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Can you get research outsourced?

by ncloud
15 replies
I know you can have your article writing and many other tasks outsourced at places like Elance, but I've never heard of anyone outsourcing research. Is that possible? You could get a lot more done a lot quicker if you had people researching different topics for you. Does anybody do this?

If so, where would you go to outsource the task of researching a topic? And around about how much can you expect to pay?
#outsourced #research
  • Profile picture of the author From Rads To Riches
    I think these days you can get absolutely anything you like outsourced. Research is no exception and often built into the cost of somebody writing articles for example.

    If you do decide to try this, my advice would be to ensure you give precise and detailed instructions of exactly what you require. The reason I say this is that you idea of researching a topic could be very different from someone else's, even more so if there are cultural differences between you both.

    Perhaps it would work well if you are able to give them a survey of questions to answer and use as a guideline when looking at the topic you need researched.

    With regards to cost, you usually get what you pay for in terms of quality and reliability. I have had more success using People Per Hour than using other Freelancer sites, but many will say it can be luck of the draw.

    Good Luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    Yes, you can certainly outsource research. How much you pay will depend on the person, the topic and how much research you want done.
    You can place an ad in the Members Looking to Hire You section.
    Be VERY specific about what you want and I am sure somebody will reply to you.

    If you outsource your writing work, the writer will have to do the research as part of that job as well. So perhaps do that if you want to and save even more time.

    BUT... be prepared to spend money if you want good work done.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by ncloud View Post

    Does anybody do this?
    I used to.

    Back in the days before I learned that search-engine traffic is about the worst there is, for affiliate marketing, when choosing new niches I used to outsource keyword and SEO research from a professional. It seemed reasonable, at the time, because I didn't have the skills or the software to do it, myself. (It was a mistake really, of course.)

    And I also hadn't yet learned how much easier it is to outsource what you do know how to do, than things you don't (also fairly obvious, with hindsight ).

    I found someone highly recommended, through a Warriors For Hire ad. And got a very good, very professional, expert service (which I didn't need and which didn't help me, but that was my fault for buying it.)

    Originally Posted by ncloud View Post

    If so, where would you go to outsource the task of researching a topic?
    The Warrior Forum. I'd search the Warriors For Hire ads. That's nearly always worked for me in the past, for "outsourcing stuff".

    Originally Posted by ncloud View Post

    And around about how much can you expect to pay?
    For what?!

    It's like anything else: prices vary according to supply and demand ...

    .
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Absolutely.

    But be careful with research. Research is one of those areas where you invite competition to make life just that little bit more difficult.

    If I need research work completed (keyword, product, market, etc, etc) then I turn to people who I feel I can trust. The only way to develop a sense of trust is to turn to people who you know. It can be people you know on a forum like WF, in real life, or people who you've had successful dealings with over the years.

    GRM
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    You're learning by researching how to outsource researching.
    Everybody has made valid points so make a note of them so when you do advertise or look for somebody, make sure they meet all your criteria.
    Ask for referrals in here if you wish. In the end, you must decide who you choose.
    Don't go for the lowest price because that often results in bad work and then you need to pay somebody else to do it again.
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  • Profile picture of the author mattyseo
    Beware Outsourcing the Niche itself can make you another competitor. I have faced it before. Just a friendly warning.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    What Matt says is also true. Again it comes down to trust and perhaps using somebody who isn't interested in your niche.
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    Cheers, Laurence.
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    Originally Posted by ncloud View Post

    I know you can have your article writing and many other tasks outsourced at places like Elance, but I've never heard of anyone outsourcing research. Is that possible? You could get a lot more done a lot quicker if you had people researching different topics for you. Does anybody do this?

    If so, where would you go to outsource the task of researching a topic? And around about how much can you expect to pay?
    Being a simple kind of a guy, I would simply suggest you find someone who knows how to do the research.

    This may seem quite obvious, but quite often the most obvious is overlooked.

    As mentioned in another one of your threads, I employed university students to research and write articles.

    Be prepared to pay well, however, for research on topics requiring specialized training and access.

    Since most of the best resources are not yet online, consider including the research time/expense when employing the services of a writer.

    What I have almost always done is hired a team of well-paid writers/researchers to do all the grunt work.

    Problem solved.
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  • Profile picture of the author cpaonfire
    Hi -

    For me outsourcing research would leave me in a bind. I want to be able to control my product, and always know the subject matter so I can easily converse forward. But, research makes sense if you see a one-off opportunity. If your not going to invest emotional capital in the niche then it makes sense.
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  • Profile picture of the author ncloud
    For me outsourcing research would leave me in a bind. I want to be able to control my product, and always know the subject matter so I can easily converse forward.
    Yeah, but I was thinking that if you had someone doing your research for you that is good at doing research, then they could provide you with notes on your niche categorized into topics. It would be quicker to read their notes than spending many hours or days researching the topics yourself. It might take them hours or days too, but you could get a lot other stuff done while they're doing that for you.

    Research is often built into the cost of somebody writing articles
    Yeah, but I've heard that when you let the writers do the research they don't usually do as good of a job, no?
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  • Profile picture of the author prosperity4all
    I am not exactly sure if this is possible or not, but you may be able to find someone to do this for you via. fiverr dotcom.

    The amount of outsourcing potential there is almost endless, so I suggest you check out that site
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  • Profile picture of the author skyro
    You can but research is something you would want to do yourself. You learn so muh better and figure alot more by doing your own research.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Jacoby
      You can find research services on fiverr, freelancer, and odesk without much effort. Just make sure that you try out their skills first before hiring them for the long haul, though. If you're looking for more long-term, you should look into hiring a VA (virtual assistant). This way you can have a regular person working for you that will learn your expectations, instead of continually posting new jobs and having to explain what you're looking for.
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  • Profile picture of the author jgant
    Contact university career departments. They love sending out jobs to their students and research gigs are sought after by college/university students.

    Also, students have access to the best libraries on the planet.

    I don't do this for every niche but for some niches it's fantastic.
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