How Outsourcing Can Boost Your Amazon FBA Business

Every successful seller on Amazon will eventually come to a crossroads. And, the choice will be to either start working double (or triple) time to keep up with the demands of additional daily tasks to meet the needs of their growing business, or to hire subject matter experts to manage them. Lots of small and big businesses outsource, and your job as an Amazon FBA seller shouldn't be any different.

If you're starting to see some success in your Amazon FBA business, it might be a good idea to think about outsourcing some of those tasks so you don't get too overwhelmed (and lose that sales flow you worked so hard to create!).

Mayan will dig into all things outsourcing in this guide, from who to hire for small tasks to finding your perfect Amazon expert so your business has the support it needs to grow and thrive.

What Is Outsourcing?

Simply put, outsourcing means hiring an outside freelancer, agency, consultant, or service to manage a portion or portions of your business. These are typically individuals that are highly skilled in one or two specific areas, and are commonly referred to as “Subject-Matter Experts," or SMEs.

Outsourcing talent for your small business is the ability to bring in a subject matter expert for any duration of time to perform a specific task aimed at growing your business.

As you probably already know, there are so many aspects connected to running an Amazon FBA store. You need to optimize your store with amazing images and videos, research and implement the right keywords, manage your inventory, customer service, find the best products to sell, and so much more.

The good news is that you don't have to be an expert to operate a successful Amazon store - you just need a great team around you, and that involves freelancers and other experts.

Outsourcing Benefits and Risks

Behind every successful business is a team of great minds and experts. Outsourcing for those daunting monthly tasks you no longer have time for sounds pretty good, right? 

Let's break down some of the benefits you'll gain from outsourcing in your business, whether it be for Amazon or another ecommerce venture. Here are some ways it can help grow your FBA business:

• Gain specialized skills or equipment: when running your ecommerce business, you will come across some tasks that are highly specialized and require expert skills to complete quickly and successfully.
• Increase efficiencies at work: when you hire a subject matter expert, you’re bringing on their expert knowledge on a subject. This also translates to using their experience to complete complex tasks quickly and accurately, making your overall business more efficient.
• Fulfill your seasonal/temporary needs: for tasks that may be done in the short term and won’t require a full time hire, you can outsource for seasonal or temporary work.

Here are some risks to consider when outsourcing in your business:

• Finding the right people: this applies to hiring for your business in general, where finding the right people for the job can take a lot of time and effort. When it comes to outsourcing, finding the right people can especially be a challenge when they aren't full-time and may be juggling other competing priorities.
• Relinquishing "control": when you outsource, you are shifting responsibility (and therefore control) to somebody else. That can be tough when, for example, you've become used to doing advertising on Amazon on your own.

Tasks Amazon FBA Sellers Can Outsource

By taking some of these daily tasks off of your hands, it will free you up to concentrate on growing your brand and business. Just think of hiring an outsourced expert as an investment in the future of your business, as it will actually help you to generate more revenue in the long run.‍

Here are some examples of tasks Amazon FBA business owners can outsource:

Customer Service

This is an unavoidable and critical part of owning your own shop on Amazon. Responding quickly and cheerfully to customers can make or break your reputation as an FBA seller. It’s also an important part of your store reviews. For this task, we suggest hiring a virtual assistant to respond almost instantly to customer service messages.

Product Listing Optimization

To make sales on Amazon, it’s essential to get your product listings as good as they can be. A big part of that is SEO for Amazon. If you want an expert outsider’s opinion to improve your store listing, find a freelance keyword researcher to ensure you’re including the right keywords to your product pages. 

An improvement in SEO will ultimately increase how many target customers see your product in their search results, leading to increased sales to your Amazon store as well as brand awareness.

Photography & Videography

Eye-catching product images and videos is another critical element of winning sales on Amazon. Without clear images or video that showcase all features and angles of a product, customers may look elsewhere for their purchase. 

As an Amazon FBA seller, hiring a professional photographer or videographer will pay off down the road through improved sales volume.

Design

Hiring a freelance graphic designer to design materials like your image content, business cards, graphics, and more will bring your brand to the next level.

It’s also important to note that the investment in content from a freelance graphic designer now can be used again and again after purchasing. So, it’s a winning scenario!

Paid PPC Ad Campaigns

Great success really comes down to great marketing, and with Amazon that means investing in PPC ad campaigns.

If you really want to up your game, find a digital marketing expert who can help you set up an ad spend budget and work your PPC ad campaigns on Amazon. Once you outsource this task and get the ball rolling, you can test and monitor results to optimize for a positive ROI (return on investment).

Curious about growing your Amazon marketing plan? Reach out to us at Mayan to find out more. 

Outsource Like a Boss: How to Find the Right Amazon Freelancer

Ready to start building your dream team? Try some of our expert tips on finding the right freelancer for your Amazon FBA business.

Put a Call Out There on Facebook groups 

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There are plenty of Amazon FBA sellers and small business groups on Facebook to join that provide a wealth of information on growing your brand and business. And when you’re looking to outsource, these groups are a great place to start. 

Consider putting a call out there by posting that you’re looking for an expert in whatever type of task you need help with. Once you get the replies, take some time to message them back and forth and see who you vibe with and move forward with the hiring process. 

Even if it's a small task, you want to work with someone who is pleasant to work with and whom you trust.

Fiverr and Upwork

Fiverr and Upwork are great third-party websites to find experts in just about any type of field, from perfecting your Amazon images to finding an SEO expert. These are so popular because they are all-in-one types of websites for finding freelancers. Keep in mind that for Fiverr and Upwork, it still takes a lot of work and time to find the right freelancer (and there may be a reason why certain freelancers are cheaper than others).

Ask Around 

We've mentioned before in our webinars and blog posts about the importance of building your community as an Amazon FBA seller, and this is yet another way you can benefit from having one. From partner posts for your blog to sharing tips and so much more, let your Amazon community help you.

When it comes to outsourcing, simply ask your business buds for any ideas on finding the right freelancer. They may even be working with one that they can connect you with!

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