Top 100 Jobs You Can Elance
Everyone seems to be talking about hiring remote workers these days. Here's a list of 100 jobs to help you get started. Navigate this page by clicking on one of the links below, or scroll down to read through each job individually.
| Technology > Website Design & Programming | ||
|
• Website Design |
• Blog Development • E-commerce Website • Online Forms & ApplicationsWidgets |
• Flash • Usability Design • Usability Testing |
1. Website Design
If you don’t have a website for your business, you need to get with the program. In most cases, customers and prospective clients expect you to have a website even if they don’t actively use it or refer to it. It may sound odd, but recent research shows that most people assume that a company with a website is larger and more stable than a company without one.
You don’t need to be a graphic designer to build an effective website. Focus on growing your business while a skilled provider creates the look and feel of your site.
Site design is one of the most popular jobs online today. You can have a new site designed or give an existing site a makeover in just weeks or even days. Just make sure your site is an extension of your corporate identity; you’ll spend money creating it, so be sure it works for you.
Get a professionally-designed website
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2. Programming
The Internet is a blank canvas, Web technologies are assorted colors, and Web programmers are the gifted artists. Every single Web page you see on the Internet today was crafted by a programmer of some sort.
Anything you’ve seen on another website can be developed on your website by the right programmer. Web programming can be a highly-specialized field, and Elancing is the perfect way to tap into specialized web programming skills.
Get the programming help you need
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3. Search Engine Optimization & Search Engine Marketing
The old axiom "If you build it, they will come," doesn't apply here. Search engine placement is critical to anyone with a website; even if you do build it, they won’t come if they can’t find you. Search engine optimization (SEO) specialists help your site gain high rankings. The algorithms change constantly so techniques naturally evolve – unless you’re in the web field you’re unlikely to have the necessary skills.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is also a specialized field. It can take days, months and years of expertise to write effective ads, place your banners on the right sites, set up effective affiliate programs, or manage your pay-per-click programs so you get the most visitors and more importantly conversions.
Skilled providers can do that for you – plus they can keep track of new developments and trends in the SEO and SEM fields.
Get a specialist to make your web marketing effective
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4. Blog Development
Applications like Blogger and WordPress are free, but you're going to have to get your hands dirty if you want additional features. For instance, do you know how to set up Permalinks so your URLs are search-engine (and people) friendly? Can you create a Google sitemap? Do you use FeedBurner? Can you set up a contact form to thwart spammers, tag your posts, or add a custom design instead of using a template?
Your response to those questions might be a series of “No” answers, and could even be, “No, and I’m not even sure what any of that meant.”
If that's the case, don't fret. Providers can customize your blog and install and set up all the features you need. And if you’re not sure exactly what to ask for, just refer them to a blog with a feature you want and say, “I’d like that on my blog.”
5. E-commerce Website
If your brick and mortar store has yet to make the trek into cyberspace, you're missing out on a potentially huge chunk of revenue. The rate of online purchasing of products and services continues to rise dramatically. With e-commerce you can reduce your transaction costs while reaching customers around the world. Providers can install your shopping cart tools, gateways, and links to your commercial accounts, set up credit card payment systems, install PayPal applications, and even provide back-end solutions like order management, fulfillment, and inventory tracking. E-commerce takes your business to the next level – even the global level.
Sell products and services online
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6. Online Forms & Applications
Forms are a great way to collect data and perform calculations. Streamlining your data collection and eliminating double-entry can save you huge amounts of time and expense. Determining what data you want to capture or what calculations you want to make is relatively easy; converting your ideas into a logical, easy to use form that interfaces with your enterprise system or database is not. If you capture any type of data more than once, a skilled programmer can make the process simpler for you and your users.
Create forms to capture data and perform calculations
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7. Widgets
Widgets are small programs that present a world of information in a miniature form. They can run on your website or can be displayed on a social networking site. They can also be downloaded by users onto computers, phones, or even televisions. You can create widgets for games, news, weather, sports, search tools, music, video, and more.
You have probably noticed that widget popularity has exploded on social networking sites, and every day new widgets are developed and distributed – you can do the same. A provider can either help you find and install a free widget, or they can develop a new widget specific to your needs.
Design and install widgets
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Engage site visitors with motion, sound, and interactivity to help you deliver your message, sell your product or service, or promote your cause. A well designed and produced Flash file is a great tool for developing dynamic content for the web and can be a great asset for your website.
A skilled Flash designer can create banner ads, product demonstrations, interactive panels, or an innovative way to deliver static (and possibly otherwise boring) content.
Get effects that attract and engage your audience
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9. Usability Design
The best websites always keep their users in mind. The way users will interact with your website should be considered at every single stage of the design and implementation process. It’s virtually impossible to create an elegant and streamlined website (or application) without professional help. The results of a great usability design include higher end-user satisfaction, increased end-user productivity, success, and completion, and lower training and support costs.
Remember, usability design isn’t limited to websites. It can also be applied to applications, databases, or nearly anything your employees, customers, and prospects touch.
Get a design that is user friendly
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10. Usability Testing
Your website may be easy for you to use, but if a stranger, or more importantly, a customer can't figure out how to use it, you're going to have really big problems. Website usability is one of the most crucial parts of building a high-traffic website, but testing to see if your website is easy to use is more difficult than it sounds. Hire an elancer to be your fresh set of eyes, and they'll be able to provide insights and opinions that your trained eye can't see.
Test your website's usability
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| Technology > Software Programming | ||
| • Mobile Applications • Social Networking Applications • Software Design • Enterprise Systems |
• Database Development • Technical Support • Auto-responders |
• Network Administration • Help Desk • Project Management |
11. Mobile Applications
Either you yourself or someone you know owns an iPhone, BlackBerry, gPhone, or Windows Mobile phone. Mobile applications are proving to be big revenue streams for businesses, and the market is only going to grow bigger. Whether you've got a clever idea for the next killer iPhone app or you want to bring your useful desktop application into a mobile form, an Elance provider can create exactly what you're looking for.
Build your mobile app
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12. Social Networking Applications
With the ability to build online communities around businesses, social networking has become a viable tool for entrepreneurs worldwide. You can learn the tricks of the trade yourself, but creating the next killer app that your followers want can be difficult. Social network application developers can apply current solutions or develop new tools to keep you on the cutting-edge. Understanding and applying the right tools to your social network platform can not only help you socially – it can also be great for business.
Develop and implement your own social networking applications
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13. Software Design
Great entrepreneurs have great ideas – the problem is affordably implementing those ideas. Say you need a new interface designed for applications that you and others, inside and outside your company, will use. A skilled interface designer will create the new design and ensure it fits seamlessly within your applications. If an application or program doesn’t work well for you, hire a programmer who will make sure it does.
Design software, interfaces, and applications
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14. Enterprise Systems
Enterprise Systems provide a technology platform that enable organizations to integrate and coordinate their business processes. They provide a single system that is central to the organization, ensuring information can be shared across all functional levels and management hierarchies. Enterprise systems help eliminate the problem of information fragmentation by creating a standard data structure.
