow you to post a bunch of content at one time that is then automatically published on pre-determined dates.