This is the best guide ever for you as a beginner who wants to become a digital marketing freelancer. Discover how to get started, how to develop the necessary skills, and what salary to expect.
In this article, I will show you the steps by step process of how to become a digital marketing freelancer. It's a comprehensive guide for people who are new to freelancing or looking to make a career change in the fascinating area of digital marketing.
Here are the following topics I am going to talk about below:
- Who is a digital marketing freelancer?
- What does a freelance marketing professional do?
- How to become a digital marketing freelancer?
- How much do digital marketing freelancers make?
- Where to find the best freelance digital marketing jobs?
Keep reading and keep an open mind to learn how to become a professional digital marketing freelancer.
Who Is a Digital Marketing Freelancer?
A digital marketing freelancer is a self-employed professional who provides digital marketing services to businesses or individuals on a project-by-project or contract basis.
These services may include creating and implementing digital marketing strategies, managing social media accounts, optimizing websites for search engines, running online advertising campaigns, creating and sending email newsletters, and providing analytics and reporting.
Digital marketing freelancers typically work remotely and may have clients from all around the world. They often have diverse skill sets and are able to adapt to changing trends and technologies in the digital marketing industry.
What Does a Freelance Marketing Professional Do?
A digital marketing freelancer is a self-employed individual who provides marketing services to clients on a project-by-project or contract basis. Their responsibilities may include:
1. Developing marketing strategies: A freelance marketing professional may work with clients to create effective marketing strategies that help them achieve their business objectives.
2. Creating marketing materials: This may include writing website content, creating social media posts, developing email marketing campaigns, and designing marketing materials such as brochures, flyers, or product sheets.
3. Conducting market research: Freelance marketing professionals may conduct market research to help clients identify target audiences, understand consumer behavior, and make data-driven marketing decisions.
4. Managing social media accounts: Freelance marketing professionals may help clients manage their social media accounts by creating and publishing content, monitoring engagement, and analyzing performance.
5. Creating and managing advertising campaigns: Freelance marketing professionals may create and manage advertising campaigns for clients, including PPC campaigns, social media advertising, and other forms of online advertising.
6. Providing analytics and reporting: Freelance marketing professionals may provide clients with analytics and reporting to help them track the performance of their marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
How To Become a Digital Marketing Freelancer?
Becoming a digital marketing freelancer needs a combination of skills, experience, & strategy. Here are some steps to help you get started:
1. Have the Necessary skills
2. Develop your business website
3. Blog about digital marketing
4. Establish your personal brand
5. Collaborate with other freelancers
6. Choose your category
7. Understand how to create a services proposal
8. Set your pricing
9. Register your business entity
10. Choose the right tools
11. Get your first client
12. Get customer reviews and expand your portfolio
13. Time management
14. Plan your next steps
Now, I will explain and guide you for each of the above methods mentioned earlier.
1. Have the Necessary skills
One of the requirements for working as a freelancer is to have the necessary skills.
There are a couple of ways to develop your skills quickly:
The first and most efficient option is to work as an assistant to a seasoned marketer. There are numerous entry-level digital marketing jobs available if you understand the fundamentals.
Spend some time taking a course and being certified. This will assist you in obtaining a position as a junior digital marketing specialist.
Learn how a digital marketing agency operates by working as a team. Ask about other professionals' steps and procedures and try to imitate them.
Remember that your goal at this stage is not to land a job with a certain organization, but to learn as much as you can about how digital marketing works.
When you understand a lot, then you can resign from your current role and become a digital marketing freelancer if you've had the opportunity to work on a number of projects and feel confident in your ability to do the work on your own.
Test your skills on your own sites
If you do not like the idea of going through this method, another approach to gain the necessary skills is to practice digital marketing on your own websites.
This is different from step two (developing your business website) to promote your freelance services. This section is all about developing a website so you may test and experiment with various digital marketing strategies.
For example, in order to understand how to use Google Ads to bring targeted visitors to a website, you must first establish a website that sells products or services. You will need a large list of email subscribers to understand how to use email marketing to create sales.
This procedure will take time, especially if you're new to digital marketing, but it's the only way to gain the necessary experience and confidence to eventually provide this as a service to your clients.
2. Develop your business website
You should create a website for your freelance business while focusing on your digital marketing skills.
This is a vital step that many freelancers either ignore or do not pay enough attention to.
