Julie's Outsourcing Space

This is a place where I would be exercising my creative content creating muscles to expand my experience and, more importantly, my confidence. SO PLEASE BE NICE.

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Since startups need to focus on its specialized and core operations to ensure its long-term success -- it has the natural tendency to shy away from focusing too much on routine and repetitive tasks. This is where a business process outsourcing provider comes in handy. Click the lick provided below to understand which functions can be outsourced by startup companies:

https://www.bigoutsource.com/blog/startups-can-outsource-outsourcing-company/

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COMMUNICATION EFFICIENCY USING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE

A Very Brief History of the English Language

English takes its name from “Anglisc”, the language that the Angles spoke.

The Angles, along with the Jutes and Saxons, were the three Germanic tribes that invaded England way back in the 5th century AD. The arrival of these Germanic tribes prompted the beginning of what we now know as “Old English”, which was spoken from 450–1100 AD.

The Norman conquest of England, however, spearheaded by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, ushered in the era of “Middle English”, which was widely spoken in England from 1100–1500.

Then came the phenomenon in history known as “The Great Vowel Shift” a dramatic and radical change in the way that words were pronounced. This, and the “English Renaissance”, also referred to as the “Elizabethan Era” or the “Age of Shakespeare” as a token of honor to the revered monarch and the celebrated writer who lived during that time period, introduced what we now know as “Early Modern English” (1500–1800). Later on, the invention of the printing press that standardized spelling and grammar brought in the English that continues to live unto this day, the “Late Modern English”(1800-Present).

The Importance of the English Language

The English language, widely considered as the language that is probably the richest and the most extensive when it comes to vocabulary, is considered as the world’s “lingua franca”. A number of people have also dubbed it as the “international language” — which is not exactly surprising. You can go to any country, in any continent, and you’re very likely to encounter someone who could speak the language. A common ground, a reaching hand, a connecting bridge between the roughly estimated 7,111 languages that are being spoken in the world at the present. It’s role in establishing connections and relations cannot be emphasized enough. It is the language of international business, and the language of the indispensable computer network that a huge chunk of the entire human population utilizes in their daily lives — the internet. It is efficient and easily learned, flexible enough to evolve depending on the geological location it is being spoken at, and dynamic enough to change and adapt in accordance to the technological advances the civilization is constantly going through by giving birth to new words and terminologies.

The Kind of English You Should Learn

But there is only one kind of English right? Well- no. Depending on where you are, the way that the English language is used can vary dramatically. The way that words are spelled, for example: American English would spell “color” and “favor” while British English would spell these words as “colour” and “favour”. There is also the difference on how people from both countries would call certain objects, a few of which are shown below:

The most distinct and most obvious difference, however, would be the pronunciation of words, which is what usually makes conversation between two people from different nationalities somewhat difficult even though they are both supposedly using English as a medium of communication. And to think, these examples only encompasses the difference of English between two countries. According to Wikipedia, in 2015, there were 67 sovereign states and 27 non-sovereign entities where English is an official language. To put this in perspective, there are currently 195 independent sovereign states. That’s 34.36% of all the officially recognized countries in the world. For the sake of further comparison, the French language is official in 29 countries, the Spanish language is official in 20 countries, the German language is official in 6 countries, and Chinese is recognized as the official language for 7 countries, though they are mostly not mutually intelligible.

To become an effective communicator that could be easily understood, however, there is one method that has been proven to be one of the most efficient- speaking with a “neutral accent”.

Ever wonder why news anchors seem to speak in the same way? Why they all seem to have the same cadence and tone? That is because they are utilizing the standard broadcasting English. An accent-less, neutral enunciation of words. And the end result is something that is smooth and refined, an almost flawless delivery that could be understood by viewers, even those who might be from different nationalities.

There are, however, a few important factors that come to play in determining whether an accent can be considered neutral or not, and they include but are not limited to:

Generally and easily understandable, regardless of the type of English the listener is accustomed to.

Relatively, if not completely, devoid of any regionalisms, and is therefore,

Not distinguishable as originating from any specific place or country.

Neutral accent is as universal as you can get when it comes to the English language. It can be advantageous in so many ways- but how exactly do you acquire it? While there are obviously classes that could be taken to obtain this skill, there is no reason at all that it cannot be learnt at the comfort of your own home.

The first and easiest way would be to keep watching and listening to people who have the type of “neutral accent” that you want to learn. It’s the same principle that is in practice when people who watch Harry Potter or Game of Thrones enough times start to acquire the ability to speak with a British accent. The internet is a minefield of information and resources- utilize it.

The next step, obviously, would be to put in practice what you have learned. Practice, practice ceaselessly, over and over. Having someone to converse with is another great way to acclimate yourself to this method of speech. Take a newspaper, an article, a textbook, or any kind of reading material and read it out loud. Record your voice so you could determine the things that you need to change and improve on.

