The idea of being a manager involves repeatedly putting trust in people to perform tasks one can’t do alone and being repeatedly disappointed by some while being elated by others. And being a manager doesn’t only mean being in charge of employees; one can be a manager of partners, contractors, freelancer and similar as well. The Internet has created some wonderful ways to create relationships that help and support a business. However, the bonds still come down to people working together and performing their part as expected. So when one fails in a trust situation, it has the potential to do damage, depending how much responsibility was placed on that person.
The above said, businesses don’t grow exponentially without relying on more and more people. So trust has to happen regardless of the risk of failure and someone not following through. This is particularly important for companies who rely on a steady feed of provider content from freelancers. So how to deal with the risk when on a schedule?
Prevention Matters
Filtering out good content providers makes a big difference ahead of time. Folks hiring freelance suppliers shouldn’t just take the lowest bidder because of cost. That’s a fast ticket to disappointment. Providers to be selected should be vetted and confirmed they deliver content reliably before being given bigger responsibility. A good way to know for sure is to try a new writer out with test material a few times before engaging with a regular schedule. Performance issue tend to appear pretty quick, giving a hiring manager a good idea about a freelancer’s skill and reliability.
Spread and Schedule the Risk
One method of reducing the risk of late content is to use multiple providers with a schedule of production. This provides a couple of benefits right away. First, the work has to be schedule and planned over a good period of time to keep constant flow. So if a specific task fails to make a deadline, other tasks can be switched around as a substitute. Second, by having multiple providers working a manager is not compromised when one fails to work as expected. Others can fill the gap. Between delay and more hands involved, a content manager can deal with hiccups far more easily then if everything is placed on the back of one provider in terms of delivery.
Anticipate the Worst on Big Projects
Folks who plan for the worst rarely have to deal with it. If you have a plan B for a project a freelancer failure won’t be a worrisome issue at the last minute. It may mean having two freelancers do the work for redundancy, breaking up the tasks into smaller pieces for faster delivery, or building in lead time just in case. All of these planning approaches use the effect of a content marketing calendar, building in makeup time to a schedule if needed. It may cost a little more, but important projects shouldn’t be left in the hands of a sole provider, especially if the freelancer doesn’t have a long track record.
BIO: Tom L writes articles at night and spends his daytime hours managing big projects, contracts and budgets. Planning and prevention are two key tools he uses regularly to avoid problems before they occur.