Confused? Maintaining and updating your Enterprise System requires a diverse set of skills – hiring elancers can provide those skills at a cost you can afford.
Manage your Enterprise Systems
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15. Database Development
A great database does more much more than just archive information. Operational databases let you or your clients modify data, view a variety of reports, and ensure real-time, up-to-date information is always at your fingertips. Elance projects, user profiles, archives, etc. are all stored in databases – in fact, just about everything on elance.com is database-driven in some fashion.
Setting up a database that effectively manages your data and can be shared by users is not for the faint of heart – skilled providers can make quick work of what may have appeared to be an overwhelming task. They can also suggest the type of database that’s best for your needs, both now and as your business grows.
Develop a database that stores and manages your data
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16. Technical Support
Realistically, your site or site applications will have a problem. Your email goes down, your forms no longer function properly, or (gasp!) a hacker takes over your site. Providers around the world can step in, sometimes on a moment’s notice, to take care of your problem and get your site working smoothly again. If you have an ongoing relationship with a provider, that’s great, but even if you don’t, a new provider can often take care of your problem quickly.
Local firms may not be able to respond as quickly as you need. Think of it this way: If you’re in England and your site goes down at 11 pm, it’s 3 pm on the West Coast of the U.S.; your problem could be fixed before you take your first sip of morning coffee. And if your customers need support, hire an elancer who offers 24-hour, 7-day per week coverage.
Get technical support when you need it
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17. Auto-responders
It’s exciting when potential clients use a form on your website to request information, or even better, order a product or service. Auto-responders automate the process of responding to queries or confirming registrations, requests, or sales. They can also be set up to deliver information on a scheduled basis and to remind visitors or users of upcoming events or promotions. A programmer can develop a unique auto-responder system for your particular business or modify an existing application.
Communicate and distribute information automatically
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18. Network Administration
Network support is absolutely critical when you have problems, but can you afford to hire someone full-time? Providers can perform server maintenance, software installation, make changes and upgrades to your network, and even set up and maintain a VOIP server from anywhere in the world. Many providers will also work on a per-hour basis, keeping your costs low.
Keep your network, servers, and critical applications running
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19. Help Desk
Unless you're some sort of micro-computing applications wizard, you probably don't know everything there is to know about word processing, spreadsheets, databases, website maintenance, and blogs. When your employees need help, who do they call? If you run a small company, in all likelihood it’s you.
Instead, hire elancers to be your Help Desk. Your employees simply call a number and a skilled operator can provide information or help them work through problems with a variety of software or hardware applications.
Get your problems solved by skilled professionals
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20. Project Management
You know what you want, but you have to communicate your needs, screen providers, determine the applications you need, and stay on top of the work in progress. A project manager can oversee your project from start to finish. Think of a project manager as a general contractor who pulls together all the skills, materials, and timelines and makes sure the final product meets your specifications and needs.
Get help managing your projects
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| Sales & Marketing > Marketing Collateral & Programs | ||
| • Lead Generation • Blogs • Viral Marketing • Web Content • Community Management |
• Email |
• Signs, Displays & Marketing Collateral • Print Ads • Corporate Identity • Sales Brochure Design • Voice Talent • Promotions |
21. Lead Generation
Customers make the business world go round, and a skilled and experienced provider can help you find them. Techniques include sourcing affiliates, driving traffic to your website, collecting information from interested prospective clients, or researching key decision-makers within your industry. How should you approach new potential clients? A sales and marketing professional can help determine the most effective and cost-effective lead generation approach for your industry.
Generate new client leads
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22. Blogs
A well-written blog that complements your website can transform your on-line presence, giving you more ways of reaching out with your message, more credibility as an authority in your field, and more effective ways of supporting your existing customer base.
A great blog also takes time to write and maintain. Instead of handling the task on your own, Elance it! A provider can write new articles, respond to comments made by visitors, add links to relevant articles or websites, upload photos or videos, and leave you free to do what you really want: run your business.
Make your blog go viral
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23. Viral Marketing
If you're seen the "Extreme Sheep LED Art", "Hang In There Jack", or "Bad Day at the Office" on YouTube, you've been a part of a major viral marketing campaign whether you realize it or not. In this day of the Internet, viral marketing campaigns are proving to be worthwhile endeavors for businesses, small and large alike.
Viral marketing is by far easier said than done. Utilize Elance to find an innovative provider that can cleverly market your product, and in no time, your viral campaign will be talk of chat rooms, bulletin boards, and email inboxes worldwide.
Create the next viral hit
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24. Web Content
“Content is king,” at least according to an old Internet proverb. Great content attracts visitors, holds your audience, builds your credibility, and highlights your products and services. Adding well-written, effective, SEO-friendly articles on a consistent basis to your website may take more time and effort than you have to spare.
Many writers specialize in writing informative, SEO-friendly articles. Some specialize in a particular field or industry, while others enjoy the process of researching unfamiliar topics.
The more great content your site contains, the more visitors you’ll see – and possibly the less you’ll need to spend on web advertising. In any case, if it’s worth writing about, it’s worth writing about well, so make sure your content enhances your image.
Get web content that informs and attracts site visitors
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25. Community Management
Online communities are emerging as one of the must-have components of an online presence. Strengthen your business' loyal customer base by using forums or bulletin boards, social networking tools, blogs, email, live events, and more. These channels not only build inter-personal relationships with members of the community but also provide a channel of communication directly from you.
Building and managing a community takes time, dedication, and a lot of patience. A experienced Elance provider can help you build your community from the ground up. Trust us, you'll be glad you did.
Build a new community of users or update an old one
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26. Email
Depending on your product or service, email campaigns can be incredibly effective, especially if you can target the right audience. Email marketers can help develop mailing lists, craft a creative message, and send your emails, whether it’s to 10 or 10,000 potential customers. Then they’ll manage your campaign, remove “dead” addresses, send follow-up emails, and connect you with great prospects.
A broad-based email campaign can be a complex and time-consuming undertaking. Hire a professional and spend time working with new customers instead of finding them.
Create and mange an email marketing campaign
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27. Telesales
Contacting customers and fielding queries by phone works incredibly well for many businesses, but the cost of setting up your own call center is way higher than most of us can afford. Plus, good telemarketers are skilled and experienced – do you have the time and resources to effectively train your staff? Telemarketers can help you create call lists, design scripts, run tests on your message, and manage your marketing campaign. If you do business worldwide, you may need a two- or three-shift operation, complete with staff fluent in multiple languages.
Hiring telesales specialists also lets you ramp up your campaigns as you see fit without worrying about expanding or contracting your own staff. A great telemarketer can cost-effectively generate new leads and new customers while you focus on servicing those customers.
Get more clients and customers
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28. Web Banner Ads
Web advertising has exploded in popularity and effectiveness. Advertising on the right websites can put your products or services in front of consumers eager to buy your products or try your services – but only if the ad works. Banner ads can not only catch a site visitor’s attention; designed properly they can also send highly-targeted web traffic your way. But many websites have rigid specifications and guidelines for banner ads.
