Unlock The Freedom - What Is Freelance Digital Marketing
Go digital, go freelance! This beginner's guide to "What is Freelance Digital Marketing" unlocks your potential. Master social media, SEO, and more. Build a thriving business, on your terms.
Author:Stefano MclaughlinReviewer:Luqman JacksonJan 05, 20246K Shares88.5K Views
The demand for digital marketing is on the rise as the internet attracts a larger user base. Numerous businesses seek the services of freelance digital marketers to address their marketing requirements and tap into the online population. If you're gearing up for a career in this field, it's crucial to grasp the process of becoming a freelance digital marketer. This article provides insights into the What Is Freelance Digital Marketing, and outlines the essential skills needed for successful performance in this profession.
Independent digital marketers assist clients in developing, implementing, and assessing campaigns aimed at promoting their products or services. Initiating a freelance digital marketing career involves a series of steps, such as establishing an audience and establishing connections with brands.
Definition Of Freelancing
Freelancing pertains to individuals who undertake specific tasks for a company or client as required. The time dedication fluctuates and may range from a few hours to an ongoing arrangement. Freelancers typically receive compensation on a per-project or hourly basis and do not hold the status of traditional employees.
What Is Freelance Digital Marketing
Before delving into the definition of freelance digital marketing, it's essential to clarify the concept of digital marketing itself. Digital marketing is a promotional approach conducted through online channels.
The primary objectives of this strategy include promoting products and services, enhancing a company's brand presence, and cultivating relationships with a target audience to prompt specific actions. These actions encompass activities such as generating leads and driving sales.
While some companies internally refine their digital marketing strategies, others opt for freelance digital marketing resources. This involves the practice of engaging remote workers to develop and oversee campaigns for the company. These freelancers operate independently and are not formal employees of the company; instead, they offer their services to companies in need.
Role Of A Freelance Digital Marketer
A freelance digital marketer is an individual who offers digital marketing services to businesses, nonprofits, and organizations on a contractual basis, rather than being an employee. Freelance digital marketers typically enjoy a flexible work environment, setting their own pace, while aligning with their clients' schedules. The majority of these practitioners operate remotely and have the capability to collaborate with an organization's established marketing team.
The scope of services provided by freelance marketers in the digital realm is extensive. Typically, freelance digital marketers are engaged for:
- Paid advertising, such as Google ads, Facebook ads, YouTube ads, etc.
- Video marketing, involving tasks like ideation, scriptwriting, shooting, editing, publishing, and promoting videos.
- Influencer marketing.
- Search engine optimization, covering aspects like keyword research, creating SEO content, and building backlinks.
- Designing and managing complete sales and marketing funnels.
As evident, there is a diverse range of tasks that a freelance digital marketer can undertake.
Embark On A Career As A Freelance Digital Marketer
Transitioning into a freelance digital marketing careerinvolves multiple stages, such as honing your skills, promoting yourself, and securing clients. Specifically, if you're aspiring to pursue a freelance digital marketing path, here are five steps to guide you:
Choose Specializations That Complement Your Expertise
Digital marketing encompasses various niches. To thrive, consider focusing your freelance services on one or two specific areas that align with your strongest skills. For instance, if you find enjoyment in devising ad strategies, you might specialize in social media advertising. Potential marketing niches include:
- Content
- Social media
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Mobile
- Affiliate marketing
- Pay-per-click (PPC)
- Marketing analytics
- Video
- Virtual reality
Enhance Your Skill Set
Explore opportunities to enhance your skill set through online courses, video tutorials, or local workshops. For instance, enrolling in the Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce Professional Certificate on Courseracan equip you with job-ready skills in under six months.
Acquiring certificates can instill confidence in clients, showcasing your proficiency in efficiently handling marketing tasks. Certifications also demonstrate your commitment to ongoing learning and a dedication to staying abreast of evolving trends.
Additionally, you may consider pursuing online certifications, participating in bootcamps, or even working towards a degree in the field. If you opt for a bachelor's degree, potential majors include marketing, advertising, marketing management, or business administration with a focus on digital or social media management. Online digital marketing degrees with similar concentrations and majors are also available for those seeking a more flexible learning approach.
Establish An Online Presence With A Portfolio
To position yourself as a freelance digital marketer, effective self-promotion is crucial. It is recommended to create a website featuring a biography, work samples, and a means for prospective clients to contact you.
In your "About Me" section, provide a concise overview of your professional journey, highlighting relevant work experiences, degrees, or certifications. Additionally, offer insights into your personality and hobbies. Maintain a balance between brevity and professionalism.
Freelancers commonly showcase their work through a portfolio. Ensure that your portfolio emphasizes the type of work you specialize in, aiding clients in understanding your skills. Keep the presentation visually appealing with clear formatting and regularly update the content.