Moderate your speed. Do not speak too fast. Take your time with each word, and enunciate them clearly. Open your mouth wide when you speak, and take periodic stops for air so as not to appear out of breath.

Another simple trick would be to incorporate tongue twisters in your training. This helps stretch and exercise muscles that are necessary for speech. Tongue twisters are known for being a fun way to gain clearer pronunciation and fluency in any given language.

Remember that the dictionary is your friend. Especially if English isn’t your primary language, your pronunciation of certain words and terminologies might be affected by what is called the mother tongue influence. If unsure, never be embarrassed to ask the dictionary for help, or even to look up the proper pronunciation online. The first step in correcting a mistake is in acknowledging that it exists in the first place. There is no shame in learning.

Last Words

The English language is undoubtedly one of the most influential and widely used languages in the world right now. For a language that originated from what could be considered as a relatively small part of the globe, it has come a long, long way indeed.

And to a lot of people in this day and age, English is not just a means to communicate- it’s a key to opening doors and opportunities. Who’s to argue that it’s not? From movies, newspapers, blogs and articles on the web — the English language is everywhere.

It would not be such a leap of faith to say that it’s relevance and prominence is there to stay. Given this, it could be concluded that being able to communicate efficiently using the English language is not only a convenient knack anymore, but has turned into a necessary skill to gain considerable advantage in many aspects of life.

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How the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Affects the Market and the Outsourcing Industry

These days, it seems like all that can be heard from the news are updates about the 2019 Novel Corona Virus. Every day, the death toll rises. Every day, there are more infections. And every day, the virus travels to even more countries at an alarming speed that sent the rest of the World scrambling to formulate emergency plans in an effort to stop the entry and the further spread of the deadly illness.

What exactly is the 2019 Novel Coronavirus?

The Coronavirus (CoV) is a family of viruses that is the cause of a wide range of diseases that could be as easy to treat as common cold, to deadly ones such as Severe Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). These coronaviruses can be transferred from animals to humans. The 2019 Novel Coronavirus or the 2019-nCov, is suspected to have originated from bats, and initially broke out from Wuhan, China. Like most coronaviruses, the 2019-nCoV affects the respiratory system. The most common symptoms are the following:

·        Fever

·        Cough

·        Shortness of breath

2019-nCoV; causing sickness not just in people, but in market stocks as well

Now not only people in affected areas are shaking in fear of this Wuhan-born illness. Investors are also sent reeling from the sudden crash of stocks. It’s being said that the 2019-nCoV is hitting the market harder than the past Coronavirus outbreaks. Global stocks are down and continue to plummet amidst the chaos and fear. Forbes also states that if this latest Coronavirus becomes as deadly as SARS, then it could potentially cause serious harm to China’s economic stability.

Coronavirus’ and its effects in the outsourcing community

It is widely known that China is one of the most famous outsourcing destinations. From manufacturing to providing IT services such as technical support and software development, China has proven to be a very convenient place for big and small enterprises alike to go to in search of cheap labour. Business Insider even went as far as to state that China is the number one outsourcing country in the world, with an outsourcing market that grows by thirty percent each year.

It also can’t be denied that the United States, home to enumerable conglomerate giants, is one of China’s biggest customers – which meant that when President Donald Trump ignited the infamous Sino-American trade war, China’s outsourcing industry also inevitably took a hit.

And with this latest lethal disease that threatens to alienate not just the U.S. but most of China’s foreign clientele as well, it is only reasonable to speculate that the country’s outsourcing industry will also most likely take another crippling blow.

On the other hand, the companies that decided to opt out of Chinese services are predicted to turn to other outsourcing countries like Philippines and India to fulfill their outsourcing needs. This also means that smaller, lesser known outsourcing firms and providers would have a chance to increase their client base.

Final words

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus has affected many aspects of the people’s daily lives. It has caused harm not just to the health of the population, but also the economy.

Our hopes and prayers are that every party affected by this deadly virus would be able to bounce back, fully recovered in the near future.

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Virtual Assistants: Everything You Should Know About Them

 For the uninitiated, what exactly is a Virtual Assistant?

Well, for the most part, a virtual assistant provides a professional administrative, technical and creative assistance to individual clients and businesses from an off-site location. The specifics of their tasks, however, may vary wildly depending on the agreement with the employer. They may include the following:

Appointment scheduling

Call handling

Email filtering and responding

Travel arrangement

Data entry

Social media management

Online research

Presentation and report creation

Website maintenance

Digital marketing

Search engine optimization

Lead generation

Content creation

Attendance tracking

Client acquisition

Event planning

Customer service

Graphic design

Transcription

Blogging

Bookkeeping

Accounting

Bills payment

Purchasing and procurement

 Brief History

The exact date of the beginning to virtual assistants is unknown, although it is generally considered that they began offering their services sometime in the ‘90s, naturally stemming from the existing secretarial sector and the sudden rise to the technology that allowed employer and employee to communicate seamlessly despite being in different locations.

