If you have clicked to read this article, then chances are; you are a blogger looking to expand your horizon, or are a brand who is trying to break out of its limited consumer base or you are a normal fellow just trying to figure things out. Whichever category you fit in, we will try to simplify your search and exhaustive list of questions through this article by giving you just what you want, i.e; how to win at optimizing your content through social media.

First off let’s start with, what social media optimization is?

The answer in lay man terminology is; marketing your brand or yourself on social media by placing advertisement on various form of social media out there, and no I am not talking about those sickening pop up ads telling me I need to update my adobe flash player to view the video I want to watch, and no I don’t want to meet good looking individuals near me.

So if you are thinking of optimizing your content by displaying such adds then I’m sorry this article is not for you. But if you are a sane individual with a bit of class then, please continue reading.

Okay now that we have covered the ‘don’ts’ lets move on to the steps that will make you a winner.

Optimize using visual content :

This point basically means; seeing is believing, if I don’t see it I don’t believe in it. If you are a brand trying to reach a larger audience know that people wont believe it when you say; ‘we are the best company…’ NO people want proof, they want pictures and videos. An online presence on every social media application is highly necessary; make an account on Instagram, reddit, tumblr, snapchat, and every possible social media app you can find, you need to spread the word that you exist and the more annoyingly active you are on social media the more likely it is that people will visit you and get educated on what you are trying to sell.

Make it look pretty:

So chances are if there is no jazz in what you post no body wants to look at it, lets face it, the people love ‘pretty’ anything that is ugly no body wants to waste time on it, so the prettier and nicely put together your content is on social media, it’ll sell. There is a legit reason why we say ‘sex sells’ its because IT DOES, so make sure when establishing an online presence to market yourself or your brand make sure its something that you would like to look at and indulge in, and if you have horrible artistic sense then my friend Pintrist ideas on how to make shit look pretty, its not that hard

If you are going to post photos then make sure they are nicely put together and edited, there is enough lighting and the quality of your photos is top notch

Which photo is more intriguing out of the three?

Save

So I am assuming that you’ve found the ONE.. Yes we’re talking about the person who will be a firewall between you & work anxiety, your go getter, your oracle, your problem solver. Mike to your Harvey – Robin to your Batman… *sigh you know what I am trying to get at! So it’s time to focus now coz this the most important part, it is a make or break. These creatures are very delicate, as I told you before in Part 1, respect is all they desire. If money was the objective, they won’t be doing what they’re doing. So how do you give someone the much needed & anticipated assurance that you dig them, you understand that they’re the best out there & you’re grateful that they decided to work with you.

Be Grateful

Oh yeah, they’ve options-choices, this outsourcing world is a sea. Like the deepest end of the sea with bajillions of people out there looking to hire. SO consider yourself lucky if you find that rare gem & he/she decided to stick with you. So yeah you should be grateful – and yeah you’re paying for the job blah blah blah & so will anyone else & if that person have a whiff of disrespect or disregard for the talent he/she brings to the table.. Woof! They will be gone, like that pigeon which you scared that used to sit on the tree near your window. SO it’s not always about the money, as Ali G would say #Respect!

Discuss Open Channel of Communications & Listen

The moment they step into your domain they will feel the need to make a couple of adjustments, these are changes that they need in order to function & deliver. You ought to provide that enabling environment or they will be of no use to you. Let’s be honest, if everything was so perfect then you won’t be needing them in the first place. So let them make the necessary adjustments, it’s for your own good. It’s a Win-Win, they get to design their own system & you get the monetary benefits. Coz once the ship starts sailing smooth, you know that follows cash flow. So let them pick their working environment, it can be hard but in hind sight it’s totally worth it. AND if they’re not too paranoid or have grown up from the post bachelorette adolescence they won’t rock the boat too much to your displeasure. This can be a tad difficult to adjust to, everyone wants to run things their way, but the important thing is that you should learn to provide a breathing space. Let them create their microclimate & in the meanwhile you can sit back & relax. Intervene when you see a discrepancy and you will see one, just give it some time, and when you do, that’s the time to move to the driving seat & make the compulsive intervention.

Define Realistic Goals & Deadlines (But don’t be a Di*k about it)

It’s very important for anyone, in order to accomplish some things there should be some guidelines & milestones to achieve. But this is for the bigger picture, you don’t have to be so anal about that thing you were supposed to do yesterday. This is life, stuff happens, things pop up at the last minute & sometimes it’s just not meant to be. So let take nature its course & go with the flow for a while. This is very important for establishing an environment that instills confidence & let this settle into minds of human resource tasked to help you run your operations, that they’re supposed to do the job, come what may or whenever. It also goes without saying that these goals & deadlines should be set after close & rigorous brainstorming sessions with concerned human resource tasked to carry out the job. This not only gives a sense of ownership but also helps gauge the interest level & determine whether or not you’re surrounded with people who share your vision. It’s very important that you surround yourself with people who share your vision about work philosophy & even life. This makes decision making easier, when there is a synchronization in thought & action it helps running the show. Therefore you need a Belieber on your side, who beliebs in you not that actual belieber but you know what I am getting at here. Remember as they say, handle with care, these are very delicate, useful & difficult to handle goods. You can gather the best human resource but if you suck at managing them you don’t deserve them in first place. The silver lining here is that they don’t need you to babysit them, you just need to get them, that’s all

So you’re probably reading this because you want to supercharge your business operations & want to use online means for it. Well, congratulations you’ve taken the first step in the right direction. With the Soaring Tax Rates & increasing cost of doing business- the best way to get things done is to involve independent contracts.

