The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Hiring Digital Marketing Freelancers

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Lately, freelancers have dominated a gigantic slice of the workforce worldwide. In the US alone, there are currently about 57 million freelancers. By 2027, it is projected that 86.5 million people will be freelancing making it 50.9% of the total U.S. workforce.

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Whether it’s an entire paid ads campaign or just a quick revamp of your outdated website, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve considered hiring a freelancer.

However, your hunt for the dream freelancer may have been met with dead ends, wasted time, and an accumulating to-do list.

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Between running your business and marketing it, you find yourself being stretched way too thin, eventually falling short of your ambitious goals and expectations. 

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Having the experience and expertise to market a product in front of the desired target audience is what most business owners and entrepreneurs struggle with.

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This is where digital marketers come in handy.

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In this blog post, we’re going to help you master your freelance hiring skills, show you what they can do for your business and how you can leverage their marketing prowess to your benefit.

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Who are freelance marketers?

Freelance marketers are independent, curious, driven professionals who operate or specialize in a niche marketing field. They offer their services for a negotiated rate working with multiple clients simultaneously. While they are not officially employed by any company they can still be contracted by other businesses. Generally, freelance marketers work based on hourly charges, per-job basis or sometimes depending on the nature of work, on a commission basis.

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There is no size fits all when it comes to payment. The type of payment agreement would depend on various factors -- like the particular marketing niche, the complexity of the project on hand, the goal you want to achieve, etc. 

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In a nutshell, freelance marketers are self-employed contractors who assist companies and entrepreneurs in marketing and selling their products and services. Freelance marketers are the umbrella talent under which a number of categories reside depending on the platform and business goals.

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Some of them are:

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Social Media Marketers

Brand Marketers

Email Marketers

Content Marketers

Growth Marketers

Influencer Marketers

…and more valuable digital marketing professionals who would help grow and maintain your brand.

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How can freelance marketers benefit your business?

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• You can Access Top Talent 

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With the meteoric rise of remote work and increased connectivity, more and more professionals are opting for freelance work, seeking a better work-life balance.

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Many high-performing professionals who have devoted years to perfecting their craft working in notable startups and companies have now left their corporate jobs and are working as remote contractors. This gives you the rare opportunity to tap into their expert wisdom.

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With no additional or overhead costs (like payroll, paid leave, insurance, and other benefits) involved you can save money and still have access to the kind of top-notch talent you need. 

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• You can hire specialized niche talent

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With the sheer number of freelancers today, many professionals dedicate themselves to providing individualized services in order to stand out from the crowd. Today you can find a niche freelancer for almost every field under the sun.

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Freelance marketers are highly specialized professionals who offer specific services in their field of choice. They’ve spent a substantial amount of time honing their craft which means they bring expert niche value to the project and execute the task to a tee.

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Hiring freelance marketers can help you focus on what truly matters while they do what they’re best at. 

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• You can Increase productivity

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Freelancers are always focused on delivering the best possible results in a fast and efficient manner – because it is vital for freelancers to stay on top of their careers through continuous learning and development. Hence they are always motivated to provide their best work and keep up with deadlines. 

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A Yahoo study has revealed that in contrast to the office commuting 9-5 er, a typical freelancer is productive for about 36 hours each week. That’s roughly an average of 7 productive hours in a 5-day week.

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So the next time you need any help, keep your worries aside and be assured that they are in fact more committed and productive than an 8-hour workforce that is inundated with all-staff meetings, office politics, and water cooler gossip.

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• You can scale faster and quicker

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With a wider bandwidth of talent to scope from you have a better option of picking the best for your business. With a globally flexible workforce at your fingertips, scaling and building your company becomes a lot easier and faster.

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According to a recent study by Harvard Business School and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), 40% of businesses said that hiring highly skilled freelancers helped improve speed to market and increase innovation for their company.

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While it regularly takes six months on average to source, hire, and onboard an employee, finding and hiring a top freelancer only takes a matter of days. Usually, freelancers are quick to hit the ground running and can right away add immense value to your business without needing much upfront training and onboarding.

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• You get varied experience 

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Freelancers frequently move from one business to another which means they’re usually brimming with fresh ideas and new perspectives, they can effortlessly fill in the gaps that as a founder you may never see. This allows you to leverage their valuable experience and deploy that expertise towards your business growth.

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How to hire freelance marketers?

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Despite all the benefits of hiring freelancers, it is crucial to ensure that you’re hiring the right freelancer marketers. Refrain from rushing and hiring one right out of the bat. Taking your time and doing your due diligence can help you stay clear of unqualified and tardy freelancers. 