Your website is the hub of your company. It serves as a showcase for your accomplishments, a description of your services, and a means for clients to contact you. It should be simple to use, SEO-friendly, and professional.
3. Blog about digital marketing
Whatever path you take, one thing you must do from the start, before you even begin accepting clients, is a blog.
Start a digital marketing blog and write information that will assist your potential clients in understanding how you can assist them with digital marketing.
Content marketing is an extremely effective approach to 'close' new clients without having to sell yourself or your services.
Through blogging, you may do away with the need to market your skills through paid ads and save a ton of time searching for clients in job portals.
When creating digital marketing content, strive to discuss issues that are closely relevant to the services you are offering as a freelancer.
Also, after your blog's traffic reaches a reasonable level, you can use the content for affiliate marketing efforts and earn money by referring visitors to products you think they'll like or finally by selling your own products.
4. Establish your personal brand
You should promote your personal brand on other websites and social media platforms in addition to posting content on your blog.
Regardless of the freelance format you choose, this is something you must accomplish (business or personal).
Your personal brand as a freelancer will bring customers to your door even if you want to work under a business name.
As a freelancer, you may establish your brand in two ways:
The first way: You should go for high-authority websites that are related to your freelance services and write content for them which we called it guest posting in the digital marketing world.
There are a number of benefits you can have when you write content for high-authority websites. Here are the followings below:
- Reputation - When prospective clients Google your name, they will find your guest posts, which is helpful for your reputation.
- Traffic to your website - Those high-authority websites get thousands of visits per day and if their readers cherish your content they will likely visit your website.
- Backlink to your website - This is so beneficial to your off-page SEO because it will increase your website ranking and domain authority (DA) in the eyes of search engines.
- Establish yourself as an expert - The people who ultimately made it in under the tight guidelines of reputable industry websites are regarded as the "experts" on a specific topic.
The problematic issue is that to be able to publish content on those high-authority websites is difficult, especially if you're just starting. You must first show your digital marketing skills, which may be accomplished by running an active digital marketing blog (as I explained above).
The second way is - Build your brand using the power of social media networks by establishing your personal pages on business-oriented networks such as LinkedIn and Twitter and begin networking with other marketing professionals.
To boost your chances of getting followed by others, make sure your profile describes who you are and what you do, and add quality digital marketing content on your pages.
5. Collaborate with other freelancers
One of the early struggles many freelancers made was failing to network with other freelance marketers and digital marketing specialists. They focused on developing their website and creating content, leaving little time for making real contacts with other colleagues.
When I say "connections," I don't mean making friends on a social media network, but rather having a "genuine" dialogue via email or even Skype.
There are numerous reasons why you should do this on a regular basis:
- You can exchange ideas and experiences with like-minded professionals.
- You could promote your personal brand and content by using your connections.
- You can receive and send referrals.
- You can collaborate with them on services you cannot give while maintaining your relationship with your client.
- Being a digital marketing freelancer is lonely work, so having someone to talk to who understands the hardships of the business and can offer advice is beneficial.
How to collaborate with other freelancers?
The simplest method to get started is to follow and communicate with other freelancers on social media before approaching them with a personalized email.
Note that this is not something you will do in bulk so that you may spend more time knowing more about a person before making contact. Attempt to clarify why you're seeking contact and how both sides (you and him) might benefit from possible collaboration from the start.
This can be anything from exchanging ideas to promoting each other's content to working on a cooperative initiative.
The decision of who to call is entirely up to you; however, heed my advice and take advantage of this step. As your business expands, having "genuine" relationships in the industry can be pretty beneficial.
6. Choose your category
There are several steps in digital marketing, and a freelancer has limited time. If you try to offer a complete variety of digital marketing services from the early stage, you may become lost, therefore it's better to choose the category you feel you are best at.
It is preferable to become an expert in a few areas rather than try to wear several hats at once.
You can broaden your offers as you gain more experience and clients. You'll also learn which services are more profitable and easier to manage, and you'll be able to adapt your operations accordingly.
You can focus on the following areas of digital marketing:
- SEO expert
- Content marketing specialist
- PPC Specialist
- Email marketing specialist
- Social media marketing specialist
- Digital marketing specialist
7. Understand how to create a services proposal
Writing and submitting a proposal for services to potential clients is part of your job as a digital marketing freelancer.
This can be a time-consuming and laborious process, especially at first, so it is strongly advised to do some preliminary work.
What worked for me was to create a few Google Sheets templates that addressed the most typical cases.