The 24 Hour Secretary (Please hyperlink, Anchor text: The 24 Hour Secretary, URL: www.the24hoursecretary.com/virtual-assistant-industry/) mentions its history, and the pioneers who broke the ground and paved the way for today’s thriving virtual assistant industry.

1981 ABSSI

Association of Business Support Services, International was formed, the first organization that supported work-at-home moms, USA.

1985 HOME SECRETARIES

Led by Ms. Linda Anderson. An organization of home-based secretaries, serving many communities, USA.

1995 CHRISTINE DURST

Ms. Christine Durst, co-founder of StaffCentrix, along with Michael Haaren, take credit for founding the Virtual Assistance industry in 1995, USA.

1996 A CLAYTON'S SECRETARY

Ms. Kathie Thomas founded the first Virtual Assistant Industry network in Australia, AU.

1998 GLOBAL ASSOCIATION OF VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS

Ms. Amy Sarai and Ms. Julie Hewitt are identified as the founders, UK.

ASSIST U

Ms. Stacey Brice takes credit for starting the industry and opened the 1st VA industry training program, USA.

 The Importance of Virtual Assistants

For business people, time is a commodity that is in many ways more important than money -- it’s valuable, and once lost, it cannot be earned back.

Now, what happens when you spend it working on inane repetitive tasks that could be offloaded to another person, instead of working on improving and marketing your business?

The answer is simple, really: you end up wasting it.

Virtual assistants help set you free from the constricting shackles of mundane chores, and enable you to focus on core functions.

Especially for startups and SMEs who cannot afford to spend inordinate amounts of resources for the acquisition and maintenance of in-house personnel, hiring virtual assistants instead are very advantageous. Since most virtual assistants are contractors, their employers are not obligated to shell out additional dollars for their employee-related taxes, insurances, retirement plans, benefits and other indirect expenses that most fulltime onsite employees are entitled to -- unless, of course, there is a different compensation agreement in the contract.

 Outstanding Virtual Assistants and Where to Find Them

Having a virtual assistant around to take care of things for you is an excellent idea -- given that you hire a good one, that is.

It goes without saying that the quality of output you can expect from an employee of any kind in any position depends heavily on that employee’s skills and values. There are certain criterion that must be met, and certain skills that must be present in the candidate to be truly considered an excellent virtual assistant.

A virtual assistant must at the very least be able to consistently provide efficient back-office, administrative and clerical assistance to the client. Because of the unusually extensive range of the tasks that are often required, a virtual assistant must also have superior organizational and multitasking abilities. An excellent technological know-how is vital, since there are numerous software and devices that a virtual assistant must work with on a daily basis.

The following values should be observed to be present as well:

·         Flexibility and adaptability

·         Loyalty

·         Strong work ethic

·         Responsibility

·         Attentiveness

·         Creativity

·         Honesty and credibility

·         Initiative

Having said all these, one question still remains: where exactly can you find your ideal virtual assistant?

The virtual assistant industry is part of the digital economy. It’s internet-reliant, so to speak. This means that to find virtual assistants, you would need to rely a lot on web-based hiring platforms. Here are some of them:

 Upwork

Upwork, formerly Elance-oDesk, is a global freelancing platform where businesses and independent professionals connect and collaborate remotely. In 2015, Elance-oDesk was rebranded as Upwork. It is based in Santa Clara and San Francisco, California. The full name is Upwork Global Inc.

 Fiverr

Fiver is a global intermediary that allows people to buy and sell products and services for as low as five dollars, hence the name. It’s an online marketplace for freelancers, founded in 2010 and based in Tel Aviv, Israel

 OnlineJobs

OnlineJobs is the largest remote job boards and resume database in the Philippines. The site is geared toward Western business owners looking to hire dedicated full or part-time remote staff.

 VA Networking

Like the previous three, VA Networking is the middle ground where employer meets with prospective employee. The biggest difference is that VA Networking caters exclusively to freelance virtual assistants.

 LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an American business and employment oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Founded on December 28, 2002, and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs.

 The last and perhaps the most reliable place to look for the perfect virtual assistant are BPO companies

BPO, or Business Process Outsourcing companies provide business-to-business outsourcing services that could range anywhere from customer service to software development.

One of the main disadvantages of hiring a freelance home-based virtual assistant is the sheer difficulty in terms of monitoring activity. There are very limited ways to ensure that the hired VA is actuality working on the allotted tasks during the shift.