In this day and age, a truly effective banner ad is incredibly difficult. Have your banner ads professionally-created. Remember, successful advertising isn’t simply a function of spending – it’s also a function of spending wisely.
Get outstanding banner ads for web use
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29. Ad Campaigns
Advertising is critical but most businesses have limited advertising resources – and limited advertising expertise. Do you have a marketing plan? Do you know your target market and more importantly how to best reach them? Does your advertising create an emotional and a rational appeal? Do you differentiate yourself from your competition and develop brand recognition by creating a consistent message and public image?
A skilled professional can help you accomplish all these tasks – at a budget you can afford and allowing you to focus on what you do best.
Create an advertising campaign that works
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30. Signs, Displays & Marketing Collateral
Your products and services must be seen to be noticed. Professional, eye-catching signs, trade show displays, brochures, flyers, and other marketing pieces can turn potential customers into long-term clients. Different providers have different expertise – a great print shop for your 4-color, multi-fold brochure may not have the skills or equipment to produce a 20’ vinyl banner to draw visitors to your booth. Choose the right provider for your marketing collateral projects so you find the right blends of skills, equipment, and cost – whether it’s in your backyard or halfway around the world.
Create eye-catching marketing collateral
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31. Print Ads
Statistics show print ads, including photos and well-designed graphic elements, catch the attention of four times as many readers as do text-only ads. Graphic designers can also source stock photography in case you don’t have photos of your own – plus they can ensure your ads are consistent with the business identity you’ve worked hard to establish.
Get effective print ads for your products or services
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32. Corporate Identity
Apple. Nike. Google. How many companies or brands do you recognize by their logos or other visual element? To create a memorable corporate identity, it must to unique and consistently displayed in every way you “touch” your customers. Your corporate identity – your logo, stationery, business cards, folders, signs, and other collateral – must be clean, professional, consistent, and most of all help customers remember who you are and what you do. Designers can develop logos, stationery, folders and pamphlets, a website design, even Word and PowerPoint templates – literally any material or media.
In short, a great corporate identity reflects the quality, service, and standards that are the hallmarks of your business – make sure your corporate identity enhances your professional image.
Get a business identity and stand out from the crowd
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33. Sales Brochure Design
Some studies suggest you have six to ten seconds to capture a reader’s attention with your brochure (or other printed promotional material) before they’ll toss it aside. Don’t let potential customers lose your message in the clutter of daily life – a professional designer can create an eye-catching and professional brochure within your budget and specifications to properly showcase your products and services. Pulling together your logo, photos, text, and other design elements into an attractive and professional brochure isn’t easy – hire an elancer to do it for you.
Design an exciting and cost-effective brochure
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34. Voice Talent
"Hi, how could I assist you today?" Call any large corporation and the recorded voice you hear sounds welcoming and professional. Do your greetings and messages sound they same? If not, you could be leaving customers feeling a little sour.
Voice providers work in their own studios to create the audio messages you want, adapting their tone and style to suit the needs of your industry and your goals. A good provider may keep your callers listening all the way to the end of even the longest message. And they can add music behind their voice if you like.
Voice talent can even produce recordings for other purposes like podcasts or even audio books.
Get professional voice recordings
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35. Promotions
Creating a promotion – like a sweepstakes, survey, contest, game, or even a product or service giveaway – can be a great way to attract attention and create a connection with potential and existing customers. If you have a website, an interactive promotion can motivate behavior by turning an unidentified site visitor into a registered prospect, letting you start a permission-based, data-driven relationship. You can create a sweepstakes with online and offline prospects – either on your website or on other websites – registering to win one of your products or services. Or you can create promotional items like coffee mugs, pens, t-shirts branded with your logo. When it comes to promotions, the sky really is the limit.
Get help promoting your product or service
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| Sales & Marketing > Sales & Advertising | ||
| • Copywriting • Newsletters • Translation • Articles • Public Relations |
• Editing • Grant Writing • Press Releases • Sales Materials |
• Books & E-books • Resumes • Speeches • Manuals & Guides |
36. Copywriting
Words are powerful. A well-crafted message can convey emotion, create excitement, or even just get you to smile. Marketing copy takes many forms: slogans, headlines, direct mail text, taglines, and in jingle lyrics, and it's also used in print ads, mail-order catalogs, billboards, commercials, brochures, postcards, websites, and other advertising media.Any time you communicate in writing with your customers, a skilled copywriter can dramatically increase the effectiveness of your message. That’s especially true if you need direct response copy, or copy that provides instant results – a skilled copywriter can flood your Inbox, store, or offices with new customers.
Develop text that improves your bottom line
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37. Newsletters
Newsletter deliver your company's most valuable information to your customer base in quick fashion. It’s a great idea, but it takes time and effort (and skills) you may not have. With a little input regarding your goals, your audience, and potential subject matter, a provider can format, write, and even email your newsletter to your customer base.
You may initially decide to review the newsletter before it’s published, but once you develop a good working relationship your input may be limited to a few minutes of your time per each newsletter. And since you already have the content, you provider can post each newsletter to your website archives, and you can even pull out individual articles for inclusion on other sites – after all, you own the content!
Create your newsletter and stay in touch with your customers
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38. Translation
Expanding your business to the global scale can be immensely profitible, but it is easier said than done. If you want to promote your product or service in another country, you’ll need to speak their language – at the very least in print and web media.
Skilled providers translate writing and speech, taking into account slang, technical terms, and everyday usage. If your high school foreign language class didn’t prepare you adequately, don’t worry. A skilled translator is available for almost any language.
Translators ensure language is no longer a barrier; if you want to reach global markets, it’s easier than ever.
Translate your text and audio into any language
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39. Articles
The Internet has created an endless demand for well written, information-packed articles on virtually any subject. Not only will articles on your website provide useful advice and guidance to your visitors, they can also help your site perform better in search engine rankings, which will draw more visitors and potential customers to your business. And by using an article distribution service you can place your article and your contact information on multiple sites, reaching even more customers.
Create a work for hire agreement. You not only own the copyright for the work, but you can also publish the articles you commission under your own name.
Writers develop your articles, but in many cases they can also post those articles directly to your site, saving you time and effort. Some writers specialize in certain fields, while others are capable of creating outstanding articles on a wide range of topics. If you want to inform, educate, and attract visitors to your site but don’t have the skills or time, providers all over the world are ready and waiting to assist you.
Add relevant, informative content to your website
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40. Public Relations
If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Who knows. The real question you need to be asking is, "did anyone hear it?" If you’ve launched a business, you need to spread the word. Public relations specialists craft press releases, provide media coaching, help get articles and reviews of your product or service highlighted by regional and national media outlets, line up interviews or guest spots on radio or TV shows….
Public relations is very different from advertising. With an ample budget you can advertise where and when you like – but the expense can be huge. A well placed positive article about your product or service can yield tons of inquiries and new customers, and a quick interview on a local TV program can make thousands aware of what you do – for free.
