Marketing and sales are essential for attracting new leads and converting them into paying customers. In short, they’re the lifeblood of your business. However, if your company is on the smaller side, you may not have the funds to employ a full-scale sales and marketing team.
Don’t worry, though. In this case, independent professionals can help fill the gaps. Discover how to find the right experts to support your business with these tips from LRM RiverValley Marketing.
The pros and cons of outsourcing sales and marketing
With the popularity of freelance work soaring in recent years, it’s no wonder why outsourcing work to freelancers makes so much sense. Futurpreneur Canada notes that Working with freelancers offers several distinct advantages. First, you get to pick and choose exactly what experts you want to work with, allowing you to build a team of the best and the brightest. A freelance team is also easy to scale up or down according to your needs and can help expedite certain projects by bringing more manpower to them quickly.
Further, hiring a freelancer can be more affordable. When you hire someone in-house, you become responsible for certain social benefits. Plus, the paperwork can be more tedious when tax time rolls around. Freelancers are generally a more cost-efficient alternative. That said, it’s important that you don’t treat your freelancers as if they were employees, or you risk violating employment laws.
What to look for when building a freelance sales and marketing team
Before you start hiring freelance sales and marketing professionals, sit down to think about what you need. For example, say you want to expand your video marketing efforts. This might mean hiring a professional video editor. Working with more experienced professionals also generally means better quality. As Unicorn Factory explains, new freelancers may be cheaper but tend to be less experienced.
When searching for pros like those with a finger on the pulse of the local business environment, reach out to LRM RiverValley Marketing for your content marketing needs. As a specialized area of advertising, content marketing is extremely vital to your business’s growth. You can learn more about content marketing by going online and doing a little digging – CornerstoneContent.com is a great place to start.
Steps for finding and hiring independent professionals
Once you know what types of roles you need to fill, you can start actually scouting the market for talent. There are many online platforms where you can connect with freelancers. Consider whether you want to use an all-purpose platform or a niche one. For instance, there are work-for-hire websites specifically for fields like graphic design or writing.
Once you’ve posted a job advertisement and reviewed replies, select a few freelancers to interview. A video interview is usually sufficient and also more convenient, since the person may not be in the same city as you. This will give you a chance to get to know the individual better and determine whether they’ll meet your needs. Finally, sketch out a contract with any freelancers you hire to clarify terms and pay.
How to ensure long-term success when collaborating with freelancers
Get your freelancers off to a good start with a comprehensive onboarding process. This gives them a chance to get to know in-house employees they may have to interact with, to learn the tools your business uses, and to generally get a better sense of your company. Provide the necessary documentation and training needed to get them off on the right foot. This will save them and you time and frustration later.
Going forward, support your freelancers’ success by setting up a streamlined collaboration process. You might invest in a project management technology like Asana to make it easier to track deliverables and deadlines. Chat tools like Slack are also great for maintaining communications and ensuring transparency.
Especially in today’s highly competitive and ever-changing business world, a freelance sales and marketing team can help take your business to the next level. All it takes is a little planning, research, and diligence. Follow the steps above to help you find the right professionals to spur your success.