BPO companies, on the other hand, are guaranteed to have an organizational structure. Virtual assistants working under the supervision of a team leader or a project manager are almost guaranteed to produce better and more consistent results.

 Final Words

The virtual assistant concept is generally a very good one.

The world will always have a need for secretarial services, and the VA industry, with its ability to work closely and efficiently with existing technologies like VOIPs, its relative cheapness and overall convenience answered this need more than well enough.

However, just like with every kind of off-site employee working in a remote location, there are risks that come with hiring virtual assistants.

The good news is that there are also ways to mitigate these risks.

With proper screening and evaluation, finding a good, reliable virtual assistant to significantly reduce your workload should not be impossible.

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There must be thousands of outsourcing providers in the world right now.

Learn what makes Big Outsource stand out amidst the fierce competition by watching this highly informative video.

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At&t is planning to cut its expenditures by $3 billion this year -- and to hire even more offshore employees.

More and more companies are also turning to outsourcing as they seek new and effective ways to cut costs.

To learn how you can do the same, don't hesitate to reach out to us by calling the following numbers:

US [phone] 

PH [phone] 

UK [phone] 

AU [phone] 

CA [phone]

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Ever feel like there’s not enough hours in a day to do everything?

Or that you’re spending too much time on inane, routine tasks that you don’t have any left for core processes?

Then you might just need a virtual assistant!

Click here to reach Big Outsource, a premium outsourcing services provider with an excellent track record when it comes to providing businesses the personalized service they need: https://www.bigoutsource.com/contact-us/

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On The Rise; Outsourcing Trends for the Year 2020

The digital era has come out of its dawn and is steadily working its way towards its brightest peak, remodeling the world in a pace that humanity can barely keep up with. And as 2019 draws to a momentous close, the stage prepares to accommodate the incoming year and its attendant changes.

In anticipation of these events, here is a list of events and trends that would potentially influence and sculpt the landscape of the outsourcing industry in the year 2020.

 The Sino-American Trade War

The Sino-American Trade War, or better known as the Chinese-American Trade War, is the ongoing heated battle between two of the world’s largest and most powerful economies. It infamously originated from current United States President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on imported Chinese goods, which of course led to China's retaliation by imposing its own tariffs on imported US products. After a long exchange of threats and even more tariffs and trade barriers, both camps appear to finally be reaching a less hostile common ground – although perfect amicability still seems off the table for now.

The United States is one of the biggest consumers of outsourced products and services. On the other hand, the People’s Republic of China according to Business Insider is the world’s top outsourcing country with an outsourcing market that grows by 30 percent each year. It’s not such a leap of faith to say that United States probably outsources a lot of its processes to China – but with the existing conflict between the two countries, it’s more than a distinct possibility that US based corporations are likely to look for other popular outsourcing destinations like the Philippines and India to avoid being hit as the economic battle rages on.

 Customer Service Outsourcing 

In this digital age, everyone who has an opinion to share have enumerable ways to express themselves. This is a double edged sword for businesses. As the White House Office of Consumer Affairs states, a single dissatisfied customer will likely tell 9-15 people about their disappointing experience – magnified by the power of the social media, this single dissatisfied customer might just prove detrimental to the company’s reputation and revenue.

Even now, brands like Ford Motor Company, Cisco, American Express, JP Morgan Chase and others utilize this power to their own advantage, and are relying on offshore BPO companies to handle their customer relations. With these names fanning the understandable hype of focusing on client satisfaction, we anticipate that there would be a definite rise in the number of businesses who outsource their customer service in the coming year.

 Social Media Management Outsourcing

As of 2019, the social media platform Facebook alone amassed a total of 2.45 billion of monthly active users. This equates to 31.4 percent of the world’s total population, which is estimated to be currently at 7.8 billion. As the number of people who have access to the internet and the many different social media platforms rise, businesses and corporations hasten to establish a formidable social media presence. Small and mid-size enterprises, however, often cannot afford to hire a full-time on-site employee for the sake of social media management alone. For these companies, outsourcing is an alternative that would allow them to reap the full benefits of being on social media without having to break the bank.

 Staff Acquisition and Recruitment Process Outsourcing

As outsourcing is predicted to overtake other industries in the very near future, more and more processes are also expected to be widely outsourced. Recruitment Process Outsourcing, or RPO, is no exception. RPO is simply the act of entrusting the hiring process of a company to a third party. The company usually provides their own candidate qualifications, requirements, and a highly specified screening process. For many businesses, but especially for startups and SMEs, outsourcing is a solution that allows them to nitpick their potential employees to their hearts’ content without having to spend too much on unnecessary expenses. This is why we expect to see RPO outsourcing to become more mainstream by next year.

