• Taskenator
• Jun 07, 2019

A Simple Guide to Finding Your Online Marketing Rockstar

A Simple Guide to Finding Your Online Marketing Rockstar

Marketing is one of the biggest challenges for small business owners. Traditional marketing methods like TV advertising and billboards are great and all, but at a time when people spend the bulk of their time surfing the internet and hanging out on social media, it is only natural to want to capitalize on the opportunity by having a sound digital marketing plan. Unfortunately, implementing such a strategy involves a ton of work, especially if you’re on a budget, or if you don’t have the time or expertise to do it yourself. There’s also the fact that online marketing is reliant on the ever-changing internet landscape. So how do you go about it? One of the best solutions is to simply hire an online marketing expert.

In today’s digital age, online marketing requires constant learning and relearning as newer technologies explode into relevancy. It isn't something that is conducive to formal, classroom education, but more about understanding the latest trends and best practices. As a business owner, trying to tackle digital marketing by yourself can be an enormous drain on your time and energy, which could otherwise be used to grow your business. That’s why choosing to hire a digital marketing expert is a worthy investment, as they’ll have all the necessary knowledge and experience to get the job done effectively.

The first thing to consider will be how to find them and make sure you’re hiring the right fit for your business’ marketing needs.

The Case For Hiring A Freelance Marketing Expert

Right off the bat, you’re going to face the dilemma of whether to hire freelancers or a digital marketing agency. Well for starters, freelancers are almost always cheaper than agencies. They are also easy to hire, thanks to the plethora of websites that allow you to post jobs, making it easy for the freelancers to find you. Hiring freelancers also affords you the benefit of scalability — you only hire the exact number of freelancers you need to fill in your marketing roles. Simply start by breaking down the projects that you need help with, and then find the expert freelancers who are reasonably priced and ready to go. Who knows? You might end up liking them so much that you want to offer them a full-time job.

Where to Begin?

If you’ve been looking to hire top-quality freelancers for quite some time, this is probably the biggest question you have in mind. The important thing is to have a plan in place, so you don't end up throwing away money. To make the process more organized, here are some things you need to do:

Define Your Hiring Goals

Deciding which tasks should be done in-house and which ones to outsource seems like an obvious starting point, but you must be more specific. For instance, if you’re looking to hire an SEO expert; will they be using their own tools for keyword research and website audits or will you be providing those? For a graphic designer; who will oversee sourcing relevant photos? By explicitly stating what needs to be done, you can craft a better job description, avoid misunderstandings down the road, and ensure the finished product is exactly what you want..

Assess Your Budget

The key here is to be smart when it comes to the budget allotment, as it will play a crucial role in dictating the quality of the freelancers that you’ll get. Keep in mind that the seasoned ones will naturally cost you more but will typically save you more time.

Determine Your Ideal Candidate

You can save a lot of time and effort going through heaps of resumes if you already have an idea of what you’re looking for. You know best the goals of your online marketing strategy, so you want to be very specific on the following:

• - Skills and experience
• - Availability
• - Familiarity with apps you use
• - Track record/Portfolio

 Clearly writing these out will streamline the hiring process and increase your chances of landing someone who closely resembles your requirements.

Check Out Online Freelance Marketplaces

Freelance marketplaces, such as Taskenator are among the best sources that can give you a quick start to finding your online marketing rockstar. But first, you need to know how to make use of these websites to the fullest. The quickest way to find freelancers is to use the site’s filters. The best freelancers understand your industry very well and so will have made it easy for you to find their profiles and bids in a few clicks.

Another option is to post your project on the website and then go thru bids submitted by qualified candidates. You can then review important details about them, such as their expected rates, industry experience, portfolios, etc. In this case, you simply need to reach out to the bids that catch your fancy, interview them, and onboard your pick.

Set Them Up For Success

The hiring process is not quite finished just yet. You’ll want to make sure that the person you hired fully understands your business goals and their role in making them a reality. You don't want to just leave them to figure everything out on their own after hiring them since it will not only lead to confusion but also set false expectations. One of the best ways to handle this is to set up a one-on-one meeting with the freelancer so you can get to know them on a personal level.

You might be feeling a bit anxious about handing over your business marketing to someone you just met on the internet, but they’re also feeling a bit anxious about stepping into this new role and wanting to measure up to its expectations. This meeting helps keep you both aligned in purpose and build a good rapport that ultimately leads to trust.

The Bottom Line

An online marketing rockstar will pave the way towards digital success for your business and ensure a growing audience within your niche. That’s why it’s important to get it right the first time. If you are looking to hire top freelancers for your business’ online marketing, freelance marketplaces like Taskenator are a good place to start. What makes their process more efficient is that they make it easier for business owners to find freelance experts since its platform is designed to allow the freelancers to reach out to the business owners, making sure you don’t need to sift through countless resumes anymore, since you can simply check out the bids and shortlist the qualified candidates. Cut through the noise by dealing directly with the people who specialize in the required skills and hire the best talent.