According to research firm Edelman Intelligence, U.S. freelancers contributed almost $1 trillion to the economy in 2019. For perspective, that number is similar to the construction and transportation industries.
Once looked upon as something to fill in the gaps between traditional jobs, freelancing is becoming more accepted. Many people are choosing it as a viable career.
Some expect freelancers to make up 80% of the workforce by 2030.
In many ways, this is good news for freelancers. It’s good news because more and more companies realize that freelancers have a lot to contribute and can deliver a better value than in-house staff.
Freelancers bring specialized knowledge and the ability to hit the ground running. We deliver quality work on time, and it’s more cost-effective for the company because they only pay for what they need.
However, it’s useful to spell out the advantages of working with you as a freelancer. A bit of education about the cost-effectiveness of working with freelancers and your specialty (if you have one) can go a long way toward enhancing your professionalism.
And it just makes good marketing sense. The value to clients of using freelancers is part of your USP (Unique Selling Proposition), along with your specific skills and background.
Specialties (if you choose to have one) can come in all flavors. You can select an industry, a writing type (like blog posts or white papers), or even a method of working, like a quick turnaround.
Marketing professionals are busy people who often wear multiple hats. If you can demonstrate how easily you can help them achieve their content writing goals, they’ll appreciate you.
On my website, I have a “How I Work” page to send people to that outlines my process. Other freelance writers publish blog posts that outline the benefits of working with them. Prospects often ask how you work because they want to know you have a process and will make it as simple as possible.
Here are four business benefits a company can gain when they choose to work with freelance writers.
The Benefits of Hiring Freelancers
According to at least one Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) I know, content is the easiest thing to outsource. This CMO said she wouldn’t outsource product marketing or other key roles, but she has a good network of content writers.
In my experience, the best clients are the ones who are committed to content marketing. They know it’s their bread and butter for bringing in new clients and plan to publish consistently and strategically. They have a content strategy that connects their blog posts and webinars, white papers, and case studies.
Yet, they may not be ready to hire full-time writers. Or even want to because they’d rather have multiple people writing their blog posts and other pieces to keep them fresh.
That’s where you and I come in. By outsourcing writing needs, companies get:
1. Specialized Skills
Some freelance writers only write HR Tech white papers. If you’re a marketer who wants an HR Tech white paper, it makes sense to hire such a writer. They have a proven track record of delivering the type of content you need and a process for achieving it, which means you’ll get it faster, and it’ll be the right thing.
2. Cost-Effectiveness
This is one of the biggest reasons companies hire freelancers. It’s simply more cost-effective for them. As you know, full-time employees require salaries and benefits like health insurance and paid time off. Freelancers cover such expenses on their own.
Plus, it’s risky to hire a full-timer. If they don’t work out, it can cost the company thousands in training and potential relocation, not to mention the mental toll. Yet, they can buy what they need from a freelancer without the added expenses.
3. Not Enough Work to Justify a Full-Timer
Not all companies have a dedicated content marketing team. Some are tiny start-ups hiring everyone on a project basis. Others are Fortune 500 companies that prefer working with freelance specialists. That way, they can hire the white paper writer for those and an email specialist for emails.
Whether they’re slowly building a team or want a variety of “voices,” they can have different writers produce specialized content that aligns with their experience.
Other companies are cautious about hiring full-time employees right now because they aren’t sure what the next few months hold. They’d rather hire freelance talent to handle their needs while they decide their next steps.
4. Relatively Easy to Outsource
When it comes to outsourcing work, content writing is one of the easiest. Many marketing roles require multiple meetings, access to internal dashboards and reports, whereas the content writer goes off and writes.
The writer and client can nail down key points, audience, goals, and other essential elements. Otherwise, outside of revisions, it doesn’t require frequent communication.
As you can see, there are many reasons why it makes sense for businesses to hire freelance writers. Cost-effectiveness, specialized skills, the ability to adjust workload up and down as needed, and the ease of outsourcing are key business drivers.
What would you add?