There are certain common areas in a services proposal for any form of digital marketing activity. The introduction, portfolio, description of how your services works, and pricing are all standard.
Thus, put some effort into this exercise and make a handful of templates to utilize for your first projects, which you may refine as you go.
You may even design a series of templates for the client onboarding process if you want to take it a step further.
When you agree to work with a customer, you may be required to sign a contract (so have this available), and you will need access to their website (Google Ads and Facebook accounts, for example) in order to build an email template with instructions and a Google Form.
It is hard to know everything from the start, but if you do not make an attempt to standardize parts of your procedures, you may end up spending your time on non-chargeable operations, which can have a negative impact on your company down the road.
8. Set your pricing
Making a decision about your pricing strategy and setting your fees is the next step on your path to being a digital marketing freelancer.
One of the first questions you'll receive from clients is "How much do you charge?" so it's preferable to be prepared with a response.
There are various ways to set up your pricing model, such as:
- Per hour
- Per project
- Per month
- The mix of the two above
Clients will have various needs, therefore they want some flexibility from freelancers in terms of price structures (and rates).
The things you need to decide are your hourly rate, the types of projects you want to work on, and the amount you will charge for monthly services at a minimum.
At this point, it's crucial to realize that you should approach freelancing in the same manner as managing a legitimate business. I'll go over this in more detail in the section after this one.
This means that occasionally your rates must be lower than market prices in order to increase your portfolio. Also, there may be times when you must offer discounts to current clients or for "bulk" orders.
9. Register your business entity
As soon as you complete your first project as a competent freelancer, you'll experience a turning point in your career that you won't soon forget: receiving payment.
This may seem apparent to most freelancers, but with everything else you have to do, you may forget the basics.
To be paid for your freelance services, you'll need:
- Bank account
- An account with a payment provider like Stripe, 2checkout, and PayPal.
- An invoice processing system (doesn’t have to be accounting software – a Google Docs invoice can do the job)
- A registered business (for tax purposes)
- A business agreement with an account
Do not mistake the fact that you operate as a freelancer from your home and not a "brick and mortar" company. To receive payments, you must still be a legal entity.
If you don't do this from the start, you'll run into problems with your country's tax authorities as your revenue rises, so get it done straight away.
10. Choose the right tools
Digital marketers require tools to perform their work effectively. There are so many metrics to track and monitor and so much data to analyze that makes it is impossible to do this without the help of dedicated tools.
Digital marketing tools are expensive and as a freelancer, you must keep your monthly expenses to low, thus you must choose your tools carefully.
Instead of using individual tools, I like to use platforms. You can access many tools through a platform by subscribing to only one pricey plan.
You must know how to use the various tools effectively in addition to paying for the memberships if you want to get the most out of them.
The easiest method to become familiar with a tool's features is to go through its training programs. They are free, and any time you invest in learning a tool now will pay you later by allowing you to work more effectively.
Here I will recommend some of the digital marketing tools you can use as a freelancer:
SemRush - it is a digital marketing platform with all the bells and whistles. Basically, this is the sole platform you will require to do all of your technical and reporting activities. SemRush can be used for a variety of things, including keyword research, ranking tracking, spying on competitors, SEO and PPC campaign optimization, social media account performance tracking, and much more.
MailChimp - it is an email marketing tool that is suitable for effective email marketing campaigns and collecting email addresses.
Google G-Suite - the software to be used for email, spreadsheets, reporting and collaboration, meetings, etc. For freelancers, it is the cheapest platform.
Grammarly - the last thing you want to do is deliver proposals that have spelling and grammar error free. Grammarly is inexpensive and works nicely with Google G-suite.
Apart from the premium tools I've mentioned above, you should also learn how to use the following free tools below:
11. Get your first client
After you get to this point, you're ready to start delivering digital marketing services to clients. You've developed the necessary skills, established your processes, registered your business, and you know how to use several digital marketing tools.
Now comes the challenging part: how do you find clients? Where can you find leads and how do you convert them into customers?
There are three ways to find work as a digital marketing freelancer:
1. By blogging: As I said above, blogging is a really effective way to obtain new clients, but if you're just starting out, it will take a few months before you get substantial traffic on your site. Hence, while this is the greatest way, it will not work at first.
2. By applying on different freelance websites: I'll discuss which portals to use and how to improve your chances of getting a job below. The issue for beginners is that without a portfolio or any success stories to present, potential clients may be unwilling to trust you.
