Having spent the bulk of my career in budget-strapped newspapers, small businesses and a nonprofit, I’m always looking for the most efficient, effective way to get things done.
That’s why a recent Inc. article caught my eye: “7 Outsourceable Tasks That Are Stealing Your Productivity.” Almost half of those tasks were communication-related:
- Graphic design and presentation preparation
- Content marketing
- Social media management
I agree that outsourcing these key responsibilities to experts is good strategy. I would, however, argue with the article’s subhead: “Stop wasting time on tasks that don’t fuel growth.”
On the contrary, strategically communicating with your target markets CAN fuel growth by building your brand, keeping your message consistent and positioning you as an expert in your field and your business to be top of mind among consumers.
Admittedly, there’s no value to doing communications badly. That’s why business owners and managers must think hard about the opportunity costs of trying to handle communications DIY and on the fly.
As an accountant, I’ve often heard business owners say they couldn’t afford a bookkeeper. Instead, they wrestled with billing their customers, following up on collections, paying vendors, rushing at year-end to pull financial data together for their taxes – all while trying to build their businesses.
Eventually, most successful businesses recognize having a dedicated person handling the accounting is the only way to ensure that it’s done right – and that the CEO has time to focus on increasing sales and managing the business.
It’s no different with communications. How long have you put off updating your website content because you hate to write or don’t know where to start? Why agonize for hours or days over your newsletter when a professional writer could have a conversation or two with you and write something in half the time? Meanwhile, you could be doing the things you do best and enjoy more, whether that be closing deals, serving clients or creating new products.
DIY communications is cheap when it comes to cash – but expensive when it comes to missed opportunities. You owe it to your company to spend your time on what you do well – and to hire experts to tell the world how great you are.
– Lisa Jessie
C2 Business Strategist
