Shahid S
Experience Business Technology Professional with Diversified Experience of Mobile and Enterprise Applications
Is It Right To Get Free Lancer Marketting People and Any Tips?
Right now, we have less than sufficient marketing resources for one of our product. A team member gave the idea of trying free lance marketers (in addition to the permanent guy). Does it works? Any tips? Any pitfalls?
Good Answers (4)
Hernan C
Managing Partner - New York Commercial Office, Inc.
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Shahid, what am I missing from your question that it's important before giving you advise? What specific functions/activities/project do you want to outsource? How much complex is your industry/product? For how long? etc. I disagree with some radical approaches from the other answers. There are not simple answers (YES or NO) to your question. It depends on the specifics of your business and the unique requirements in your present scenario.
There are some advantages and disadvantages associated with in-house and outsourced teams. Let's review some of them:
In-House: Pros) easy to manage, you keep control, long-term costs are lower, better to keep consistency, no product training needed. Cons) very little choice of team, difficult to get fresh perspectives.
Consulting Firm: Pros) broad choice of teams, promise of consistency, access to objective/fresh point of views, easier to get big picture. Cons) higher long-term costs, little ownership of brand, briefing/training is crucial to results.
Coordinated Independent Freelancers: managed by your key marketing executive. Pros) Perfect to choose best-in-class teams, great consistency, you own the brand, great cost-effectiveness ratio. Cons) Very difficult to manage (it requires an outstanding manager on your side), appropriate briefing/training is essential, it requires to open your company to third parties, you may need a confidentiality agreement.
Most of the time, is not that freelancers don't understand the market as it was pointed here. They just have a different vision that, actually, might be the correct one. We shouldn't confuse both things. Now, if you want to outsource sales teams, there are great examples of tremendous success.
I would love to get a little more information on your problem to be able to provide an advise that better suits your needs.
Rochelle P
Product Development Director at Red Book Solutions
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Having sat on both sides of the fence, once a freelancer and now a hiring manager, I've seen firsthand both aspects of the market. There are benefits to using freelancers.
1. Hiring them enables your organization to use marketing funds only when you need to. This is can be a substantial savings for smaller companies who can't afford to bring certain marketing aspects in-house.
2. Many times bringing in freelancers provides you with a fresh perspective to your marketing challenges.
Of course with the good, there is some bad - ok, not so bad, but worth noting and taking into consideration when making your decision.
1. Look around as many marketers have specialized talents, such as copywriting, graphic designer, SEO/SEM/PPC. Generalists are available, but mae certain you know what you are looking for. Ask for CURRENT samples of their work.
2. Price should not be your deciding factor. Of course, there are marketers who lowball to get the contract, but that doesn't mean they are qualified to do the work.
3. Know what you want before you interview. This is the one place that can end up costing you an unforeseen fortune. Because edits and redos are typically extra, its wise to provide full documentation of the project and your expectations, even rough drafts or mockups, before the contract is negotiated.
4. Read the contract carefully - all of it! You have to look out for your interests, which means you must know what the fine print says. You are also responsible for ensuring your company's interests are represented COMPLETELY in the paperwork.
5. Plan to initiate the contract with a deposit. Unless you are putting this marketer on retainer, expect to pay as much as 1/3 to 1/2 of the contract amount up front. DO NOT PAY THE BACK END UNTIL YOU ARE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS/PRODUCT.
6. Change orders can cost you a fortune. See #3.
Don't let me scare you. Freelancers provide some of the best work I've ever seen - typically at a terrific price. Most are ethical and want to help you create/maintain a positive image for your organization. As with anything else in life, be cautious.
I have been a freelance Marketing Consultant for over two years. My company handles everything in the marketing world from online to offline marketing. Almost 99% of my business model is ongoing business and referrals. Freelancing does work. The key is the same as hiring someone to work inside of your company. Talk with them on the phone. Interview them. Find out about their skills and see if they fit your company. Dont be afraid to ask for and check references.