Get noticed by potential customers or clients
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41. Editing
After several hours of hard work, you've completed a crucial company-wide memo. You hapily click send. Two days later, you realized upon re-reading how much better it could have been. Sound familiar? A fresh look or fresh pair of eyes can quickly spot ways to improve anyone’s writing. Most full-time writers will agree with this statement: “Any words, no matter how carefully chosen, can benefit from skillful and thoughtful editing.”
Instead of explaining complex information to a writer, you may feel it’s easier to write a first draft and have an editor make corrections and improvements. A good editor can help shape the tone and style of your text, help you fine-tune your message, and/or avoid embarrassing mistakes.
Hire an editor and make your words sing
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42. Grant Writing
To get funding for your initiative, you’ll need to convince the reader that your effort will be worthwhile and worthy of funding, and at the same time you’ll need to format and craft your grant proposal in the way organizations expect.
The success or failure of your search for funding often rests on the quality of the grant proposal itself. A skilled provider can effectively communicate your mission, your goals, your short- and long-range plans, and how your project will make a real impact.
Hire a skilled and experienced grant writer to turn your project into reality
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43. Press Releases
A press release is like a news story. If your company has developed a new product, a new service, landed a large customer, or expanded operations – in other words, something newsworthy and significant has occurred – a press release is a perfect way to let the world know. Properly written, your press release may catch the attention of an editor or reporter and serve as the springboard to a story or feature on the Web, TV, or in print, gaining you valuable – and free – publicity.
Sounds great, but the fact is most press releases never get picked up by major media because they’re poorly written and seem intended to “sell” rather than to inform. Media outlets appreciate press releases that read like news – a skilled writer can turn a quickly discarded press release into an item that immediately grabs the attention of readers, media outlets – and customers.
Get a press release – and get noticed
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44. Sales Materials
Do you have the skills and experience to write a Super Bowl-worthy commercial? Probably not, but many still try to write their own sales letters, advertising copy, or promotional literature.
Bold, attention-grabbing headlines. Clear, well-defined descriptions and product or service benefits. Text that creates a rational and an emotional appeal. And a clear call to action that readers will respond to, delivering more sales to your business.
Before you jump in head first, think twice. Consider hiring a skilled writer – the end result will be more bang for your advertising buck.
Get effective messages for your brochures, letters, and other sales materials
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45. Books & E-books
Providers can help you write – or even write entirely for you – books and e-books for print or web publication. But you may not intend to be “published” through traditional means (like a bookstore). Not only can a book or e-book inform or enlighten current or prospective customers, it can also enhance your professional image and help you stand out as an expert in your field. While you may be an expert in your field you may not have the time or skills to devote to writing – but skilled providers do.
It’s easier than you think. A good writer will adapt to your needs: Create content from scratch; turn your thoughts and random musings into a well-crafted, professionally-written book; even collaborate to produce your autobiography or document your family’s history and create a legacy for future generations to enjoy.
Write a book or e-book
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46. Resumes
Your resume can make a great first impression, and in this day and age, it's more important than ever. Online job search and application tools have made it easier than ever for job hunters to submit resumes. The end result? Your resume is likely to compete with tens or even hundreds of other resumes for the employer’s attention.
A great resume isn’t just well written; it highlights your background, your skills, and your biggest accomplishments. Your resume is your first – and possibly only – chance to make a great impression. If you think about it, a resume is an advertisement, and it you're the product. If you want the job, get help crafting a professional resume that truly reflects who you are.
Get the resume that sets you apart from the competition
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47. Speeches
Stuttering. High, wavering pitch. Going blank. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Surveys show fear of speaking in public is the number one phobia in the U.S.
A great speech can help you overcome your biggest fear. Skilled speechwriters can organize information for a listening audience and create a pace and structure that captures your audience’s attention – and gives you a sense of confidence and security. Speechwriters can also help you refine and streamline your thoughts to ensure your point of view and message is clear and meaningful.
Develop a speech to inspire and inform your audience
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48. Manuals & Guides
You understand your process, but how can you convey your knowledge to employees or users? Manuals and guides not only inform and educate readers, they also save you time and effort. Effective manuals cut training time, reduce customer requests for assistance, and create a consistent process flow that can reduce waste and effort.
Skilled technical writers have a knack for distilling complex information and presenting it in a clear, logical, easy-to-understand way for experts and novices alike. In fact, you may know too much about your process or product to write an effective user’s guide – you’ll naturally assume knowledge or experience your readers just won’t have. A provider can create documentation nearly anyone can understand. Not only will you save time by elancing your writing work, you’ll eliminate repetition of steps or instructions.
Write manuals and guides to explain processes so your readers understand
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| Sales & Marketing > Graphic Design | ||
| • Product Catalogs • Package Design • Document & Book Design • Product Design • Audio |
• Video • Cartoons & Illustrations • 3D Graphics • Photography & Image Editing |
• Animation • Engineering • Drafting/Drawings • Architecture |
49. Professionally Designed Product Catalogs
Catalog design is both art and science. Whether you have a few or a few thousand products, your catalog must be well-organized, accessible to readers, and most of all, present your products in the best light possible. A catalog is worthless unless it helps you make sales; a great catalog designer will ensure your catalog combines photos, art, descriptions, and specifications – plus a call to action – to turn browsers into buyers.
Design a product or service catalog
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50. Package Design
Great package designs create an emotional appeal and help brand your product. Plus your design must be easy to store and assemble, meet shipping specifications and any regulatory requirements, and fit your budget. Package design requires skill and experience; while you may be willing to try your hand at designing your own product packaging, the result may only serve to signal that, well, you created your own packaging.
Whether you need a label, a simple package, or a multi-part and product set of packaging, a skilled provider can help you reinforce your business identity and help your product stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Develop practical package designs for any product
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51. Document/Book Design
More and more authors self-publish, print and sell their own fiction and non-fiction books. Even if you haven’t written a book, your manuals, guides, white papers, and other reports will make a greater impact if they’re well-designed. A great book or document designer can not only make sure your work is laid out properly and efficiently – he or she can also give your work greater impact. And your business identity can be incorporated, ensuring that while readers are learning your brand is reinforced.
Skilled book designers can turn your Word document, for example, into a newsletter, pamphlet, booklet, or other document… even a print-ready file suitable for high-speed book presses. The right provider will ensure your thoughts and ideas can stand proudly on any desk or bookshelf.
Get your documents and books professionally designed
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52. Product Design
Your idea can’t become a product until it’s designed, specifications determined, blueprints drawn, and prototypes built up to full-scale production. A product designer can even help you flesh out your initial concept and give you ideas and input on materials, processes, and manufacturing solutions.
And while you may have a great idea, you’re probably not an engineer. Providers around the world offer services like mechanical, electrical, and electronic design, assembly instructions, blueprints, modeling, and prototyping and can even serve as manufacturing liaisons to make sure quality standards and delivery schedules are met.
If you have an idea but don’t know where to start, a product designer can walk you through every step in the process – from helping you refine your idea to the point when your product rolls off the assembly line.
