Why you need to hire a freelancer for your business
Have you thought about hiring a marketing freelancer but you’re not quite sure if it is the right thing for your business? Maybe you’re not sure of how to go about it. Or unsure of what a freelancer can do for you. You’re not alone but outsourcing your marketing can make perfect business sense!
Since the easing of lockdown businesses are now reviewing their plans. After months of dealing with essential day to day operational issues such as working safely, furlough arrangements and cash-flow issues they are now looking at a restart. It is of little surprise that during this period marketing has taken a back seat and been put on pause.
We are all busy trying to embrace the new workplace norm. As we restart, we ask where now and where should my business focus? Well, this is probably the best time to engage a marketing freelancer and hire-in some complimentary marketing support to help you refocus.
Hiring a freelance marketer can bring many benefits to your organisation. Why – well freelancers are experienced in picking up the slack and are there to do the work you can’t. They can work for anyone, from anywhere, at any time.
What exactly is a freelancer?
A freelancer is a self-employed, independent person who offers their skills and services to several clients on a flexible basis. They’re not directly employed by a single company or committed to one specific customer.
For instance, a freelance marketing consultant is likely to have a wealth of experience working for a variety of organisations in the past. They will provide their services on their own but most likely have a wide network of other contacts built up over the years. Freelancing is not a lifestyle that suits everyone but it is definitely on the rise. Industry figures from July 2020 show there are over 2 million freelancers operating in the UK alone. source: microbizmag
Number of UK Freelancers in the UK
How can freelancers benefit my business?
Given the size and popularity of the freelancing market all of this, are you curious about how your business can benefit from using a freelancer? Don’t get me wrong this type of partnership is not for everyone but working in this way can bring great rewards. The trick is to get the right fit and understanding how it. Here are a few reasons why you might consider them as an option:
Providing greater value
If you hire the right freelancer you can reduce your marketing costs, receive better service andget a higher return.
This is because a high percentage of the people in freelancing are ones with a track record of achieving results. They are self-starters who have their own business. However, as with any type of hiring, it’s important to do your homework to find the right one for your business needs.
Note the use of “value”. Yes, using freelancers can be cheaper than using an agency or employing someone in-house. You also have access to package options to give you the resource you need when you need it.
Day/hour rate: A set rate of pay for each day or hour you work for the client.
Project fee: With this approach, you agree a set fee to deliver a project
Retainer: A retainer is a set amount you’re paid monthly for completing ongoing work
A freelancer only charges you for the time they’re actually working on your projects, so you won’t be billed for holidays, sickness, pensions, National Insurance, training or coffee breaks!
Agility to match your needs
No doubt work has changed. The complete working landscape has changed and alongside that, people’s expectations have changed. It has happened much quicker than anyone could have ever predicted.
Every business needs to look at how it can be more agile. Freelancers understand this perfectly. It is one of the key reasons they get hired. Working within less traditional structures and hours is one of the biggest reasons that employees chose to go down the freelance route in the first place. They also realise that if a client comes to them, they need results and need them quick. So working out of office hours and on a short-term basis is quite the norm.
Overall freelancers are a lower financial risk. They work on-site or at your location to fit around your local needs and offer a variety of work options:
Day/hour rate: a set rate of pay for each day or hour you work for the client.
Project fee: this is where you agree to a set fee with your client to deliver a project.
Retainer: here you agree a set amount paid monthly for completing ongoing work.
The upshot is you have control to add resources and skills when you need them. If you know what type of marketing support you are looking for then hiring a freelancer is easy and quick.
Expertise
Most freelancers have usually worked in several companies before deciding to become a freelancer. Many are well-rounded professionals. This gives them a broader perspective when it comes to marketing and the way they look at the business world. So, when it comes to your business they can jump in and act on the gaps in your marketing.
As business owners themselves, freelancers are totally invested in customer service and their reputation. They will have spent many years building up their credibility. Many will have spent time in various companies building up a great deal of experience and an extensive network of suppliers and other freelancers. That’s instant access to a network of skills and resources to dip in and out of. There is a huge pool of talent available.
Work with me
I’m Ann, an independent Marketing Consultant with over 25 years of experience in business to business digital and traditional marketing.
I’m the owner of Acclaimed Marketing and I live in Birmingham in the UK. I set up my freelance marketing consultancy in November 2018 to help businesses grow. Work with me to grow your business.
For the past 14 months, I have been working from home as a freelance marketing consultant. I have had plenty of time to adapt to home working. Even before that, I spent several years moving around numerous offices and departments. Hot-desking in various organisations as they continually evolved and changed. I have learned to travel light and to adapt quickly! So, in the face of this Coronavirus pandemic and with all this experience you would think it would be second nature for me to maintain a routine of remote working and social distancing?
