5 Reasons Why a Freelancer is More Cost Effective

So you’ve got a business. You’ve got products or services that you’re passionate about, a great customer service presence, and a dynamic website, everything you could want. But there’s a problem; you just don't have time to manage your social media.

In today's marketing, it hurts a business not to be present where their target market hangs out. If your customers are on Instagram all day, you need to be right there with them. If your ideal client spends her free time on Pinterest, you need to be pinning along with her. And if your main man chills on Twitter during his lunch break, chill with him!

Paid social media management is a savvy step for the business person who cares about online presence but doesn’t have the time or expertise to manage the nuances of more than one online account.

But which route should you take? You can hire a full or part-time in-office individual, go through an agency, or you can hire a freelancer to manage your accounts — and the choice between the three can seem daunting.

I’m going to suggest some reasons why hiring a freelancer is a cost-effective and savvy way to manage your social media marketing without breaking either the bank.

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Why Hire a Freelancer

Freelancers are more affordable.

Cost is a huge factor when making these types of important financial decisions, and working with a freelancer can be far cheaper than hiring an employee or paying an agency.

Agencies can easily charge $2K+ a month for managing one social media platform… a cost most new or small businesses aren't ready to handle. While agencies provide 24-hour support and around the clock monitoring, most businesses simply don't need that if they only have a niche group of followers. So why pay for services your business simply doesn't need yet?

On the flip side, hiring a freelancer can be cheaper than hiring an in-office employee. Hiring in-house seems similar in price at first… but think about this: employees come with liabilities, more taxes, sick-leave, holiday pay, etc. Freelancers are responsible for all those costs themselves.

Freelancers are flexible.

I’m a freelancer myself, and working remotely means that I am to make changes in plans, schedules, and rates without too much hassle. A freelancer’s work fits around your life, and you won’t be subject to agency timetables and corporate red tape. Changing something in your marketing is as simple as a quick email or text, and then we do the rest!

Why Hire a Freelancer

Freelancers can be more personal.

When you're working with a freelancer, generally speaking, you're working with one individual. With a social media agency, the person who closed the deal is often different from the person(s) who work on your account. Messages can get crossed and your vision can get lost in the process.

As a freelancer, I take the time to get to know my clients. I ask them about their holidays and life updates. Making sure I build a relationship with my clients is one thing that sets me apart as a freelancer versus an agency.

Freelancers can adapt to your growing business.

In my experience, a talented freelancer is someone with a working knowledge in a variety of social media fields across multiple platforms and is usually capable of adapting to your needs a business. If you decide you want to add an account to your business model, I'm going to either have experience in getting you up and running quickly and efficiently OR I'm going to put my nose to the ground and learn what it takes to be a success. Either way, you win.

Adding more services is as simple as a Skype call to discuss the plan, and then you’re up and running with no delay or overhead. You don’t have to train an employee in a new platform or wait for an agency to slowly process your request.

Why Hire a Freelancer

Freelancers value your project more.

As a freelancer, I choose to work on a month-to-month basis. I do this because the dedication you’re going to get from me is much higher because the results determine whether we continue working together or not.

My personal philosophy is that the end goal is always data-driven results, so a freelancer is going to put a premium on delivering good outcomes to keep you happy. This performance-based role keeps a freelancer easily accountable because they know you care about results!

A paid employee, on the other hand, has less at stake and won’t necessarily put as much effort into something if they know there’s not as much skin in the game. We freelancers, however, put in the time and effort to get results as efficiently as possible. Because I get paid by account, and not hourly, it’s in everyone’s best interest to get the job done as efficiently and as on time as possible. It truly is a win-win situation when all parties are motivated toward the same goal.

If you’re thinking of going down the freelancer route, my personal advice as a freelancer is to set up an introductory meeting via Skype just to get to know the person and see if you click with them. Be sure to assess your goals ahead of time, and check out client testimonials to get a feel for their work.

A freelancer can be a huge asset for your business and your social media presence, so good luck starting out on this exciting journey.

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