Turn your ideas into reality
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53. Audio
You’ve got an audio recording. One tiny problem: You need to edit it for length, add other content, place a layer of music in the background, and clean up a few mistakes. With the right software it can be done, but the task is daunting for newbies.
The solution: Send your audio files to a provider along with instructions for what you need done. In return you’ll get an audio file, per your specifications, for use on your website, in multimedia presentations, or even for distribution.
Or a sound editor can record specific sounds or create a music or audio track combining the specific elements you need. You won’t need a studio – you just need to be able to describe what you want.
Get professional audio and sound editing
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54. Video
If a picture says a thousand words, then a video is worth a million. Web visitors expect videos that explain processes, feature products, or simply entertain visitors – and keep them coming back for more. (We practice what we preach: we use videos in a variety of ways on Elance.com.)
But poorly-produced or delivered videos can quickly turn visitors away. Skilled providers can edit, enhance, and prepare your video for “publishing” on the web, whether on your site or on social media sites. Make sure your video presents you or your products and services in the best light possible: the right editing and formatting can transform your video from a cutting room floor candidate into an “Oscar-worthy” short that quickly goes viral.
Edit, format, and enhance your video content
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55. Cartoons/Illustrations
One fact of life I have learned over my years: Leave drawing to the pros. Illustrations can enhance your catalogs, brochures, or other collateral, and artists working from your ideas, sketches, or even photographs, can create comics, caricatures, greeting cards, fashion illustrations. If you can conceive it, an artist can achieve it. Final versions can be delivered in print or the file type of your choice.
Get original illustrations and drawings
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56. 3D Graphics
3D graphics add a sense of realism and depth that two-dimensional graphics simply cannot. A 3D graphic can also be rotated and viewed from any orientation. A graphic of your new product can even be “opened” to show what’s inside. A good 3D graphic can convince you that it always has the same mass, that it's just as hard or soft, as rigid or pliable – almost like it’s alive. The problem is 3D graphic generation can require expensive software and specialized skills.
There’s a solution: Hire a 3D graphic designer! Providers can create simple graphics for web or print use or multi-piece models of rooms, buildings, or even cities.
Get a lifelike 3D graphic
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57. Photography/Image Editing
Anyone with a camera can take a photograph, but even professional photographers edit and enhance their photos before print or web publication. Say you’re creating a catalog with product photos. Before you finalize the design have your images edited and enhanced so your products are shown to their best advantage. Or restore a fading, cracked photograph of a loved one to its original glory, preserving it for generations to come.
To accomplish these tasks you could become a Photoshop whiz, but the time and effort required to become proficient is probably not the best use of your time.
Providers can retouch and resize your images as well as perform advanced manipulation techniques like changing backgrounds, removing objects, and even put your head on someone else’s body. If you need photos taken in a location hundreds or thousands of miles away, a photographer can handle the job and send you image files so you incur no travel costs.
Take, edit, or enhance photos
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58. Animation
Two words: Dancing baby. Get noticed and set your business apart with high quality animation. Many companies can benefit from animation on websites, movies, presentations, product demos, applications, advertisements, and logos.
Skilled animators are proficient in 2D/3D modeling for simpler applications like caricatures, and cartoons, while medical animation helps healthcare professionals see and understand complex procedures and processes. If movement can add value and understanding to your message, an animator can take you to that next level.
Add movement and life to your media
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59. Engineering
Engineers are one of the most integral parts of an online business, and at the same time, they're usually the most expensive. Can your business afford a staff of high-quality engineers? Most small businesses can’t – and by elancing you can tap specialized skills virtually overnight. Whether you need building and facility design, process design and documentation, microprocessor development and design, technical support, software development, CAM processing… or simply someone to ensure your product, as designed, can stand up to normal wear and tear, you can find an engineer with just the right skills and experience to keep your business moving forward. Engineer can also provide “second opinions,” reviewing and approving a proposal or design a vendor or customer has submitted.
Turn your ideas into reality
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60. Drafting/Drawings
A quick sketch on a napkin or sheet of notebook paper may perfectly convey your idea to casual viewers, but it won’t suffice for customers, vendors, designers, or potential investors. You may even need to protect your idea by filing for a patent – which requires detailed specifications and a precise illustration or drawing.
Hire a skilled draftsman to create:
- Design Drawings
- Utility Drawings
- Technical Drawings
- Architectural Designs & Blueprints
- Product Schematics
- Trademark Drawings
- Patent Drawings
Skilled providers can produce hand- and computer-aided drawings to generate the print and electronic deliverables you require.
Turn your ideas into reality
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61. Architecture
Though you may not need to design a building (but if you do, you can Elance that too!), but even if you simply want to add a new bedroom to your house, architects can ensure your addition fits within the style of the home, meets you and your family’s needs – and can provide drawings, plans, and materials lists for your contractor to follow. An architect not only develops your vision – he or she also makes sure the end product is exactly what you want. Your architect can be anywhere in the world – your blueprints are just a “send” button away.
Professionally design your building, home, or addition
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| Business Operations > Business Planning & Financial | ||
| • Competitive Analysis • Market Research • Bookkeeping |
• Collections • Financial Reporting • Tax Returns |
• Budgets & Forecasts • Financial Analysis • Tax Consulting• Business Plans |
62. Competitive Analysis
Starting and growing a business doesn’t happen in a vacuum. As a smart entrepreneur you need the answers to questions like:
- Who are your main competitors?
- What customer needs and preferences are you competing to meet?
- What are the similarities and differences between their products/services and yours?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of their products and services?
- How do their prices compare to yours?
- How should you plan to compete: Offer better quality services, lower prices, more support, and/or easier access to services?
- How are you uniquely suited to compete in your marketplace?
Experienced researchers know just where to look, using offline and online sources to help you define strategies and market positioning help you stand out from the crowd and hit the ground running.
Analyze the competition and optimize your business strategies
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63. Market Research
Everyone needs customers, but how can you be sure enough customers even exist for your product or service?
Information is critical, and market research can help you understand – and act on – the dynamics of your local or global market, on market trends, on customer satisfaction with the products and services in your area… in short, market research will help you understand who and where your customers are, and how to meet their needs.
Say you’re a real estate agent and you want to focus on listing and selling high-end homes in your area. How many potential buyers exist in your area? What are your market demographics? What about the demographics of buyers in surrounding areas? Effective research may cause you to advertise your beach-front properties to potential buyers in a nearby city, instead of locally, because a huge untapped market of buyers is just waiting for you.
Learn about your target market
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64. Bookkeeping
Your bookkeeper doesn’t need to be down the street; many small businesses Elance their entire bookkeeping and accounting functions. For example, a home improvement and repair company with over 40 locations uses web-based tools to handle job costing, invoicing, sales, timesheets, labor and materials tracking… virtually all their day-to-day bookkeeping operations are handled virtually by a provider thousands of miles away.
Web-based accounting also gives you 24-hour, 7-day per week access to your financial “books” and reports no matter where you happen to be. You can also add controls to ensure only you or trusted employees have the authority to sign checks or transfer and withdraw funds. The right bookkeeper will help you stay on top of your financial situation as well as streamline your administrative functions – and you could save money, too.