But errrmmm that often leads to problems like:

• Delay in Completion of Project
• Inability to Build a Good Rapport with contractors
• No direct over sight over operations
• AND of course Half Way through the Project you realize What Bona Fide Moron you Hired

Now how does one make sure not to get tangled in this clusterf*ck. Well you start by first deciding you want a wingman to get you through the regular activities (Virtual Assistant) or you want to build an online team of professionals (Designer, Writer, Coder/Developer) or Hire an Established Team of Professionals ( Online Agency)

If you’re a startup, the best course of action is to get a Virtual Assistant. It’s like a gamble you might find a very hardworking top notch Type-A Virtual Assistant & he/she will make life easier for you by helping you with day to day activities and help run the operations smoothly.

If you’re in the game for a while & you’ve a couple of G’s to spare, then go bazooka – First get a Virtual Assistant who know the ropes a little better than you or can equally contribute in putting together a kick ass team. They’re out there, you just need to lure them in with a lucrative job post, explaining the responsibilities in detail & paying the right price for their skill set & expertise.

OR you can simply hire an Online Agency to fully outsource your operations & you don’t have to worry about hiring anyone or dealing with them at all. You just give out your requirements to the point of contact in that agency & they will get the job done for you. The catch is that they work fixed price, you’ve to pay them lump sum every month & that’s usually 4 figures and sometimes five. SO there is that!

HAVING SAID THAT… as I said it all comes down to getting the right person/agency to do the job. SO how do you do that?

Well you start by building a list. The list goes something like this:-

1. What needs to be done? (Scope of Project)
2. What’s your Budget? (Very Important) It Affects the rest of list

Got Deep Pockets?

Hire THE BEST out there, who has a record of doing similar jobs. Will give a more hands on guide to do it in part 2 – Possibly go for an agency that is in the business for a while & have a record to show.

Working with Limited Budget?

Well it makes things a little dicey but nothing that complicated. It’s just that the probability of ‘hit & try’ increase a little – coz let’s face it, quality has a price & at such an early stage not many can pay that. SO don’t get bogged down if you bump into some total morons at first. They will sound promising and say all the right things. BUT when it comes to doing hands on things & delivering – not many can do that.
DON’T LET THEM THINK YOU’RE DESPERATE!!!

Let’s talk about first about the kind of employers who got the Gs to pay for a seasoned professional with a work history…
These websites UpWork, Freelancer, Design Crowd etc provides you access to profiles of contractors with their work history & feedback left by previous employers or clients-who rendered their services on these platforms. So this should give you a pretty good idea to vet a potential candidate for the job. THEREFORE look for agencies that have a history to show. You can find plenty choose the one you find suitable for your requirements.
Also when you post a job at these platforms, the system automatically selects a bunch of online contractors for you to choose from. I would say its better to look around a little or wait for someone to show interest in your job post & respond to them rather than running after someone and plead them to do your job. DON’T LET THEM THINK YOU’RE DESPERATE.

Find a Super Cool Awesome Califragilistic Reliable Wing Man

Finding a superstar (superstars with a profile history don’t come cheap BUT they’re super effective read: sometimes) These guys are established professionals, who have no dearth of work or clients. What they want is to be challenged ALL THE TIME! Yeah they don’t like monotony in their work, they’ve done similar tasks & spend hundreds of hours doing the same thing AGAIN & AGAIN.

After a while they wear out, lose interest & before you know it, your knight in shining armor is off color & worked out. If they’re jack holes they will bail out but those with a semblance of basic human courtesy they stick with you as long as the job requires but they won’t be able to give their 100 percent. So the key is to keep it interesting and communication. Yes they are working from home & don’t have a “real job” but that doesn’t mean that their skill set isn’t at par with a seasoned professional. There are many who choose to live their lives like this, it’s the feeling of fulfilment & making a different that compel to live an unorthodox lifestyle.

Trust me, coming from someone who is in the online gig for almost a decade now, we’ve our days & there are moments here & there, which makes us second guess the choices we’ve made over time but eventually we come to terms with our reality, which involves working in our PJs & looking after business portfolios that amounts to millions of dollars.

Ergo, what your potential wing man yearns for is recognition, constant pat on the back & challenge. Keep throwing things at him/her, keep the communication channels open & establish a potent respectful working relationship-then see the magic. If they’re working 4 folds below the minimum wage doesn’t mean they’re bus boy/girl – most of them are qualified professionals with college education- So #Respect!

ALRIGHT go search for that “Wing Man” —- and you find one, come back to read the part 2 – where I explain HOW you steer that workforce to get the desired results for supercharging your business operations.