My Usual Routine?
Well yes and no.
Yes, I have set myself up to digitally work from home and I have an established work-space organised. I have put in place routines and disciplines to help me keep on track with my business. I have read plenty of articles about keeping on top of personal well-being whilst working remotely. On my laptops, I have an abundance of software and apps for any planned webinars and video calls. I have all my work files ‘Cloud-hosted’ ready to go and backed up. But the key thing here is whilst I do work from home, I never planned to be socially isolating. I certainly never planned to be doing it full time. To have flexible working was always a top ambition. Having the ability to work remotely was a great option for me. However, all these things were put in place for when it proved impractical, either due to distance, timing or availability, to meet clients face to face It was there for when it was much more time and cost-efficient to ‘meet’ online.
My aim has always been to meet with customers face to face and my home office was a ‘Plan B’ scenario. But now many people are faced with remote working and somehow this is all different, it is very different indeed and it seems that things may never be the same again.
Not so long ago a normal day for me would see me out and about doing face to face meetings and calls with clients, possibly going to networking events or maybe sitting in a co-working space. This ‘new’ remote working is very far from business as usual. Certainly, social distancing is new territory, even for me as an experienced remote worker.
How Have Things Changed?
Today, like most marketers and non-keyworkers, I am working from home. Something I have done numerous times before.
But today it has a completely different feel. This morning it was eerily quiet, a strange stillness in the air and it reminded me of when I once stood on a deserted beach on the West Coast of Ireland. No-one around. Very little sound and a curious quietness that allowed my thoughts just to wander. I switch my thoughts back to now. For a moment I imagined the great turbulence happening in hospitals and emergency services today and speculate where will this all end?
When Will This End?
The truth is no one knows.
I go back to my project lists to look for some degree of normality. But again, this looks very different, this is not normal. We have no idea of what is normal anymore, or what normal will mean in the future. And then it dawns on me that it’s not just the great outdoors that feels so different, it’s not just my list of projects that feel so different, it’s that the whole world feels different.
Back to my business and I realise that I have little idea of where this will all end up. In terms of my focus there are few new calls, yet fewer meetings and even less rushing to set up for the latest video calls. Businesses are diligently prioritising and rapidly putting their contingency plans into action. People everywhere are being completely disrupted with an unprecedented rate of change in both their social and business life.
The one thing that I do know is that I will continue with my plans.
They may well need adapting but the one thing I am sure of is that we all need to continue collaborating with our customers and each other.
The Key Going Forward
So, whilst businesses continue to battle with the unknown and set up remote working for those employees who need to self-isolate or socially distance themselves, one thing is for certain and that is that communication is more important than ever. I have re-discovered and remembered the importance of all the communities and social groups that I am a part of. As an independent marketing freelancer and a remote worker, I have reflected on how many communities I belong to. Naturally my first port of call is my fantastic family, there’s also my great extended family and then there’s also my wonderful friends. I consider myself to be truly privileged.
Keep Communicating
We all spend a lot of time at work and suddenly and through my business I realise how many people I connect with every day. The small, medium and large companies, the net-workers; the start-up entrepreneurs; freelancers; marketers; digital gurus; previous colleagues (who have since become friends); agencies and suppliers and the list goes on……… Reflecting on this list I find my thoughts darting back on all the news updates, the people affected by this outbreak and those that yet may be affected in the future.
It’s A Very Difficult Time For Everyone
All this change has created a wealth of media coverage and articles giving helpful advice. Here is a guide that you may wish to have a quick read: Coronavirus: Five ways to work well from home: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51868894. It is a simple guide offering sensible advice. A quick search web search will bring up plenty of other articles too. I have found it useful to draw on different skills and I limit the amount of time I spend on the news sites. This gives time out for other thoughts – and hence this posting. I felt I needed to get some thoughts down on ‘paper ‘and I hope that others facing the same circumstances find it of interest.
So now what is my plan, what action will I be taking in these turbulent times? Like many I will be social distancing and I will be following up on point 4 in the ‘Five ways to work’ article. It’s the “Pick up the phone” action. I will be making sure I stay in touch with all those important groups that are have become an integral part of my everyday life. There is something else which I felt compelled to do. I joined as a volunteer in my local community. It is a local group communicating in WhatsApp and Facebook Chats to support those who are more vulnerable and may need greater support from the community. Whilst my business is vitally important and I should continue with my plans, it also feels that it is a time to look to your local community.
Communities
Being part of my family community, being part of the business community, being part of the local community. It’s all about collaborating and communicating. In these unprecedented times keep safe, do the best you can do and most importantly don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help.
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