Digital marketing freelancers - a guide on search and management

Every business eventually reaches a point where it needs to hire a freelancer to perform its digital marketing tasks. This can start at the go-to-market stage or come later with online promotions and social media management. The benefits are undeniable, especially for SMEs, as the expertise you get for much less budget is a really great deal. However, finding, managing, and controlling freelancers effectively can be quite a challenge, especially for a business owner with little to no experience working with them.

This guide will examine strategies to make your search-and-control process less stressful and your results more effective.

Finding the right freelancer for your digital marketing tasks

Define your needs. Before you start searching for help with your marketing, it's essential to have a clear understanding of what you actually need from a freelancer. For instance, if your focus is SEO, you might want someone who specialises in keyword research, on-page optimisation, and content marketing, and who understands how AI search works.

If you need help with social media management, it mainly involves a combination of content marketing, graphic design, and community management. Searching for a content creator? This typically includes photo and video creation, along with some copywriting. Of course, you can hire a social media strategist who excels in copywriting, creating reels, graphic design, and managing your social media for several hours daily, but that comes at a considerably higher cost.

PRO tip: Be critical of your requirements; overly broad responsibilities "to cover everything" will not help you save money by hiring multiple specialists, but will actually lead you to spend money fixing mistakes made by cheaper hires who are not experienced with such a variety of tasks (ones who are will be expensive). It is better to hire several specialists for different tasks, such as an SEO specialist, a copywriter, a social media manager, and a designer. No budget? Set marketing priorities, focus on one project per month, or consult with a specialist on other possible solutions.

How to search for a marketing freelancer

1. Where to search? Instead of marketplaces, where you can see fake work samples and get scammed, I recommend utilising your network. This route often leads to trustworthy candidates who come from people you personally know and with whom you can discuss extra details. Another possibility is to reach out to a company whose marketing results you personally like and ask for a reference directly. Sometimes they don't want to gatekeep.

   
   

2. Conduct thorough interviews. After narrowing down your options (even if it's only one person), you will have to interview specialists. Prepare questions that explore their problem-solving skills, experience with similar projects, and their work approach. For example, ask how they would handle a sudden change in your project objectives.

Digital management of a marketing freelancer

1. Set clear expectations and KPIs. From the get-go, communicate your goals, deadlines, worries, and expectations. This includes expected results, timelines, communication, data sharing, and payment terms. To keep everything organised, you can use a project management tool such as Asana, Teams, Monday, Notion, or others. They also help to track progress efficiently without daily calls.

   
   

2. Establish strong communication. Regular check-ins help keep freelancers aligned with your objectives and deadlines so that you can control the process. This is important, as you are not in the same office, and it is impossible to stay connected all the time. Determine your preferred communication channels and set an optimal update schedule. This reduces the risk of misunderstandings and ensures that everyone is on the same page.

   
   

3. Provide constructive feedback. When hiring freelancers, offer recognition for good work and constructive criticism when necessary, as it is essential for improvement. Be very specific in your feedback and try to avoid personal judgments such as "I don't like it"; focus on specifics and discuss how the result can be improved.

   
   

   PRO tip: If during your first month of working together, there are some things you may not always like or agree with entirely, focus on KPIs, improvements made, and final results achieved. Usually, during the second month, there will be far fewer situations like that, as some specialists take a bit of time to adapt to your vision (more common in copywriting and graphic design).

   
   

4. Utilise technology for workflow management. If you have several freelancers or team members, invest in tools that facilitate collaboration. They can simplify communication and workflow, leading to improved productivity.

More on controlling:

1. Evaluate performance regularly, ask for reports and screenshots, and provide your feedback.

2. Encourage creativity and initiative — fresh perspectives might bring solutions you hadn't considered. Be open to testing them.

3. Always sign an agreement. There is nothing much to be done for you if you pay in advance, work is underperformed, and the freelancer blocks you instead of fixing it. A contract safeguards both parties and establishes professional accountability.

Conclusion

From my personal experience with hiring and being hired, the mix of clear priorities, goals, and KPIs, together with clear communication and easy task management, is the most important thing to ensure you don't get disappointed working with freelancers.

Happy hiring!

P.S. Need help with your marketing? Explore my services — I will help you with strategic tasks and their implementation, so you will not stress over losing money with random actions that make little to no impact on your sales.