Include a prominently visible contact page on your website, featuring both email and phone contact information. Provide links to your professional social media channels, such as LinkedIn, to further enhance your online presence.
Establish Your Pricing
As a self-employed digital marketer, you'll need to devise a pricing structure, which can involve hourly rates, project-based fees, daily rates, retainer arrangements, or a combination of these. Many freelancers opt for hourly rates. To begin, determine the annual income you aim to achieve, the number of hours you plan to work weekly, and the total weeks you intend to work annually:
- Let's assume you target an annual income of $60,000, plan to work 40 hours per week, and intend to take three weeks of vacation, totaling 49 working weeks.
- Multiply the planned weekly hours by the weeks worked.
40 hours x 49 weeks = 1,960 working hours.
- Next what you'll do is,
- Divide your target income by the total working hours to determine your initial hourly rate.
$60,000 / 1,960 hours = $30.61/hour.
However, not every hour is billable; approximately 60 to 85 percent of your time is billable, with the remainder devoted to non-billable tasks such as responding to emails, self-promotion, and invoicing.
- To compensate for this, adjust your hourly rate:
- Subtract 40 percent of your total hours to account for non-billable activities.
1,960 hours x 0.40 = 784 non-billable hours.
1,960 hours - 784 non-billable hours = 1,176 billable hours.
- After removing 40 percent for non-billable tasks,
- Divide your target revenue by the new number of billable hours to arrive at a more accurate hourly rate.
$60,000 / 1,176 billable hours = $51.02/hour.
Attract Clientele
To secure new clients, explore prominent freelance platforms such as FlexJobsand Upwork, where you can apply for specific job opportunities and leverage those experiences to enrich your portfolio.
Consider initiating conversations with local businesses or those owned by acquaintances, including family and friends, to discuss their marketing requirements.
Enhance your website by incorporating a lead magnet, such as offering an ebook in exchange for email addresses. As you accumulate contacts, send personalized emails to initiate discussions about marketing and the services you offer.
Research from Statista indicates various sources freelancers commonly utilize for finding work:
- Previous clients
- Friends and family
- Social media
- Professional contacts
- Online advertisements
- Online job boards
- Former employers
- Sharing economy (peer-to-peer) websites or apps
- Local newspapers
- Employment agencies
Instances Of Businesses Employing Freelance Marketers
While nearly every company employs digital marketing to connect with customers, some prevalent industries that engage freelance digital marketers include:
- Consulting
- Finance
- Insurance
- Education
- Advertising and Public Relations
Essential Skills For A Freelance Digital Marketer
To thrive as a freelance digital marketer, certain skills are crucial:
Research Skills
Effective market research is integral to the work of a freelance digital marketer. Extensive research is conducted on consumer behavior to create detailed customer profiles, influencing the targeting and content of advertisements. Researching market information, which may require hours of effort, is essential. The compilation and organization of market data for analysis is also time-consuming. Hence, possessing strong research skills is vital to identify comprehensive and precise market information.
Technical Proficiency
Freelance digital marketers heavily rely on various software tools to carry out their responsibilities. They utilize data analysis tools for market data assessment and trend tracking. Additionally, there are diverse email and social media marketing tools employed to dispatch automated messages to clients. Graphic design, word processing, and teleconferencing software are also frequently utilized. Proficient technical skills are necessary for navigating these software tools and resolving client issues effectively.
Negotiation Acumen
Freelance digital marketers play a pivotal role in determining their pricing structures and acquiring clients. While some marketers may have fixed prices for potential clients, negotiations often occur on an individual basis, especially for long-term projects. Therefore, freelance digital marketers must possess negotiation skills to secure optimal compensation for their services without compromising client relationships. Adequate compensation not only boosts morale but also contributes to the delivery of higher-quality work.
Communication Proficiency
Freelance digital marketers typically engage in consultation sessions with clients to discern their requirements. Active listening is essential for understanding client needs, and close attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues is crucial to ensuring client satisfaction. A discerning digital marketer can, for instance, identify when a client struggles to articulate their ideas. Exceptional writing and speaking skills are also necessary for providing effective feedback to clients. Proficient communication skills empower freelance digital marketers to convey technical terms to customers.
Innovation
Creativity involves leveraging imagination to generate original work or perspectives. In marketing, creativity is a fundamental skill, as it enables marketers to capture audience attention through unique ideas that distinctively showcase products and services. Moreover, creativity is indispensable for freelance digital marketers when addressing marketing challenges. For instance, they rely on creativity when dealing with clients whose products face unpopularity or controversy in specific locations. Digital marketers also apply creativity in crafting proposals and pitches.
