| Outside agencies can provide an entire experienced | | | | homes. This means your mark up will be much less. |
| communications department at a fraction of the cost. | | | | The added bonus is that customer service tends to be |
| In this tough economic market, the last thing you want | | | | much more important to the one person shop. |
| to do is get rid of your communication materials - | | | | How do you pick the right service provider? |
| especially your newsletters, brochures, web sites, etc. | | | | The starting place is the company web site. Does it |
| Or worse, let them go stale. However, this is the | | | | look professional? Does it answer your questions? |
| perfect time to strengthen the message contained in | | | | Does it offer the option to ask questions or request |
| them. It sets you apart from your competition and it | | | | information without much commitment on your part? |
| enhances both customer and employee loyalty. | | | | Next, talk to the person either by phone or in person. |
| Constant and consistent communication is essential to | | | | Do they ask relevant questions about the project |
| weather the hard times. It's tempting to cut expenses, | | | | you're working on? Are they interested about your |
| especially in uncertain economic times. Consider the | | | | business? Gone are the days when you request a |
| effect this decision might have on your internal and | | | | resume from a freelance creative services |
| external communication pieces. Instead of cutting the | | | | professional. Where they went to school is far less |
| budget or the staff, why not consider outsourcing the | | | | important than what they can do. Ask to see work |
| work? | | | | samples - similar to the project that you're discussing - |
| One major benefit of outsourcing your communications | | | | and a client list. These two items should form the basis |
| material is the money it will save you! For less than the | | | | of your decision. Talk with them about the work |
| cost of one employee's salary, outsourcing enables | | | | samples that they're showing you. Ask what were |
| you to hire an entire communications department, | | | | their responsibilities; what were the challenges; and |
| including writers, researchers, graphic designers, and | | | | how they interacted with the client. Also, ask for a list |
| project managers. You only use their services as you | | | | of references that you can call. Three is usually |
| need them. You have no overhead. No equipment to | | | | enough for you to get a feel for the type of working |
| maintain. No software updates. No special skills. And | | | | relationship you would have with this contractor. |
| what's more important - you don't need to invest the | | | | What else do you need to know? |
| time or money into training and supervising your staff. | | | | There are two other important considerations when |
| Another huge savings is in the time outsourcing can | | | | looking at a freelance creative service provider. First, |
| save you. Because the creative specialists are | | | | ask how they work. What's the process? Some will |
| professionals at what they do, it takes them much less | | | | take a creative brief of your project and ask a lot of |
| time to prepare these materials than it would take you. | | | | questions, then go away and develop some concepts |
| Time you can spend on doing what you do best - | | | | to present to you. Others will want more direction from |
| running your business. Plus they'll create a much more | | | | you. A professional will be able to work with your |
| professional product in the end. | | | | needs but be very conversant in the most efficient |
| Additionally, since your communication material is the | | | | work flow. Look for someone confident enough to |
| subcontractor's priority, you can count on a regularly | | | | make suggestions when needed but flexible enough to |
| published piece. This ends the guess work as to when | | | | be comfortable to work with. |
| you'll get to it and increases your professional credibility. | | | | The second important factor to look for is someone |
| But creative services can be a bit of an unknown | | | | that is well connected and used to teaming up with |
| world when your first starting your search. Below are | | | | other professionals. For example, a graphic designer |
| a few tips to make it easier. | | | | with partnerships with printers can offer great savings |
| What sort of creative service should you outsource | | | | for your project. A good graphic designer knows how |
| to? | | | | to prepare files so they will print properly. Printers really |
| Advertising agencies can be very expensive. Also, | | | | appreciate this and may give that designer a deep |
| their main emphasis tends to be on pure marketing or | | | | discount. A freelance creative service provider will |
| advertising - not communication or relationship building - | | | | most likely pass those savings onto you. An agency |
| which is what retains customers. Public relations | | | | will not. It's also important that your service provider |
| agencies tend to have copy writing experience, but | | | | have connections with other creative service providers |
| are very shot on the graphic design and production | | | | such as writers, photographers, illustrators, web |
| end of the spectrum. To truly maximize your budget | | | | programmers, and web host services. When you need |
| look for an outsource service that can cover all of the | | | | to work with one of these other professionals, they |
| bases. Here's a tip: the smaller one-person shop that | | | | come to you prescreened. A professional is not going |
| collaborates with other professionals may be the | | | | to work with someone that will make them look bad. |
| better bargain. | | | | They also have a better sense for what makes a |
| Why? Because you get specialists in their own fields | | | | good copy writer or photographer then you might if |
| who are used to working with each other as a team, | | | | you don't use those services often. |
| but you don't get the huge overhead that a large | | | | The most important thing to look for in a creative |
| agency has. An agency has to pay worker's | | | | services provider is someone that you like to work |
| compensation, employee benefits, insurance, and rent. | | | | with. They can become a valuable part of your team |
| Guess who they pass those expenses onto. That's | | | | and can help make even a small business look big. |
| right: you. A smaller shop doesn't have that sort of | | | | Once you know what to look for, there's no reason to |
| overhead. Many high-end professional creative service | | | | hesitate jumping into the outsource pool. |
| providers even work out of studios in their own | | | | |