Find a great bookkeeper – virtually
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65. Collections
Many business owners despise the collections process. Contacting clients who are late paying bills or invoices is stressful and, handled poorly, can lead to hard feelings or even lost clients. And if you have a lot of customers or generate a number of monthly invoices and you don’t stay on top of the situation, your receivables can quickly add up to a considerable sum. Instead of facing a potentially emotionally-charged confrontation, Elance your collections process. Skilled collections providers handle customer communications firmly but with a deft, nimble touch.
Getting the money you’re owed and still maintaining a positive customer relationship is a difficult skill to master; plus good collections agents are also great negotiators, and may be able to find creative solutions that you, in the heat of the moment, might overlook. One of the basic tenets of elancing is to hire remote workers for the tasks you aren’t good at – in the case of collections it may also make sense to Elance a task you truly dislike.
Receive the money you’re due
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66. Financial Reporting
What is your cost of sales this month? Which products generate the most profit? Which services should you stop providing because they actually cost you money? Which customers are truly your best customers – from a profit point of view? Accurate and timely financial reports give you the information you need to make quick decisions, re-focus your efforts, and grow your business based on data and facts, not on hunches or intuition.
Providers can generate the reports on a scheduled basis, or can set up automated reports in accounting packages like QuickBooks that you can then run yourself whenever you need information. Either way you save time and still get the critical information you need. Not sure which reports will help you? A skilled provider can suggest key metrics to evaluate based on the nature of your business.
Get the information you need about your business – when you need it
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67. Tax Returns
Your accountant may not be happy about it, but last year more people than ever used virtual providers to prepare their tax returns. Tax returns are rules-based accounting, and can be prepared by following a series of steps and guidelines – making tax return preparation a great remote work service.
Providers can handle your business returns as well as your personal returns, and often for significantly less than your accountant or local tax return preparation service. If you handle your own basic bookkeeping, a provider can make sure that you take advantage of all the deductions and benefits available to you.
Get your personal and/or business tax return prepared
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68. Budgets & Forecasts
Most businesses fail – especially in the early stages – due to a lack of capital. If your funds are tight – and even if they aren’t – you need to properly forecast your expenses and income. Your budget should then reflect that forecast, ensuring that your spending stays under control and more importantly that you’re spending cash on the right items.
A good forecast is a living document – you can change your forecast based on current conditions and adapt your spending accordingly. While forecasting may seem to require a crystal ball, a skilled finance provider can help you develop a forecast that makes sense for your business in your market – and then help you develop a budget that allows you to stay afloat even if times are lean.
Forecast your sales and budget accordingly
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69. Financial Analysis
How much is your business worth? What is your return on investment on recent projects? Are there seasonal swings you can take advantage of? Or best of all, does elancing one or more of your functions make good financial sense?
Skilled financial specialists can wade through complex data and financial statements and make recommendations that can improve your bottom line. The financial repercussions of some decisions are often not clear unless you can really crunch the numbers; if you don’t have that kind of skill, don’t worry – there’s help available.
Analyze any aspect of your business to make great decisions
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70. Tax Consulting
Every business wants to minimize the taxes it pays. A skilled provider can ensure you pay as little tax as possible based on what you did last year, but a skilled tax consultant can help you make decisions today that will save you money next year. Don’t wait until tax time to find out that you could have taken advantage of legitimate deductions – if you only knew about them ahead of time.
You may also qualify for tax credits due to the industry you’re in or the employees you hire. Taxes are a significant expense for almost any business – proactive planning can help you retain more of what you earn.
Create a plan to proactively reduce your taxes
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71. Business Plans
Most of us wouldn’t dare travel across the country without a map, yet studies show nearly seventy percent of entrepreneurs and small businesses don’t start out with a written plan. Define your expectations, create a blueprint, and stay on track for success with a comprehensive business plan.
And if you need financing – either private funding or from an agency like the Small Business Administration – developing a good business plan often is the difference between approval and rejection.
Don’t let the old cliché “Failing to plan means you plan to fail” be true in your case – find a skilled marketing professional to help you develop a business plan to guide you on your small business journey.
Create a comprehensive business plan
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| Business Operations > Human Resources | ||
| • Human Resources • Recruiting |
• Benefits Administration |
• Reference & Background Checks |
72. Human Resources
Human Resources departments do more than hire, fire, and organize company functions. Effective human resources includes managing employee benefits, ensuring regulatory compliance, handling grievances and complaints, supporting and fostering diversity.
Managing employee relations effectively can be a huge boost to your company; falling short can lead to low morale and retention rates or even lawsuits. While you may need an HR professional on staff, finding a person with the right blend of skills and experience can be time-consuming – and their salary may outside of your budget. Providers can set up and manage the HR functions you need on a part-time or as-needed basis and save you the expense of adding a full-time professional to your staff.
Get the HR services you need, when you need them
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73. Recruiting
You are here; the candidates you want are out there…somewhere. Locating, connecting with, and hiring top talent is critical to the success of your business. But it’s also incredibly hard work that drains time and resources from your day to day operations. And most of us don’t have the skills to screen and interview dozens of potential employees to find the perfect fit.
If that sounds like you, don’t take on the job yourself or turn it over to someone in your company just because they have a little spare time. Skilled recruiters know how to attract outstanding talent – in any field or specialty – and narrow the list down to the top two or three candidates you should personally interview. That way you can focus on making a great final decision, not posting your opening to online job search sites in the hope you get lucky and the right person comes along.
Find great employees for your business
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74. Benefits Administration
The cost of employee benefits has skyrocketed and continues to rise. Few of us know how to effectively manage benefits programs so we provide what our employees need while keeping our costs as low as possible. You owe it to your employees, and yourself, to provide the right benefits at the right cost, and aggressively manage those programs so your dollar goes as far as possible. If you don’t have that kind of specialized knowledge, Elance your benefits administration to a professional whose finger is on the pulse of changes and trends in the insurance, healthcare, and retirement planning industries.
Provide great benefits and effectively manage your costs
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75. Reference & Background Checks
Most employers wait until they’re ready to make a job offer to check references. That approach makes sense, but if you’re overwhelmed with work and need help desperately, you may be tempted to skip that step – with possibly disastrous consequences. Even if you do have the time to call previous employers, enlisting the services of a reference-checking provider can be especially beneficial if you wish to do an in-depth background check that includes the job seeker's criminal, credit, or driving history.
Providers who perform third-party background-checking services comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You’ll need to get written authorization from the applicant before obtaining information about him or her; the provider can let you know which authorizations you need. Then you can be sure your newest hire meets all of your objective standards for qualifications and background.
Perform thorough and accurate reference checks
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| Business Operations > Administrative Support | ||
| • Research • Transcription • Office Management • Data Management • Virtual Assistant |
• Document Formatting • Data Entry • Word Processing • Survey Tabulation & Research |
• Reports & Presentations • Travel Planning • Event Planning • Scheduling Appointments |
76. Research
Writers, analysts, consultants, marketing specialists, and attorneys are just a few examples of people who do ongoing research. But if you’re a consultant, for example, your time is probably better spent with your customers than finding the data and facts you need.