Copywriting
Copywriting entails the creation of promotional content for businesses or individuals. This skill is fundamental as it constitutes a significant aspect of a digital marketer's daily responsibilities. For instance, when digital marketers are promoting a brand, they employ copywriting to craft engaging content, especially in the case of longer marketing texts. Proficient copywriting can enhance audience engagement and boost sales conversions, as it allows people to connect with the marketing message. This skill demands excellent writing abilities and a grasp of storytelling techniques.
SEO And SEM
Digital marketers frequently encounter search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) in their roles. These skills are imperative for digital marketers to develop effective websites for both themselves and their clients. SEO and SEM leverage search engine research and analytics to ensure increased internet traffic to websites. Similarly, digital marketers rely on SEO and SEM proficiency to guarantee that potential buyers can easily locate their client's products during online searches.
Income Of A Freelance Digital Marketer
As this is an independent role, the earnings of freelance digital marketersexhibit significant variation. It is contingent upon factors such as the perceived value of your services, the nature of clients you engage with, and your adeptness at acquiring clients and marketing your services.
The profitability of specific types of digital marketing can also differ. Roles in email marketing, growth marketing, and paid advertising, for instance, typically command higher fees compared to other digital marketing services.
Furthermore, certain industries are known to offer higher compensation. Sectors such as finance, electronic manufacturing, sports teams, internet publishing and broadcasting, and well-funded startups tend to provide the most substantial salaries and contractor fees.
Data on the income of freelance digital marketers is limited. Talent.com, for instance, has only two reported income points for freelance digital marketers in Canada: CA$39,000 and CA$87,750 per year.
In the United States, annual salaries for freelance digital marketing range from $46,313 for entry-level roles to $80,288 for more experienced freelance marketers. The average among 16 data points stands at $59,963.
Numerous variables come into play when determining the potential earnings of a freelance digital marketer. In essence, the income can range from minimal amounts to exceeding six figures annually, particularly when combining freelancing with additional income streams. Further details on this are discussed below.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Freelance Digital Marketing
With the freelance economy on the rise, more individuals are opting to leave traditional employment and pursue independent work.
However, is freelance digital marketing the right choice for you?
To answer this question, we need to consider two aspects: freelancing itself and a career in digital marketing. Let's delve into both aspects and help you determine if this is the optimal path for you.
Pros And Cons Of Freelancing
At first glance, freelancing may appear to offer abundant freedom—and it does, to some extent. Yet, from practical experience, it's crucial to consider other aspects. Here are the pros and cons of freelancing.
Pros
- Freedom to select work projects, specialize, and choose clients according to your preferences.
- A flexible work schedule.
- Ability to scale your business and income as desired.
- Full credit for your work.
- All business profits belong to you.
Cons
- Unpredictable income.
- Wearing multiple hats and handling business marketing.
- Challenges in achieving a work-life balance.
- Lack of health or other employer benefits.
Now that you're familiar with the pros and cons of a freelance career, let's closely examine the skills and qualifications you should master before becoming a digital marketer—whether freelancing or not.
Frequently Asked Questions - What Is Freelance Digital Marketing
What Credentials Are Necessary For Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing does not mandate specific educational qualifications. While possessing a degree in marketing or journalism could be advantageous if you already hold one, it is not a prerequisite. Alternatively, you can pursue an upskilling program in digital marketing and concentrate on accumulating practical experience, which is considered highly valuable.
Can I Learn Digital Marketing From YouTube?
Digital marketing is a rapidly evolving field, and keeping up with the latest trends and techniques can be challenging. Fortunately, YouTube provides a wealth of knowledge and resources for digital marketers of all levels.
What Is The Age Limit For Digital Marketing?
There is no age limit or educational qualification required to start a career in digital marketing.
Conclusion
So, what is freelance digital marketing? It's not just an escape hatch from the cubicle—it's a chance to forge your own professional path, wielding the power of the digital landscape to amplify brands and watch client numbers climb. It's the freedom to craft campaigns, analyze data, and shape stories that resonate, all while mastering your time and location. This dynamic field embraces diverse skills, from content magic to social media mastery, offering a playground for the curious and ambitious. Dive in, explore, and unlock the potential that lies within—the future of marketing is freelance, and your journey starts now.
Jump to
Definition Of Freelancing
What Is Freelance Digital Marketing
Role Of A Freelance Digital Marketer
Embark On A Career As A Freelance Digital Marketer
Essential Skills For A Freelance Digital Marketer
Income Of A Freelance Digital Marketer
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Freelance Digital Marketing
Frequently Asked Questions - What Is Freelance Digital Marketing
Conclusion
Stefano Mclaughlin
Author
Luqman Jackson
Reviewer
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