 Healthcare Finance and Administrative Outsourcing

The Center for American Progress projects that by the end of 2019,  U.S. payers and providers would have spent almost $500 billion on healthcare-related billing and administrative costs alone. As inflation hits the economy, and as healthcare regulations turn more rigid, this amount is expected to hike up even further in the near future. To cut back on expenses, many healthcare organizations have turned to outsourcing in the past years. Even more are anticipated to join their ranks -- according to a survey by Healthcare Finance News, up to 98 percent of hospital leaders are deciding whether to offload their day-to-day non-core processes to third party outsourcing providers in the attempt to reduce operational costs.

 Due to a number of factors such as geopolitical conflicts, emerging economies, new innovations and rising technologies, the world is constantly on the cusp of change.

Tech giants are continually looking for ways to establish themselves as modern pioneers. Billion-dollar industries are perpetually devising strategies to gain more customers and increase revenues.

Amidst all this, we at Big Outsource believe that there is a middle ground that would allow even SMEs to succeed. We also believe that information is power – which is why we think it’s essential to look at the past months to be able to at least partly anticipate the changes that might occur in the future. Because ultimately, we believe that one of the most vital keys to success is realizing the power of making informed decisions.

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Did you know that 58.8% of the world's current population have access to the internet? Digital Marketing has never been as relevant as it is now! Don't deprive your business the opportunity to be exposed to BILLIONS of audience and potential clients. Learn more here: https://www.bigoutsource.com/blog/7-types-digital-marketing-use/

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Ever feel like there's not enough hours in the day to get things done? Or that you're spending too much time working on dull, repetitive day-to-day tasks that you have none left for core functions? Then you probably need a virtual assistant! Click here to find out more : https://www.bigoutsource.com/disciplines/virtual-assistance/

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GETTING THE MOST OUT OF OUTSOURCING, AN INSIDER’S OPINION

Outsourcing is not exactly some kind of secret recipe to success that only a few are privy to anymore- it has been mainstream for some time now. Almost every kind of business is outsourcing one process or another.

Everyone certainly has something to say about it these days.

But why are outsourcing success stories not being told as much as expected, given the number of people who are into it? Why aren’t you telling yours still?

There must be a number of reasons why outsourcing isn’t working out as good for you, but the most probable one is: you aren’t doing it right. Don’t be offended. Even seasoned outsourcers make mistakes. But the difference is, pros learn from their mistakes and move on from it, while outsourcing newbies just keep on going despite the negative results hoping something would go right along the way.

Don’t be that newbie.

One of the most common pitfalls of outsourcing is also one of its greatest strengths: it’s affordability.

If the service is so cheap you could practically smell the rotting corpses of all the failed projects and dissatisfied victims left in its wake, do you a.) still hire the company cause cheaper is always better, right? b.) adapt a semblance of common sense and realize that your business is in mortal peril, and run towards the opposite direction as fast as possible.

It’s been mentioned before, but it really is worth mentioning over and over again- do not sacrifice quality service for cheap rates. It really isn’t worth it.

Another thing that you should remember, is that your outsourcing partner isn’t a psychic.

No amount of outsourcing skill or experience will let the outsourcing partner you hired know what your goals and intentions for your project are, unless you state them clearly. Even before you decide who to outsource to, you should know what you want. Create a game plan. Specify which services you want to avail, for how long should they run, and how many people you want to be in the project. Set your limits and your rules. Always, always remember to communicate your visions as clearly as possible so as not to leave room for second-guessing and even less for mistakes.

Remain involved- don’t just find an BPO company and dump all responsibility into its waiting arms. That’s now how outsourcing works.

Just because you are paying someone else to take care of certain processes, does not mean that you could wash your hands off them completely. There is still a level of involvement needed to make sure that things remain running as smoothly as they should.

On the other hand, how do you know that things are really going well? Sure, its nice to hear verbal reassurances, but let’s be honest here, you’re going to need more than that to determine how your project is performing. The surefire way of getting the answers you want and need?

Get reports.

Regularly.

After all, what are goals and metrics for if you don’t even have the means to measure if you’re hitting all- or none- of them? And when you do get the reports, don’t just let them sit on your desk like boring decorations or leave them to acquire mold in your inbox. Make it a habit to peruse them. If you don’t know enough that you can’t really understand what the charts, the numbers and the spreadsheets are supposed to be telling you? Get someone to explain it to you. Better yet, ask the people who sent the reports. Remember, you have the right to know the smallest detail on your outsourcing project. Being too shy or too proud to ask someone to explain to you how things work isn’t going to help you improve as an outsourcer. If anything, it shows an unwillingness to learn that could very well be detrimental to success. Bottom line is, the data in those reports are essential in measuring what you’ve already reached, and how much farther you still have to go. Make receiving them a requirement in the initial agreement with your outsourcing provider, if its not already.

