In our previous posts, we have explained to you how to get a Digital Marketing job as a fresher and how much you can earn in digital marketing as a fresher.
Moreover, we have shared Digital Marketing Fresher’s Interview Questions guide to help you prepare for the interview.
We explained to you the importance of a good resume and guide you on how to create a perfect Digital Marketing Resume For Freshers.
But what about Freelancer?
How to become a successful Digital marketing freelancer without any prior experience. This guide is specially prepared for those who want to start their careers as digital marketing freelancers.
So let’s get started…
A freelancer is a self-employed person who provides his/her services to multiple businesses at the same time.
To become a successful Digital Marketing Freelancer, one should have a clear understanding of the concepts related to this field what are the strategies and tactics that can be used and how to use them.
The very first thing one should do in order to showcase knowledge, one should first create his/her own website.
Run multiple campaigns and invest some amount of money to know how Google Ad Words work and how to generate a report.
This will help you to gain the trust of your clients that their money will not be at risk when you will showcase your projects.
Digital Marketing helps in promoting an organization or business to promote their services or products over the internet via an electronic medium.
Once you have gained knowledge of Digital Marketing, you can either be a full-time digital marketing employee or as a freelancer without giving up your job.
Now there are pros and cons of working as Freelance Digital Marketer. The pros can be- no matter where you live, you can work from anywhere in the world.
You can work at your convenience and can save the time of traveling. You can choose which project you want to work on or which client you want to work with, depending upon the amount paid to you.
Cons can be- you will miss out on benefits a full-time employee gets such as- the fixed salary at the month-end or Provident Fund, group insurance given by any organization, medical coverage, etc.
A freelancer will have to manage each and every single thing like accounting, content writing, designing, and analytics as mentioned above as well.
There are certain things that a Freelancer should keep in mind while picking up any project with the clients:
1# Set Expectations:
Before picking up the project, you should communicate clearly about the timeline.
How much time the project will take or how much time you need to do any modifications after completing certain portions of the projects.
One should have a clear understanding of the type of work the client is expecting. It should be done in the initial stage, this will avoid any problems that might occur if the work is not up to the client’s expectations.
2# Make A Contract:
At the initial stage of your freelance career, you need to work on a low payout in order to get visible in the market.
Once you get enough projects, and visible, you can raise your expectations thereafter. Before finalizing any project, make a contract with your client in which the payment methods are clearly mentioned.
For example, 50% in advance and then a monthly breakdown of 30% and 20% remaining amount to be paid when the project is completed.
The contract will avoid any confusion and problems that might be related to deadlines or payments.
3# Pick your Area of Interest:
One can become an expert only when he picks up the area of his/her interest and the same is applicable in digital marketing while working as a freelancer.
Work only on the part where you are confident enough to take care of things.
For example, if you are an expert in SEO but not in Ad Words, do not accept any project which has Ad Words. It is always better to not accept projects that are not related to your expertise.
4# Showcase your work:
Once you are done with your website or any other work which you have done on the personal level (no clients were involved), use that work to showcase your skills to the clients to get more business.
The more work you showcase, the better business you attract. Be proactive on social media pages such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Use your social media marketing skills to promote yourself. Post regularly and maintain a blog using relevant keywords.
This will definitely not only rank up your website but also bring you in the eyes of prospective clients.
5# Have a Backup Plan:
Effectively focusing your energy in several different areas means it’s easier to ensure you have some way of making hay while your other field lays fallow.
You need to make sure that if your plan A is working quietly then you should push plan B so that your work can be completed within the timeframe.
6# Be patient:
The most important thing while building your career as a freelancer is to be patient.
You will not receive projects in one day, it is a process that takes time.
So do not lose hope if you are not getting a response in one go. At the same time, one must also understand that every person has a different working style and behavior.
Adapting to different environments and working styles is yet again very important.
Types of Freelancer:
Tools that can a Freelance use:
There are numerous tools that are being used in Digital Marketing.
But when you are discussing these tools with your clients, you need to make sure that you have detailed knowledge.
For Example, Canva.com, this tool is used to create a Resume, Letterhead, Business Card, Logos, etc. G-Mass and Mail Chimp are other examples to send bulk emails for your campaigns.
Biteable, Renderforest, Wondershare, Filmora are the best examples for creating and editing videos related to the products or services for the clients.
Connect with other Freelancers:
You should contact other freelancers who are into digital marketing, as one should always take the opportunity to learn from others.
You can learn their tips and tricks for the businesses they are working with and it will help you out in serving your own clients. This way, you can improve your skills, grow your business and make it visible.
There are many agencies these days which are connecting with freelancers. One should prepare a list where you can connect with those agencies.
Apart from these agencies, there are other companies that are dealing in digital marketing like education institutes, clothing, etc.
Since 2004, the social web has developed more than expected and there are now millions of data generated from these platforms.
If you are working for your friend or family business where you cannot charge for your services, do make sure for the feedback.
Ask them to share their feedback on your website as well as ask for video testimonials appreciating your work and efforts. These will help while pitching a business or organization for a new project.
Currently, after the US, India is the 2nd largest freelance workforce with over 15 million people who are working independently in different sectors like IT, Finance, Marketing, Animation, etc.
Once you start your career as a Freelancer, you have to be dedicated to your projects in order to deliver the results to your clients within the given timeframe.
As Digital Marketing is the only industry where the work requirement never ends, companies, as well as agencies, are hiring freelancers to finish up the required job.
Freelancers not only deal in Digital Marketing, but are now into IT Industry, Finance, and Animation as well.
During the recession as well, Digital Marketing was the only industry that did not lay off any employees.
Every small scale and large scale business is now dealing with digital marketing. This creates a good opportunity to start your career in Digital Marketing as a Freelancer.