Summary
As long as you can accept the inconsistencies of your income while remaining self-motivated, you will be able to thrive in this digital landscape.
Diversify your skills and build an impressive portfolio to showcase your expertise. As you grow, you have to reflect on what long-term goals you will be maintaining for yourself.
It will be up to you to determine if the world of freelance digital marketing really is for you.
If you’re reading this, you are most likely curious about joining the exciting world of freelance digital marketing – I was too before!
Becoming a freelance digital marketer opens up a journey of challenges and opportunities. Essentially, you’re helping businesses grow within the digital landscape.
In this article, I will guide you on this career path’s ins and outs. It might also help you confirm if this is your right choice.
Digital marketing uses your skills to help businesses and clients create a strong online presence. Their main goal is to be able to achieve their marketing goals by promoting products and services through the use of various digital channels.
As a digital marketer, your tasks involve creating and implementing strategies with search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, creating content, and advertising online.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CisE6j4mqrQ
Advantages of Digital Marketing
You may wonder, “Can I make money as a freelancer in digital marketing?” As a freelancer, digital marketing is indeed a legit career!
A career in digital marketing can pay extremely well. Unlike regular jobs, there is no threshold on how much you can make – as long as you put a lot of effort into it.
ZipRecruiter’s data states that as of August 8, 2023, an average freelance writer in the U.S. makes about $60 985 annually.
Jason Cabler once wrote, “It is not hard for freelancers to make a six-figure yearly income.” However, LinkedIn reports that the figure may vary depending on your experience, the effort you put in, and your niche.
Looking away from the financial figures, is there anything else that freelancing as a digital marketer can offer?
1. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance
Do you like waking up and setting up work in the comfort of your own home?
Imagine having the freedom to set up your work hours. Traveling to multiple locations sounds so freeing, doesn’t it?
Being a freelance digital marketer, you can work from your favorite coffee shop or while inside any transportation. A freelance career involves time flexibility, allowing you to manage your professional and personal life better.
2. A Potential for Better Income
Unlike a fixed monthly salary, you can increase your income by simultaneously taking on multiple projects from different companies. Your earning potential will grow if you complete your campaign within the agreed-upon deadline.
3. Diversity in Clients and Projects
Being a freelancer means you are not tied to just one company. With a career in digital marketing, you’ll be able to work with various clients from multiple companies.
Different clients not only keep your projects interesting; it will also allow you to learn various knowledge and acquire different skill sets. You can now use this acquired knowledge for different projects to further your career through creativity and innovation.
4. Skill Enhancement and Continuous Learning
Since the digital environment will always be ever-changing, being a freelancer will require you to be updated on the latest trend. Keeping updated enhances your skills and boosts your credibility in the eyes of potential clients since it shows commitment to your work.
Challenges of Being a Freelance Digital Marketer
While being your boss sounds exciting, a variety of negativities can come with this. Do they outweigh all the life-changing positives we’ve talked about previously?
Being a freelancer essentially means running your own business. YOU will be in charge of making those impactful decisions that will make or break your business.
You’re the one tracking and accepting payments from clients. Regarding self-promotions, it’s up to you how you’ll strategize them.
There will come a time when you feel like giving up. You are the main provider for your brand; after all, freelancing is all about the hustle.
1. Inconsistent Income
When it comes to financial instability, freelancing is in line. Due to varying project volumes and client payments, you may experience fluctuations in your income.
Before you decide to become a freelancer, ensure that you have built an emergency fund. In line with this, budgeting your income is the next best step.
Your main source of income may be your phone, laptop, or desktop computer. Make sure you are financially prepared for everything that may happen to them.
2. Acquiring and Retaining Clients
Finding a client is not an easy task. Maintaining them is a completely different story.
You must constantly promote yourself, create networks, and maintain your current clients while adding new ones. Only then will you be able to create a steady stream of income.
Ensuring the quality of work amongst all these clients is no easy feat. You need to be able to constantly provide what they need for them to keep coming back to you.
3. Self-Motivation and Time Management
Procrastination is your primary challenge in the freelancing world. Working independently requires all your self-discipline since you will manage your time.
You have to set realistic goals and motivate yourself to finish a project you don’t want to do. Consistent motivation is one of the main problems of freelancers new to the scene and testing the waters.
4. No Holiday Pay, No Benefits, No Sick Days?
Aside from procrastination, stress is a major contributor to health decline. Since you are your boss, your regular excuse for a fever or the common cold is no longer applicable at this rate.
Once you fall sick, you have to make sure you have some savings to cover your downtime and your trip to the hospital.
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Regarding holidays and relaxation, you might feel guilty about your trip. It’s not uncommon to feel relaxation anxiety since you might think that the time you could be relaxing can also be the time to hustle and put in more work.
[Also read about Growth Marketing Strategies Guide]
Starting Your Freelance Digital Marketing Career
Incorporating what you have learned so far, were you able to weigh the pros and cons of being a freelancer? Are you sure you still want to commit to this industry?
While there are many guides out there that relay, “You can be a Freelance Digital Marketer with zero knowledge!” Preferably, most clients hire those with some knowledge and background in that area.
If you were a business owner, you would be more likely to hire someone who knows what they’re doing, right? You wouldn’t just hire someone with general knowledge of a specific task that you need to do.
1. Building the Necessary Skill Set
Before jumping in, you must ensure you have solid foundations, particularly in digital marketing.