Research specialists can find the information you need, and often much more quickly than you can find it yourself. No matter how narrow or specialized your request, a researcher can find the answers you need: How many colleges offer aerospace graduate programs, how many retailers sell a particular item in your town, or even how many research projects were posted on Elance in the past six months. (The answer to that one may surprise you – the total is much higher than you probably think.)
Get the answers you need
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77. Transcription
Transcribers turn audio into text. Send an audio file of a speech, interview, conference call, meeting, podcast, recorded phone call, sermon, or even your own thoughts as you commute to work, and a transcriber will place a Word file (or other text or word processing application file) in your Inbox, per your schedule. A skilled transcriber will also edit out “ums” or other sounds are irrelevant.
Transcriptions are especially important when you need to create an archive or paper trail – or when you simply need to disseminate information in writing.
Get audio or video converted to text
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78. Office Management
During any given day you may need a bookkeeper, a personal assistant, someone to make changes to a contract, call customers to shuffle delivery dates… the list goes on and on. Most small businesses can’t afford a staff that can handle all those tasks. Hire a virtual office manager and he or she can:
- Answer calls
- Provide customer service
- Organize schedules
- Perform basic bookkeeping
- Update and maintain your blog
- Upload and download files
- Coordinate teleconferences
- Etc.
Your virtual office manager can in many ways become a point of contact for the basic needs of customers, suppliers, and employees. Currently you’re probably filling that role; your time is probably better spent on other critical tasks.
Manage simple day to day operations virtually
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79. Data Management
Collecting data is relatively easy – but what do you do with all that data once you have it? Studies show that data volume grows at about 1% per week; are you managing your data, or is your data managing you?
Data management providers can store your information, ensure it’s available whenever – and using web-based tools, wherever – you or your employees need it. Elancing data management lets you avoid adding costly IT infrastructure as well. Data management isn’t just a task; with the right provider, you can see it as a service that provides real benefits to your company.
Manage your data safely and efficiently
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80. Virtual Assistant
As your business grows so does your workload; especially your administrative workload. Time spent on administrative tasks is time you can’t spend continuing to grow your business. Instead of hiring employees, you can effectively multiply your staff by hiring a virtual assistant, either for a one-time project or for ongoing, long-term support.
Virtual assistants can take on almost any business or personal task, whether it’s traditional office support or website maintenance and updates. They can handle word processing, answering phones, paying bills, scheduling appointments, maintaining appointment schedules, even ordering flowers or making dinner reservations. A good virtual assistant can go beyond administrative support and help develop new clients and provide marketing support.
Increase your staff and productivity without full-time hiring
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81. Document Formatting
Say you send out an average of 20 customer proposals each week. Instead of creating each proposal from scratch, hire a provider to create a proposal template specifically designed for your needs. Enter the information you need and your professional proposal – which is also consistent with your corporate identity – will make a great impression on your customers. You can create formats for all your common documents: faxes, customer responses, invoices, contracts… literally anything you send to customers or vendors.
Create great formats for common documents
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82. Data Entry
Do you type fast? Does your staff? Most of us have keyboarding skills, but few of us are fast.
The problem is you may find yourself with a large amount of data or text to enter into a spreadsheet or document. Say you’ve distributed a customer survey; the results are back, and you want to tabulate them – but who on your staff can handle the task efficiently? Is there anyone you can pull away from their regular duties?
You don’t need to – providers with outstanding data entry skills can blast through your project. Then you’ll get the data you need at a cost you can afford. Job types can range from product entry on shopping websites to accounting data to website marketing through forum posting. If you need data entered, a provider can take on the task for you.
Enter large amounts of data quickly and cost effectively
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83. Word Processing
Most of us are familiar with the basics of word processing programs. But check out what a word processing provider can do for you: file management, web based word processing, mail merge, export to PDF, document conversion, opening and saving documents, typing, copying, pasting, inserting and deleting text, cutting, defining various page sizes and margins, searching, replacing… the list goes on and on. If you have documents that need work, don’t fumble around trying to learn new functions.
Get any word processing or document help you need
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84. Survey Tabulation & Research
You’ve performed a customer survey and you received a great response: 500 respondents answered 25 questions each. Wonderful! But what do you do with all the data you’ve collected?
A skilled analyst can organize the results, recommend different ways to analyze data, and then deliver key findings. You can request a preliminary analysis, a detailed, multi-level analysis of data and findings, or anything in between.
Make sure you reap the benefits of your survey – get help analyzing your data and determining steps you can take to take advantage of what you’ve learned.
Tabulate and analyze your survey results
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85. Reports & Presentations
Your best chance to land a new client may hinge on the quality of your presentation. If you know your business inside and out but aren’t a skilled PowerPoint user, a provider who can help you communicate complex ideas using an effective slideshow or other media can make all the difference. You provide the information – they’ll provide the presentation.
And if you’re in a hurry, many overseas providers can develop your report during their business hours while you’re asleep – when you wake up, a professional, effective presentation is in your Inbox. Providers can also develop reports or report templates you can pour current information into, saving you time while letting you put your best professional foot forward to your customers.
Create a winning presentation or informative report
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86. Travel Planning
Assembling all the pieces of a trip is like building a house of cards; one small mistake and your entire plan collapses. Online tools are available to help you book almost every aspect of your trip, but it takes time and effort to pull all the pieces together – and you may miss out on incredible deals. Travel consultants can not only plan your trip effectively, they can also make recommendations and give invaluable advice about local conditions and customs.
Plan the trip you’ll love – at a price you’ll love
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87. Event Planning
Three weeks from now you’re holding a public seminar for 100 current and prospective clients. It’s a great opportunity to highlight your skills and expertise; you know your business inside and out, but you know nothing about throwing a great event together. Setting up logistics and supplies for an event is a tremendous challenge for the inexperienced.
Hire an event planner. They specialize in preparing the venue, working with vendors and caterers, setting up displays and multimedia tools, and even greeting guests and serving as a de facto host. That way you can focus on connecting with your guests instead of making sure the refreshment tables are well stocked.
And remember, event planners can also take on “personal” events like family reunions, weddings, and parties.
Stage an incredible event
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88. Scheduling Appointments
Setting appointments and keeping up with your calendar is time-consuming, and it's probably the last thing you should be doing personally. A provider with good communication skills and access to email, a phone, and a fax can schedule appointments and handle schedule changes for you. Combine their efforts with an online calendar system and you’ll always know exactly where you should be and when you should be there. The same provider can maintain and coordinate schedules for some or all of your employees.
Stay effortlessly on track
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| Business Operations > Legal | ||
| • Copyrights & Trademarks • Contracts • Incorporation • Agreements |
• General Business Advice & Legal Guidance • Copyright Infringement |
• Wills, Trusts, Estates • Policies • Non-Disclosure Agreements |
89. Copyrights & Trademarks
If it's yours, protect it. Copyright protects original works of expression – like books and articles, graphic arts, music, photography, and software – and prevents others from copying or commercially exploiting your work without your permission.
