Work with someone perfect for your team

SAVE MONEY

This might be the most obvious reason. Especially for a small or medium-sized companies and start-ups, hiring a freelance artist or web designer can save you money. The average freelancer cost less than established agencies since they have less overheads, like an office space or a huge staff.

WE’RE (ALMOST) ALWAYS AVAILABLE

Most freelancers work based on the project goals, rather than the 8-hours-a-day, 5-days-a-week schedule of their agency counterparts. This means, you have a better chance of pushing your project through more quickly, depending on the scale of your project.

YOUR PROJECT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO FREELANCERS

Agencies tend to operate with more clients, and prioritize work differently, based on the size of the client. Freelancers, on the other hand, tend to work from project to project. This means, yours will, more often than not, be the most important thing they’re working on.

FREELANCERS HAVE NETWORKS (TOO)

You might assume that one of the advantages of agencies over freelancers is that they have different people for different skills for your project. They have someone who specializes purely in web design, and another person who specializes in copywriting and SEO.

This, of course, is true; by hiring an agency, you’ll get enough resources to complete your project. But the cost of the project often reflects this.

HIRING THE RIGHT PERSON WITH THE RIGHT SKILL

Of course, your project will have specific requirements. When you hire an agency, they may have the specialization for these specific requirements, and if they don’t, they usually outsource it to freelancers. (Yes. Agencies rely on freelancers too!)

On the contrast, when you search for a freelancer, you have the opportunity to look for the right one with just the right skillset for your project’s specific requirements, to complete your project on time and, more importantly, on budget.

IT COULD BE YOUR LONGEST-LASTING PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP

By developing a relationship with an independent contractor who works for YOU (not your company or your company’s marketing agency), you can keep your content production consistent when you inevitably change jobs. Your independent contractor is reliable, knows your preferences, and will work tirelessly to help you succeed, since their success is dependent on yours. This may be the only asset you can take with you throughout your entire career.

From my personal experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, I have seen my fair share of mergers, buyouts, and personnel transfers that have directly affected my clients. Corporate marketing talent tends to move around a lot, especially in volatile scientific industries.

REDUCED COST = INCREASED RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Reduced cost to a product marketing manager simply means one thing: you get more production for your budget. It demonstrates your value to your company, showing that you are efficient and resourceful, doing as much as possible with what you have been given.

Independent contractors generally have greatly reduced overhead costs and fewer employees than large marketing agencies, allowing them to do comparable work for considerably less money. Large marketing agencies employ many people who do not contribute to your project and are inherently inefficient. By hiring an independent contractor, you pay only for the services you need, when you need them.

QUALITY – THE GREATEST TALENT IS SHIFTING TO FREELANCE

As businesses become increasingly decentralized, the most talented individuals are opting to work for themselves rather than being tied down to a single company or location. Even your marketing agency hires freelancers as needed or when specialized skills are required. Cut out the middle man by hiring them directly and reap the benefits.

In addition, freelancers have an obligation to provide nothing but the best quality work. A freelancer’s work is a direct reflection on them, and if their work is substandard, they do not get more job offers. This is a powerful motivating force that you can harness to obtain outstanding work on your projects. A large marketing agency cannot match the level of care and diligence that a freelancer provides when their future depends on it.

PRIORITY – YOU ARE THE FLAGSHIP CLIENT

Marketing agencies measure themselves by the budgets of their clients. Think Mad Men – even when things were going well, Don Draper is always wanting a chance to win the next “flagship” client – the Coca Cola, Ford, McDonalds type big-budget client. This is who they bend over backwards to please, and to whom they assign their top talent to serve. The rest of their clients, coincidentally, get their projects rushed out the door to get a paycheck.

When you decide to hire an independent contractor, YOU are the flagship client. Your projects get top-priority treatment, your questions get answered immediately, your edits are implemented quickly. A good freelancer listens carefully and delivers consistently, because when you succeed, they succeed.

EFFICIENCY – SIMPLE & DIRECT COMMUNICATION

Large marketing agencies hire account managers to keep clients (you) happy and smooth over mistakes and miscommunications. Your desires and edits must be filtered through multiple levels of authority before reaching the heads and hands actually creating the material. This is especially difficult if you are not one of the agency’s flagship clients.

With an independent contractor, the entire operation is simple and efficient. Communication is direct with the actual creators of your projects. This saves time, money, and frustration for each and every project you need developed. Plus, you gain more control over your materials to fine-tune your message and achieve your marketing objectives.

FLEXIBILITY – THEY WORK HOW & WHEN YOU NEED THEM

Remember when I said freelancers will bend over backwards to please you? What this means for you is that they will be more willing to do rush jobs to get your materials ready for that looming tradeshow, convention, or meeting.

In addition, freelancers have an obligation to provide nothing but the best quality work. A freelancer’s work is a direct reflection on them, and if their work is substandard, they do not get more job offers. This is a powerful motivating force that you can harness to obtain outstanding work on your projects. A large marketing aSince there are no contractual obligations, you can work freelancers as much or little as you need. You can also collaborate with them as much or as little as you want. Do you need regular progress updates, or just a notification when the job is done? Once your freelancer knows your preferences, your job becomes much easier and your production will increase.gency cannot match the level of care and diligence that a freelancer provides when their future depends on it.

THE INTANGIBLES

Maintain your sanity – working with someone “outside” the corporate world can give you a much-needed breath of fresh air once in a while. Call them up for a chat while they are completing your projects on an overseas vacation. We aim to live life to the fullest, and work is only a small part of what we do.

Contribute to the greater good – small businesses are good for the economy and good for everyone. By supporting freelance laborers, your corporate budget will help to build a family who will give to its community. Also, like many freelancers, I dedicate a portion of my time and income to helping charitable organizations. To learn more about who I am excited about helping, see my About page.