This may or may not include:
- Social Media Marketing
- Search Engine Optimization
- Content Creation
- Research and Analytics
Also read about DIY SEO – How to Do It Yourself
2. Creating an Impressive Portfolio
If you haven’t got anything yet on hand, start small. Ensure that you include all of your best works in that portfolio.
A portfolio can significantly boost your credibility, even in a Google Drive. A starter helps you and your potential clients see what you can do; they might even help you tweak all necessary skills through training.
3. Presenting Who You Are
Creating a website or a simple social media page can help reflect your brand. Your social media profiles will act as your virtual business card and help potential clients find you and learn about your services.
Your skills should play a major part here. It is best if you are about to determine your market to be more aware of the trends and changes in that particular industry.
If your previous job was at a digital marketing agency, you could focus on a specific area where you spent most of your time. Your digital marketing business may target something more specific instead of creating general content.
4. Building Client Relationships
After you’ve set up everything, your next action should be to gain clients. Attending your chosen industry’s events and webinars and joining online communities within your niche is best.
Networking can be a game-changer for freelancing, especially in the digital marketing niche. Not only does it help you stay updated on the industry’s current trends while also provides the opportunity to connect with potential clients.
Building strong client relationships based on trust and strategic interactions is crucial for repeat clients and referrals.
Essential Tools for Freelance Digital Marketers
Freelance digital marketing is not just a passion or a hobby. It is a business that requires a lot of discipline, hard work, and the ability to manage your clients and projects properly.
If you’re a digital marketer who wants to streamline your time (and productivity), these are some of the best tools that will keep you efficient and organized while staying ahead of the competition:
1. Social Media Management and Scheduling Tools
Platforms like Hootsuite and Buffer will save you a lot of time in posting content. These programs help you by letting you manage, schedule, and post across multiple platforms ahead of time.
Investing in these platforms will ensure you have a consistent online presence. Interaction is crucial for audience engagement since you want to keep them in a routine to keep up with your website.
2. Analytics and Reporting Platforms
Of course, you’ll need data-driven keywords and tools that help with decision-making. Google Analytics helps you understand what your audience wants for faster content generation.
It is best to streamline your campaign planning and your project’s success and help refine your strategies based on real-time data.
3. Content Creation and Graphic Design
It can be taxing for most of us, especially if we’re not design pros. User-friendly interfaces like Canva and Adobe Creative Studio will help leverage your content.
The main goal of these platforms is to help you craft stunning visuals and post-its to impress clients with eye-catching content.
4. Project Management Tools
With Trello or Asana, you can always keep your project on track. These platforms primarily organize your tasks and help you set deadlines.
If you are working with clients remotely, it is a must that you can communicate with them effectively. Being able to ask clients what they want and need with a click of a button will foster your project’s success.
5. Email Marketing
While most people no longer read their emails anymore, email marketing is still an effective tool in digital marketing.
There are platforms like Mailchimp or ConvertKit that will help you create, automate, and plan email campaigns. Strategic digital marketing will nurture your leads, keep your clients engaged, and drive more conversations through targeted, personalized messages.
6. Keyword Research and SEO Tools
When it comes to keyword optimization, SEO is your best friend. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs will be the ones to help you uncover these.
These tools help in locating the search terms your target audience uses. Strategically using these keywords in your content increases your website’s search engine rankings.
Mastering keyword optimization significantly helps your content rank better. Aside from these, you can analyze your competition and not saturate the market with overly milked keywords.
7. Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRMs)
Keeping track of client leads and managing projects is necessary for a freelancing career. You want to provide the same quality you send to all your clients for repeat business.
CRM Systems like HubSpot and Salesforce will help organize your client interactions.
Strategies for Success and Growth
Freelancing in the Digital Marketing world is not an easy money scheme. You have to scale the highs and lows of this industry with strategic decision-making and patience.
1. Specializing vs. Generalizing
You have to be able to spend enough time to tailor your marketing efforts to generate clients. You have to be unique from your competitors to be highlighted with the benefits of working with you.
Do you want to be a specialist in a specific area of digital marketing? Or perhaps you prefer to offer a broader range of services? The secret is specialization!
2. Continuous Improvement
Adding a new skill to your business can make you more valuable to clients. The freelancing industry prioritizes growth and opportunities.
Focus on skills that align with your long-term goals and add value to your chosen niche.
3. Feedback is a Gift
Actively seek feedback from all of your clients. Feedback and suggestions will help improve your services to tailor to their needs in the future.
Happier clients are likely to refer you to other clients within their network. It’s like they’re doing the marketing work for you for free!
4. Create Your Pricing Strategy
As your workload increases, the technology you need to fulfill them will also increase. Steadily raising your rates is one of the most direct ways to increase your income.
Research the competition and match their skills with better output quality. Create a benchmark of your quality in the industry and raise your price steadily.
While this can be a risky move, take into account some factors like:
- your experience and expertise
- the quality of your work
- the uniqueness that you bring to the clients
Once you can determine how much you’ll be charging, ensure to communicate transparently with clients. Explain the purpose behind the increase and the additional benefits if they continue to work with you.
Long-term clients will always appreciate an update instead of randomly calculating the price.
Is Freelance Digital Marketing Worth It?
Truthfully, only you can make that decision. It will always be a constant growth, self-discovery, and learning journey.
Every hurdle you face will only improve your journey to a rewarding career. If you are willing to work, freelance digital marketing can become your canvas for success.
Let me know in the comments if you plan on becoming a digital marketer!
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