Disruption technologies create marketing opportunities that can really help a business boom. Are you game?
Whilst disruption technologies and networks have been around for some time, 2015 was the year they went mainstream. Consider the world’s biggest taxi company, Uber, has no taxis. One of the world’s biggest accommodation providers, Air BnB, has no hotels. Amazon, eBay, gumtree…. rules changed forever.
They have their strengths, limitations and risks. But there are also other alternate disruptors that can be beneficial to your business day to day.
Some examples
Fiverr.com and 99designs are great places to get yourself familiar with the offerings. Everything from graphic design, logo’s, caricatures, digital video, marketing services, testimonials are all available. Some other ones you might want to consider include Gigbucks, Zeerk, SEOclerks, TenBux and FittyTown.
All kind of the same thing, different smell but basically all shop for services online.
Are any sites better than any others?
We have our favorites based on interface, locality, the cause but more often than not, the sites are much the same. They all have ratings services which makes it easier, but not fool proof. It’s the interaction with the sellers that determines our perception of quality and service.
The key – find a site, have a look, find a service provider with a portfolio you like that has been well referred and try a little project.
What services work
I’ve always found that one-off services are tremendous. Logo designs, concepts and website mockups normally present awesome value. These one-off services where at the end you are given a high-resolution copy or the rights to use artwork are a fantastic place to start. Clear start, clear finish, job done.
Video can be good provided you know exactly what you are getting. Things to look out for include sound quality, background, how well the person speaks and delivery times.
SEO services? Grey area.
What doesn’t work
Anything that requires a long-term relationship. From a money earning perspective, online marketplaces are tremendous for anyone who has some spare time and wants to generate some extra income. Like being an Uber driver for graphic artists. But not many people can make a living from it and not many stay there for long.
So getting a content management website built is a bad idea is if you need an update on it in six months time, the programmer is gone and your money has been sunk.
Can they do the whole job?
No. You will need to manage, be strategic and well-planned. It still requires research and the last thing you want to do is hand over control of your ideas entirely to someone else. Be specific and to the point. Expect to work odd hours as often the price advantage comes from talented folk from the other side of the world.
How about copy writing?
Whilst we had some success, the amount of editing made the financial viability hard to clarify. Writing is very subjective and it’s hard to produce reliable content when English is a second language.
Anything else?
It’s not a relationship. If someone is offering a service online that guarantees a certain number of hits, then that offer is available to everyone. It is generally not a strategic move to utilise these services but more of a stopgap.
If you want to build strategy, get best of breed, have reliability that underpins a growing business, you probably still need those people you can shake hands with.