Some tips...defined expectations, timelines for completion, detailed payment terms, and a reporting structure. Just like if they sat at a desk in your company. Tell them when and what you expect. Ask for payment after work is completed. You do not pay your employees ahead of time right? Be sensitive that freelancers need to be paid on time though. This will keep your relationship strong. Further, involve your permanent guy in the decision because he will need to work closely with this person. You MIGHT even make him the responsible contact in the company so he does not feel like he is in competition for his job.
Pitfall--Be sure whoever you hire will be the person you are working with on your project. Some companies have extensive portfolios gathered from people with various work backgrounds. So, the person you speak to with all the experience and information might not be the person you work with...so beware. Also, freelancers (some are extremely professional as I like to think I am) have a life that does not include your company. So vacations and time off are often taken at their whim. Be sure you are clear about expectations if you need a weeks notice or something of that nature.
Simon S
[www.simonshah.com] Customer and Shareholder VALUE Through Connected Marketing
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Hi Shahid
The market for freelance marketeers and interim management is growing, especially when budgets are tight and companies are not looking to hire additional headcount but still need extra resources to do undertake projects.
Bringing in new people to an initiative can sometimes catalyse fresh ideas and thinking and an 'outside in' rather than an 'inside out' approach and it all rests on the scope of the undertaking you wish to outsource.
Here are just a few things to consider:
Have clearly defined objectives for the freelance work. You might not have the time to develop this yourself or perhaps want to just outline the bare bones of the scope, so work with the freelancer to prepare with you a more detailed project for the work and come up with agreed specific objectives so you can both agree and sign off. Any freelancer of calibre should be able to do this with you so that is a useful early indication of their skills.
Take references on any likely candidate and determine not just their marketing skills but their consulting skills. Both are relevant in a freelance/interim setting and will mean you expend less time managing a resource rather than them managing themselves.
Have some articulated procedures in place to ensure there is constant review and candid feedback during the work process. That way if something is not going to plan it can be rectified before it becomes a problem and the project can stay on course.
These tips will help to ensure you have a more successful outcome
More Answers (13)
well according to me marketing is a mission. For marketing a product you need to have insight of the product ,total co-ordination with the product team,manufacturing unit . So usually a inhouse marketing person would be best option but if you get a very competitive free lancer then it shdnt be a problem. Just need to get a hardcore professional. Please let me know your product if I could be of any help aswell. Thanks
Sandeepgandotra@gmail.com
David L
Managing Director at mktgDIGITAL
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Shahid
I have been a freelance marketing consultant for nearly seven years. In my view, and more importantly in my customers view, there are many advantages to using a freelance marketer.
You will get a more skilled and developed marketer than if you recruit a permanent person. This will enable your business to benefit by getting the project up and running quicker. You will get skill sharing as your team works with the freelancer. You will also benefit from the individuals knowledge gained from other industries and markets.
The individual you hire will be highly motivated - in the freelance world, you are only as good as your last job, and referrals are everything.
I wish you well in your first venture into utlising the skills of a freelancer.
Eddie M
Director at Booster Interim Resources Ltd - Lift Business Performance to a Higher Level
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Hi Shahid -
You should seriously consider interim management support. Charles Besondy is a specialist in this regard and he's on LinkedIn.
Eddie
Links:
Clarification added May 5, 2008:
Shahid -
You can contact Chuck via the secind URL below.
Eddie
No... i dont think it is right.
to my knowledge, the marketing person should know everything about ur company. which the free-lancer might not know, he will have to learn a few things, for which he would require some time. and he probably will not take responsibility as compared to a person who is permanently hired.
i think in this case you must shorlist a candidate on ur earliest :)
Using free lancer marketing people is a non-conventional approach to which most of the people won't incline to. If your product is perennial, then its a good idea since hiring a full-time resource will be an extra overhead once your product has gained some place in the market ... this is when a sales person will come handy and not a marketing guy.
Tips: analyze your product, if it is a long term game, hire a full-time marketing guy; for a one time venture, hire a contract guy.