Finally, if you really are a newbie in the world of outsourcing, don’t hesitate to ask the pros and the “experts” for advise. They are the people who have walked down the road you’re just beginning travel, and have seen the many advantages and drawbacks of outsourcing. If experience is a teacher, then these people are the senior students to your freshman. They can help you steer clear of the things that are not going to give you the results you want.

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DIGITAL MARKETING 101; CREATING CONTENT TO ENSNARE THE MILLENNIAL HEART

Content is everything.

Content is king.

As digital marketers, we’ve read this proclamation so many times it’s burned in our brains. It’s been said over and over and over- so much that when I see the word “content”, it’s the first thing that comes to my mind. And it certainly is true.

Content still is, and would almost certainly always be, king.

It’s the heart and soul of every campaign. It’s the building blocks where we build our social media following. It’s the magnet that attracts behind every advertisement. It sends our narrative, our story, our message across to our target audience.

It builds credibility.

It establishes authority.

It attracts- which, I think, is its most basic, yet most important function for those of us who use it primarily for marketing.

Now the question arises.

Who do we want to attract?

Of course it’d be nice to think that we could write a piece that would engage and attract the attention of every group and denomination. But we have to be realistic and set our goals accordingly. Every time we create content, just as we always think about the quality of the article, or the infographic, or the podcast that we are creating, we should also be keeping in mind the people who we want to be on the receiving end of our finished product.

For me, those people more-often-than-not, turn out to be millennials. Which then, brings us to the title of this article:

DIGITAL MARKETING 101; CREATING CONTENT TO ENSNARE THE MILLENNIAL HEART

When we think about millennials, most of us often scrunch up our noses and think, pumpkin spice latte, twitter rage, trophies, student debts, entitlement etc. Which is a bunch of harmful stereotypes that does not exactly promote generational unity, but let’s not talk about that.

Instead, let’s define the term: Millennial.

Contrary to popular belief, millennials are not teenagers. Millennials are young adults, whose age range typically fall between 18-35 years, sometimes older (different groups have different opinions on the exact range). To clear any misconceptions, here is the general agreed upon birth years for different generations:

And according to Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, Millennials are actually the largest generation in the U.S labor force.

Which is good news for me, and other digital marketers and content creators whose target audience are millennials, for the most part. Because it means that the people we are writing for are earning money. It sounds mercenary, but again- let’s be real here. The main reason why we do content marketing is to attract customers. Prospective clients.

Buyers.

Since the mediums wherein most content creators like me disseminate our pieces are found in the internet, it’s also important to know just how much of our intended audience actually have access in it.

Statista, a site that publishes statistical analysis of facts and figures recently released the following:

SHARE OF ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES WHO USE THE INTERNET IN 2019, BY AGE GROUP

“The statistic shows share of internet users in the United States in 2019, sorted by age group. During the survey period, it was found that 100 percent of 18 to 29-year olds in the United States were internet users. Overall, 90 percent of the adult U.S. population accessed the internet.”

 –STATISTA

The glaring numbers don’t lie. A huge chunk of the majority of the people actually spending time in the internet are- you guessed it- young adults. Again, good news for us, right?

Well, yes.

Also, not entirely.

See, just because they are in the internet, or are in social media, does not mean that they are instantly going to fall heads over heels with our content. Just because I published an article on Tumblr, or posted a link to my blog on Facebook and they happened to see it, does not mean that millennials will automatically start sharing and hitting the like button. There’s always the chance that they might ignore it. Or worse, start hating it so much that I become a victim to the of the prevalent boycott movement, the cancel culture.

Yes, that’s a thing now.

Millennials are like a double-edged sword, so to speak.

There are a lot of pitfalls in making them our target viewers, to be sure. But if there’s one thing that I know from experience, it’s this: the gains and advantages that can be reaped from having millennials as an audience far outweighs the cons.

Having said all that, it’s also very important to remember that this generation is not exactly impossible to please. To capture their attention, there are few things that can be implemented that won’t necessarily cost any money- just a considerable amount of effort from our part.

1. Be conscious of political correctness

Generation Y is a generation of socially conscious individuals. Remember, that these people were raised in a time where equality and awareness are the main advocacies. I am not saying that we need to start turning our backs on our own political beliefs and start catering to theirs- let’s just be mindful enough not trip over sensitive issues in our content unless that is exactly what our purpose is. Let’s try to avoid publishing material that blatantly belittles or discriminates against people because of their race, body type, hair, gender, age, culture, fame (or lack thereof), social status etc. The general rule of the thumb is, to be nice as much as we can, and respect people the way that we want to be respected.