The problem is that copyright laws don’t protect names, titles, or short phrases. A trademark protects distinctive words, phrases, logos, symbols, and slogans used to identify your company, products, and services.
To get the protection you want, you might want to file for a copyright or trademark. This means you’ll need to research existing copyrights and trademarks, and that isn’t easy for a newbie. The application process itself can be complicated and time-consuming. And, if your inexperience causes you to make a mistake or leave out key information, the approval process could take many months.
Protect your ideas, your work, your slogans, and your business identity – they’re yours.
Get help with a copyright or trademark search
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90. Contracts
Handshakes are great, but contracts are even better. A well-written contract creates a legally binding agreement establishing what you and the other party will (or sometimes will not) do. A contract normally requires one party to make a reasonably detailed offer to do something – ghostwriting, web design, graphic design, whatever it may be – and the other to provide compensation for that service.
Since a contract is legally binding, it must clearly and precisely define your agreement and it must also protect your rights and your long-term business interests.
If you provide the same type of service for multiple clients, have a contract template developed that you can use over and over. You can also post projects for new contracts specific to an unusual or unique business opportunity.
Get a legal contract template written
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91. Incorporation
Forming a corporation can protect you from personal liability and create significant tax advantages. It’s the right move for you, but it also requires effort and expertise: Should you create a Corporation or an LLC? Who will create your bylaws, issue stock, and file the articles of incorporation with your state offices?
An experienced provider will quickly navigate you through the process so you can enjoy the benefits of a corporate structure without spending hours determining how to actually create one.
Create a corporation today
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92. Agreements
An agreement isn’t a contract even though they share many similarities. An agreement is instead an exchange of promises. Say you’re an IT professional and you troubleshoot network problems. Your fee agreement specifies your hourly rate and response time if and when a customer has a problem and needs you. An agreement is, in simple terms, like the father of a contract, so it must be precise, accurate, and thorough. A skilled provider can draft an agreement that will protect your interests and clearly define the expectations of both parties – and possibly point out items or issues you may have overlooked.
Get helping drafting a written agreement
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93. General Business Advice & Legal Guidance
Have you ever struggled for information, guidance, help, or even the right answer to a problem? Have you said to yourself, “I wish I could ask someone what to do?” You can. You can get help with a patent, a tax issue, possible litigation, employee relations issues, arbitration, or just an answer to the basic question, “What can happen if…?” Getting legal advice is a little like having insurance: You won’t be sorry if you seek guidance, but you may be very sorry if you don’t.
Get timely and accurate legal advice
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94. Copyright Infringement
You created an amazing design. You wrote a great how-to article. You’ve offered a podcast on your website that’s now showing up on other websites. Whatever the case may be, if it’s yours and you’ve protected it, someone may still use it without your permission. If you’ve asked them to stop and had no success, you’ll need to take the next step and get legal help.
Lawyers who specialize in copyrights and trademarks can also take action to remedy copyright infringement situations. Not only can you force violators to stop using your work, in some cases you may be able to receive damages.
Protect your intellectual property
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95. Wills, Trusts, Estates
Some situations are easier to think about than others. Planning for your death or incapacity may not be fun, but failing to plan can add delay, legal problems, and confusion to the emotional upheaval your family undergoes. Getting help creating an effective estate plan provides financial stability for your spouse and children and protects your assets for future generations. Even if you’re single, have no kids, and no real assets, a properly-drafted Health Care Power of Attorney can ensure your wishes are carried out if you’re incapacitated.
If you don’t have an effective estate plan, those decisions may be made by a court or controlled by inheritance laws. Who would you prefer makes those decisions – you, or someone else? Be proactive and plan for your future – and for the futures of those you love.
Protect your assets, your family, and your interests
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96. Policies
Even if you only have one employee, well documented policies and guidelines help you ensure quality, safety, and service. You should also define your terms and conditions, what your clients can expect in terms of privacy or confidentiality, your shipping and returns policies, and so forth. Creating solid policies not only protects you and your business – those policies also let customers and clients know exactly what they can expect from you.
Build a solid foundation for your business and develop clear policies. Your business will run business more efficiently and you’ll enhance your credibility in the marketplace. And you’ll add a layer of protection from lawsuits and other legal action.
Develop clear, effective, fair, and legal policies
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97. Non-Disclosure Agreements
You have a great idea for a business and you want to protect your idea, but you need help pulling the pieces together. Or, you have been asked to provide a service but the other party wishes to protect their idea. Use a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to help ensure confidentiality: A solid NDA defines what is and what is not confidential, the obligations of the receiving party, and the terms under which the information must remain confidential.
Keep this in mind: Under trade secret law, if you reveal your “secret” to the public you lose your rights to that secret. So if you’re uncomfortable sharing details about your idea, protect yourself and require an NDA is signed before you share information. If you’re asked to sign an NDA and you’re not sure what you’re agreeing to, ask a provider to review the NDA before you sign.
Create a confidentiality agreement to protect your ideas and your business
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| Business Operations > Customer Interactions | ||
| • Customer Responses | • Call Center | • Answering Service |
98. Customer Responses
Many businesses try to engage their customers and create an ongoing relationship – some even try to create a virtual community of sorts. Building an online community can be great for your business, but the time needed to respond to the questions, recommendations, and feedback you receive can be overwhelming. And if you provide customer service, connecting with customers is absolutely critical, especially if they have complaints or need help with your product or service.
Customer response providers can set up web-based chat systems to take care of your customer service needs remotely. Or you can hire a virtual assistant to respond to basic questions and requests on your website or blog, forwarding only the ones they can’t handle to you or another key staffer.
Connect with your customers
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99. Call Center
Users often require technical support to assemble, use, or maintain your product. Unfortunately for you, tech support can be very expensive. Programmers can set up web-based tools or you can rely on phone centers to remotely diagnose and fix problems your customers may experience. You can even create a database to track problems and improve call center response time by providing step-by-step troubleshooting and help guides for operators to use.
The beauty of a call center is its scalability and affordability. Many call centers charge by the hour. If you get less calls your fee is lower, and if you get more calls, you don’t have to worry about adding full-time or part-time employees to your staff.
Ensure cost-effective responses to customer problems and issues
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100. Answering Service
Research shows that more than 50% of first-time callers will not leave a message if they reach an answering machine. And what if there’s an emergency and a customer (or family member) absolutely needs to reach you? Your small businesses may not have the resources to ensure all calls are answered. That’s where an answering service comes in.
It’s a simple process: Once calls are forwarded, the operator can tell which business is being called, answer the phone appropriately, and take messages or answer simple questions. Depending on your needs, other services can not only answer calls but schedule appointments, answer customer questions, receive and forward faxes, and process orders.
To present the right image to your customers you may need someone to answer the phone during normal business hours. Instead of adding staffing, hire an answering service – that way you’ll never miss a call.
Ensure your customers have 24-hour phone access to your business
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