6 times to call on an extra pair of hands

Communications leads across the country are crafting case studies, planning campaigns, maintaining social media, interviewing staff, writing newsletters and organising design and print – all while responding to media enquiries and answering calls from department heads.

Desperately hoping for the phone to stay quiet for a full five minutes, you focus on the screen, crafting the pivotal sentence in your urgent media statement and wondering whether there’s any chance of making it out of the door in time for the school run – when your colleague mentions they have some capacity. Hallelujah!

You hand a few tasks over to them and breathe a sigh of relief as you realise the work will be delivered on time, to a high standard, without you having to worry.

In reality, it’s not every day that your colleague will be able to take over – but an external team could. Build a strong working relationship with a flexible, remote team with experience in writing, proofreading, formatting, producing publications and more, and all your day-to-day comms activities could be taken off your hands at the send of an email.

Some of the many situations in which an extra pair of hands can make a big difference include:

1. When you’re asked to prepare a specialist blog post

Blogs are a communications team’s bread and butter in terms of sharing specialist knowledge, but getting them right takes time. Blogs are often written in the first person from the point of view of a specialist in the topic, so background research, personal interviews and careful structuring are all part of the job.

Having an experienced writer with industry knowledge available to take on this task, interview the specialist and write up a professional item means you can promote positive content, effectively share your organisation’s expertise – and barely lift a finger.

2. When the annual report comes round

Annual reports and accounts need to be completed every year, and it can often feel like no time has passed since the previous one was finished. Despite existing workloads, it’s essential that they are produced to demonstrate your organisation’s important strategic or critical decisions and performance matters over the year.

Using your experienced standby team to turn the report around quickly and effectively gives you time to concentrate on other priorities. You could call on your extra pair of hands to project manage and produce your entire report from start to finish, or simply ask them to provide writing, editing or proofreading as and when needed.

3. When your newsletter is late going to press – again

Planning, researching, writing and project managing your regular newsletter can often feel like a full-time job in itself. You need to plan future issues, interview colleagues, prepare the content, proofread the copy and liaise with the designer and printer, all while fending off urgent calls and demands from the senior team.

By handing over the entire project to your remote team, you can be free to respond to reactive enquiries and stay on top of your wider communications plan. Your extra pair of hands can look after the project management, proactively source content, write the copy, manage approvals and even arrange the design and print, so you can focus on other priorities.

4. When a department head needs their report proofreading ASAP

Proofreading is a specialist skill that requires focus and careful attention to detail. When juggling numerous tasks it can be difficult to find the space needed for proofreading. Having your remote team ready and waiting to proofread can be a godsend.

Qualified proofreaders are an asset to any remote team. They can identify inconsistencies, grammatical errors, formatting issues and other mistakes to ensure your report or any other document upholds the high standards you want and expect of your organisation’s communications.

5. When you’re given a tight deadline to write a batch of case studies

Case studies are used to raise awareness about a project, department, job role or campaign, with a variety of aims including growing recruitment, encouraging uptake in a course or promoting a new way of working. They are a vital tool to share progress inside and outside your organisation. They don’t need to be very long, but they do take time and effort, involving research, interviews, writing, proofreading and gaining approval.

Case studies can be ‘bitty’ jobs that are difficult to fit around your other priorities, but as discrete pieces of work they are easy to pass to someone else. If you have one case study to prepare or a batch of several, your extra pair of hands can take the load and get the job done quickly and effectively.

6. When your social media inspiration is running dry

Social media is an essential weapon in your communications arsenal. Although you may have a team member responsible for your digital or social media function, their time is often taken up with planning, strategising and organising, which can mean the day-to-day delivery of your social media plan falls behind. With a team on standby to suggest topics, draft posts and prepare graphics, you can be sure your social audience won’t miss out.

At Sorted Communications we work as an extra pair of hands to deliver your proactive tasks, giving you the time to focus on other priorities. Working?remotely, we offer the benefits of a freelancer, the expertise of an in-house team member, and the capacity of an agency – all combined with complete flexibility.?If you could use an extra pair of hands to get everything done,?speak to one of our word warriors today.