2. Be aware of trends

I’m not talking about eating Tide Pods or mimicking other challenges that are physically harmful. I’m talking about trends in technology, software and social media updates, fashion, clothing lines, restaurants, travel, philanthropic acts and charitable institutions, art, architecture. Of course, we all have our own niche to pay attention to, but with a little bit of effort, there’s an unending number of trending topics out there that are just waiting to be featured no matter what industry we are currently focusing on.

3. Stop sounding like salesperson

In my opinion, this does not just apply to millennials, but to every audience subtype. Stop being so obvious that you are selling something. Instead, tell a story. Make your viewers empathize. Be a friend- someone who actually cares and someone who they can relate to.

Don’t tell them:

Buy my shoes. They have great price compared to other shoes.

Instead, tell them:

I have worked in a corporate office almost all of my adult life, and have always worn heels. I have shed copious amounts of tears from bleeding blisters, and have since learned to always keep a supply of band-aids in my purse and a small first-aid kit in my desk. But what can I do? There’s an office dress code that I apparently agreed to when I signed my contract. I could quit- but then what’d I do for my bills? Should I tell my mother I am unemployed, because I didn’t like my shoes?

That’s when I started to think- why not make my own? Something that I can actually design, something that is comfortable and does not cost a house mortgage.

See where I’m going with this? With more time effort, it’s not impossible to make the part that advertises a certain product or service even more low-key than this. We have to make our selling points part of the natural flow of the narrative. Remember: subtlety is the key.

4. Use millennial buzzwords

Language is dynamic. It’s constantly changing. Time, geographical location, culture, events- these things and more affect the evolution of language so much and with such consistency that it’s almost impossible to determine its original state. As years pass by, people incorporate more and more slangs and new terminologies in their everyday lives.

I won’t say that it’s absolutely necessary to imbue our every article with terms like bop, lit, or salty- just that there are certain terms or “buzzwords” that we can add in our writing that would make us seem more like a peer than a lecturer. It sounds silly, I know, but the goal is to be relatable. Here are some of the words that millennials have been known to use in the past year that could also be used in creating content, within the right context, of course:

Spill the tea

The struggle is real

Trolls

Goals

On fleek

Clap back

Break the internet

Said no one ever

Slay

Adulting

Here’s another advice- we don’t necessarily have to over-stuff our sentences with these buzzwords. Let it flow naturally. The secret is to sound casual, not to overdo the whole thing and end up sounding silly.

5. Inform and educate

The last, but most certainly not the least. The internet, for most of its users, act heavily as a source of information. When people read articles, guides, tutorials, and other types of content, one of the main reasons that they do so, is to learn. But in the event when people are reading for entertainment purposes, it’s still important to make sure that they get to take something out of it.

And even when we end up writing about, say, the dazzling blue waters of a certain Polynesian island, or the breathtaking view atop the Grand Canyon, let’s make sure to inject bits and pieces of interesting facts and advice that would make the reading experience not just fun, but also enriching in a way that would encourage visitors not just to return, but to also share our material to the rest of the digital world.

From the rise to the number of users for the information crowdsourcing site Quora, to the popularity of online entities Mashable, and the types of articles, infographics, quotations, and other forms of shareable materials that young adults are sharing on social media platforms, it is evident that millennials are leaning more and more towards content that contains fascinating information.

It is important to note that most people are heavily motivated by the desire to share something that they think others would also like. For our part, we have to make sure that our products are sufficiently valuable and are interesting enough to warrant their reposts and willing dissemination.

Final words

Always be reminded that in digital and content marketing, researching about the target audience is as important as ensuring that the technical aspects of content creation are on point, and that learning about the trends in the behaviours and opinions of the people we want to send our message to is absolutely vital, because it helps us tailor our content to their tastes and interests.

[digital-marketing-in-the-ai-era]

A professor explained #marketing to MBA students.

[millennialdigital-blog]

How to deliver excellent customer experience to Millennial’s

[juliesoutsourcingblog]

Just a few more hours and the working days are over! Still enough time to learn more about outsourcing ;)

To find out more, head on over to https://www.bigoutsource.com/getting-started/

[juliesoutsourcingblog]

ALL ABOUT OUTSOURCING DATA ENTRY; THE HOWS, WHATS AND WHYS

When people think of outsourcing, they immediately think- call center services. And while call center service is indeed a process that is perhaps one of the most often outsourced, it is far from being the only one. Outsourcing also includes but is not limited to:

Appointment setting and live transfers

Accounting

Social media marketing

Content creation

Back office support

Campaign creation and management

Mobile app development

Web design and development

Search engine optimization

Software development

Editing and proofreading

Data entry happens to be one of these services as well.

But what exactly is data entry?