We have hired free lance marketing professionals several times in the past for a variety of reasons. There are many good marketing professionals who have left agencies to work on their own. However, there are also some with inflated resumes and over-hyped skills. Whenever we talk to a free lancer, we not only get a portfolio and list of clients, but we also ask for contact names and numbers of some of their past clients to check out the person we're interested in. I recommend doing this whether working with an individual or another company.
It seems like you want to split up the work so that in-house people do some products and a freelancer is responsible for one particular product. A more natural division of labor is that the in-house team is responsible for areas that require deeper knowledge about the product and the organization and freelancers are used for some of the marketing mechanics that cut across all products. The in-house team should not let go of responsibility for the products. Looking at two areas:
Product Marketing: Development of value propositions and messages around the product. The in-house team owns this for ALL products. These in-house marketers should also provide input to the next version of the product which require deeper connection in the organization. Freelancers might be called in for a one-time review and add extra spice and ideas.
Marketing Programs: You can outsource the actual campaign execution (online and offline campaigns) to an agency. You can also use a freelancer to help design individual campaign taglines and themes.
Freelancers can also do graphical design work as this is typically transferable to another designer.
With this strategy, you keep the most valuable knowledge in-house (WHY is this product better and how do we improve the next release?), you avoid being dependent on the freelancer, and the freelancer can add value quickly without too much knowledge transfer.
Actually it is a very good idea, and there are large businesses here in the United States devoted to it. Aquent (see Aquent.com) comes to mind. The advantages are numerous. a) You get someone that is skilled in a particular area e.g. Launching a new product or service; Public Relations b) You don't over-burden the organization - the regular work has to get done, along side any incremental initiatives c) Free Lancers are motivated to perform well, so they are recommended for other projects d) no addition to head count in the organization e) fresh ideas to your organization
Pitfalls a) independent b) not embedded into the company culture
Good luck, Sam
Very difficult to getthe right freelancer...
either they dont undrerstand the market or they have no clue about your product
if you find a person that is well versed in both areas u are better off hiring him as a temp/parttime or contract
Also remember a free lancer is free to take ideas from your comapnay and pass it on to others...
Hi Shahid
It is unclear that what is the Product/ Service.
I feel that if any person having great understanding of tracking the marketing
effort will hire a freelancer.
If your product/service can be marketed online i feel you should go ahead with
hiring a freelancer.
In fact i have good understanding of tracking of marketing effort as well as i
handle virtual marketing team across India, so i do believe that one can hire a freelancer & get the work done.
If you have trusted network of professional people that would be viable option.
Regards
Praveen Pandey
India, Pune
+91 98232 96501
Koshy S
GLOBAL Sales, Sourcing, Procurement, Logistics & General Business Management at Schlumberger Oil Field Services
Best Answers in: Job Search (1)
Try this
Marketing Secrets of a Successful Freelancer - 45 Minute 2-Part Audio Program. ... If you have a computer, an internet connection, and the right skills, ...
Marketing can be contracted, just like any other resource. The key issue that some of the other contributors have pointed out is that it is essential to define exactly what you want to achieve, what skills you are looking for, and what the value is.
Then you can look at either consulting organisations with marketing expertise, individual consultants or interims.
What you shouldn't expect is that they will be cheap - if they are good, they will cost more than your full time staff.
You also need to invest some time in getting them up to speed. It will be much less than with a full time person.
It will also be helpful to understand whether you want them to follow any specific methodologies, processes, etc for the work you want them to do and how informal or formal that is.
Moin S
Technology Marketing Executive with international experience selling and managing complex, engineered, systems projects
Depending on the task, kind of organization, product and project. Marketing is a core function of an organization. It is your organizations face to the outside world. Do you want "temps" to fill that role ???. WIll your customers trust this person. Will he/she be able to establish credibility in the market place?
If the need is of a temporary nature and the task you need this person to do is well defined and of a short duration then it is ok. But it needs to be supervised so when this person leaves he does not take critical information about yout operations, strategy and tactics to the competition.