With plenty of options to choose from, hiring the right freelance marketer can get tricky and confusing in no time. Here are a few tips to ensure you’re following the correct approach when hiring:

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1. Evaluate Your Needs

Your search for the ideal freelance marketer first begins with evaluating what requires immediate attention in your business.

Start by looking at the problems you’re facing in your company and figure out the roadblocks that you’ve been facing on a daily basis. What recurring customer feedback have you been getting over the past few months?

Perhaps you have a faulty website with zero sales resulting from it or perhaps you’re struggling to get traction on your social media channels. This could mean that you need a website optimization expert to fix those leaks and a social media manager to do an audit and up your social media game.

Still not sure what type of freelance marketer you want? check out this blog article here.

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2. Determine The Scope Of Work

Once you have your needs mapped out you’ll then need to determine what the project will entail and set proper expectations upfront. There will be some objections and roadblocks during the process but like in any business negotiation this should be expected. It is always better to set clear expectations rather than leave room for guesswork and assumptions.

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When defining your scope, make sure you clearly list out the following:

• Your project platform

Which platform exactly do you want them to work on? Email Marketing on Klaviyo or Social Media Management on LinkedIn?

• Your deliverables

What exactly do you want the freelancer to provide and the quantity? Just a daily brief rundown of social media analytics or 30 social media graphics? Remember the more specific you can be the easier it is going to be.

• Your timeline

Do you have any deadlines you need to meet? Do you have an upcoming launch that is in the works? Do you have a holiday promo to run?

• Your end result

Do you want to see a 30% return on your ROAs? Or a 20% open rate on your email campaign?

• Your budget

Do you want to pay based on commissions?  Should the freelancer’s rate be per hour or project-based?

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4. Hire From Trusted Freelancing Platforms

Most business owners looking to hire freelancers by default end up hiring from large notable freelance job boards like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer or PeoplePerHour.

The average case scenario is that you’ll get bombarded with a ton of proposals and replies going this route, but it is only going to add more confusion. As a result, you’ll need to spend more time doing your due diligence, sifting through countless spam applications that have been thoughtlessly copy-pasted.

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You’d have an easier time and a better chance if you looked for niche marketplaces that focus specifically on the talent that you require. At Growthub we provide you with access to a range of freelance marketers. Plus we do the screening and vetting of the freelancers so that you don’t ever have to. 

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5. Interview Your Freelancers

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Once you’ve narrowed down your potential hires it’s finally time to connect with them over a phone call or video call. 

• Ask for their portfolio to get a feel of their best work and how they’ve brought results for their previous clients.
• Ask them questions about previous experiences, and lessons learned. 
• Gauge their personality by understanding their values and characteristics.
• Communicate expectations, timelines and set clear boundaries. (this goes both ways.)
• Before closing the interview ask them if they have any clarifying questions to ask. The best freelancers usually will do.

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How to manage freelance marketers?

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Hiring freelancers is only part of the puzzle. Once you’ve hired your best candidate you’ve got to ensure that they have all the tools and guidelines necessary to complete the project on time and with ease. This includes ensuring clear communication lines, providing all the adequate data, and streamlining the working and reporting process.

Set goals and expectations: Goals and expectations are crucial for project timelines. Be sure to communicate these expectations from the get-go. Before diving into the project ask them what information they might need, this ensures a hassle-free and much smoother workflow. 

Build a relationship: Even if it is a small one-time project it is good practice to show your appreciation and make them feel like they’re valued and part of a team. Keep them in the loop by including them in email lists, and town hall meetings, and let them know what is going on in your company. This goes a long way in building trust between you and your freelancers and establishing a good working relationship for future potential projects. 

Communication and Collaboration: Creating an open line of communication so they can share their progress, discuss ideas and gather feedback is essential to managing and completing a project successfully. While providing feedback, get specific so that it’s less work for everyone down the line. 

Utilize collaboration tools and take advantage of online tools and apps like Asana, Monday, and G-Suite to streamline interactions and progress updates.

Pay them well: Freelancers are obviously concerned about getting paid for their services and the value that they offer. Consistent on-time payment practices go a long way toward your reputation and future requirements. 

Conclusion

Freelance marketers are becoming increasingly common in today’s digital world. When hired and managed well, working with freelancers is a solid talent strategy that can bring massive growth and transformation to your company.

Need help hiring the best marketing freelancer? 

At Growthhub, we’re obsessed with helping businesses such as yours get the growth that it deserves. Get in touch with us and we can match you with your new marketing dream team in as little as 24 hrs. We screen and pre-vet the marketers on our platform, so you don’t have to. Book a call with us today

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