In simple words, data entry can be defined as the process of converting data or information from different paper documents (forms, reports, memos, receipts, manuals etc.) into any type of electronic format. Using word processing software hosted on computers, it can actually be performed online or offline.

Now, why is data entry important?

The answer is... because companies in almost every industry produce tons of data every single day.

From the simple task of purchasing hand sanitizers to tracking weekly performance- there’s no helping it. Paper work piles up. And while it’s tedious and repetitive, there’s no denying that detailed documenting is absolutely essential to keep track of the developments and changes in different parts of the company. For one thing, it allows owners to observe, and therefore control the movement of the company’s finances. For another, it also provides insights into the performance of specific individuals, teams, and the company in general. Paper documents were very useful for these purposes- but they also came with a number of setbacks. Paper documents weren’t exactly the easiest to maintain. They required lots of space, they required constant cleaning, and they were very difficult to keep track of and to retrieve when they are needed. Data entry was practically the miracle solution for these very problems.

The development of data entry played a key role in revolutionizing the way that companies maintain databases, directories, and other types of records and documents forever. With data entry, any type of information that has been converted properly can now be extracted in a matter of seconds and minutes. Storage has also ceased being as big of a problem as it used to, since computer and cloud storages are now accessible for much less the price that actual hardcopy storages would have cost.

Now, different businesses in different industries utilize data entry in differing ways. Some of the ways data entry is being used as is legal, PowerPoint and PDF, transcription, translation, and word and excel data entry. But there is, of course, a sort of general way of approaching data entry- and it is divided into five important stages:

 Mining

Some data might be already available, but that is not always the case. In many cases, data entry personnel need to go through large databases to collect mostly raw, unprocessed data.

 Inventory

Inventory is simple enough to understand from its title alone. It’s basically the process of taking account and making a list of every single data that has been collected.

Clean up

It’s the task of sorting through the collected documents and weeding out the unnecessary, duplicate and redundant data.

 Classification

Classification is the process that is responsible of sorting the documents into their proper categories.

 Processing

This stage transforms raw data into clumps of useful and easily understood information. In this part of the process, surveys, polls, statistics and others are turned into reports, theses, presentations etc.

 Conversion

Conversion is easily what could be considered as the most important part of the data entry stages. This is where hard copies or paper documents are transfigured into electronic documents that can be accessed via a number of electronic devices like computers, laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

 Dissemination and storage

The final part of the data entry process is no less vital than the others. In this stage, the processed and completely converted files are sent to the people who are supposed to have access to them. It is also in this stage that they are stored in secure electronic storages that also ensure the documents are easily accessible for immediate and future uses.

 The importance of outsourcing data entry

 EVERY BUSINESS IS BUILT ON DATA.

Data on prospective customers.

Data on expenditures.

Data on personnel performance.

Data on the product or service being offered.

Data about competitors.

In a way, every decision, every step forward and every change that must be done hinges very heavily on data. And then, there is also that old adage that everyone is sure to be familiar with: information is power.

Here’s the thing though- collecting and maintaining that information is difficult. It’s also tedious, repetitive, and mind-numbingly and wearyingly monotonous.

If you’re a small scale business, dealing with the sheer number of data produced by your company’s day to day affairs would most likely turn overwhelming very quickly. By outsourcing your data entry to a capable outsourcing provider, you are sure to reap the following benefits:

·         Minimize time spent on hiring and training additional personnel

·         Reduce costs on infrastructure, labor, acquiring new hardware and new technology, paying salaries, reimbursements, overtimes, allowances, incentives, and other odd expenses

·         Gives you access to better talent pools, since outsourcing providers generally have the ability to choose the appropriate candidate with the necessary skill set from a much wider selection of people.

·         Your in-house team would have to deal with lighter workloads, and would, instead, have more time and opportunities to focus on core competencies that would help your business grow and expand. The removal of dull and repetitive tasks like data entry also allows your employees to work on aspects of your business that would stretch their creative muscles, and perhaps lead to positive innovations

 Final words

Data entry is so important because it does what new systems and processes brought on by technological advance usually do- it makes life in general easier. Sure, it’s not perfect. Just as there are pros to data entry, there are also cons. And maybe, as technology continues to move forward, new ways to process and store data would be invented.

But for now, it is not only important, but also essential for businesses to make sure that data entry is integrated properly into their day-to-day operations. It might seem like a simple process. Like something that is easy to overlook or neglect.  But every single function in the company, big or small, is vital to its success. Not taking care of something as basic as data entry could be as detrimental to the overall well-being of the company as not taking proper care of sales and marketing.

Which is why it’s always important to remember to treat data entry as an important process, and to always give it due attention. Once done properly, it might even turn into an advantage that could propel a business ahead in a highly competitive industry.