3. By offering service for free: This is, in fact, my preferred way. I know that sounds ridiculous, but let me explain how this can help you grow your business quickly.
It is difficult to become a digital marketing freelancer. When you start doing this as your real job, it's an entirely different story, no matter what you've read or what experiences you've gained working as someone else's assistant.
Even if you are able to obtain some paying clients right away, there is a potential that you may become disoriented, stressed, and unsure of what to do.
Everything in digital marketing is measured, so it's not about doing things correctly, but about getting results. Clients are going to expect you to give real-measurable outcomes in a reasonably short amount of time, and if you do not, they will leave and you will have to start again.
Instead of hurrying to obtain your first payment, you can give yourself more time to acclimate to the new reality by working on projects of your choosing, refining your methods, and developing a small portfolio.
The simplest method to do this is to call friends, family, or friends of friends that own a business (local or online) and offer to help them for free. Nobody will refuse such an offer, and you will have the opportunity to work on the project without time constraints or the need to give results quickly.
This will help you enhance your method, learn from your mistakes, and build a little portfolio that will make securing your first paying client much easier. This does not have to be a long period; you can do it for a few weeks until you are confident that you are prepared to take on new challenges.
12. Get customer reviews and expand your portfolio
One of the things you should do right away is set up two specific pages on your freelance website. The first is to post client reviews, and the second is to maintain a list of all the businesses or projects you have collaborated on.
Make sure to include the customer's name and website in each review. They must be honest and transparent because prospective customers will check and read past reviews. The reviews will still be useful as long as they have a name and website, regardless of whether they are published on your website.
Here's some advice for you. Asking a client for a review before the project is finished is not necessary. Ask them for a review when you believe they are satisfied with your work and outcomes, and then post it on your website.
13. Time management
When you first start freelancing, everything will be exciting, but eventually, you'll get to a point where time is running out.
If you don't learn how to effectively manage your time, it will become challenging and stressful as your portfolio expands and you have more work to do for your clients, more emails to reply to, more invoices to handle, etc.
Here are some hints that will see you through:
- Spend more time (more billable time) on activities that will bring in money for you, and less time (less billable time) on activities that will not.
- Do the important tasks in the morning and leave administrative tasks for the afternoon.
- Keep a to-do list for each client - The key to becoming a successful freelancer in the digital marketing world is by building a clientele of loyal customers. Instead of trying to locate a new client, it is quicker and more effective to work with a current one.
- Maintaining an internal to-do list for each of your clients will allow you to keep track of ideas you may share with them after completing a particular assignment.
- Schedule time for your blog - It's simple to stop working on your blog once you begin concentrating on client tasks, which is a big error. The most valuable asset in your freelance business is your blog, which you must manage every day. Therefore, be sure to reserve one or two hours per day in your calendar for blogging. Don't forget that it's the best investment you can make for your company.
- Perform your task in batches - Trying to do several tasks on the same day is more difficult than performing them in batches. Scheduling dates on your calendar for particular tasks is a useful strategy. To work for client A on Monday, client B on Tuesday, etc.
- Have time for training - You are in charge of your own training and growth, as was already mentioned, so devote time to expanding your knowledge and keeping up with developments in the field of digital marketing.
- Have time to rest and relax - Freelancers don't keep regular office hours. You can put in long hours without whining if you are passionate about your business (and actually enjoying it). Yet, you should schedule some time for sleeping and unwinding. It doesn't have to be something formal (like a leave of absence), just a few hours during the day to unwind and focus on your work to prevent job burnout.
14. Plan your next steps
You'll come to a point where you have to make certain choices as you gain experience and your clientele expands.
You must choose whether to carry on as you are, engage others to assist you with particular duties or convert from a freelancer to a digital marketing agency.
Continues as a freelance marketer - it's okay to carry on working as a freelancer independently. You can choose the projects you want to work on and create your own working hours and rules. You can do this for years if your job is successful and you're earning a significant amount of money.
Build your team - The majority of successful freelancers delegate work to others. You'll require assistance from other people because it is impossible to do large projects alone. While the clients are still speaking with you, you will be engaging other workers to carry out the work on the side.
The tough thing is finding people you can trust and being careful not to devote too much time to management tasks. You don't want to waste time on tasks that will not boost your earnings.
Start a digital marketing agency - that's the path many people took when they started their own digital marketing agency. A decision was made to shift from freelance digital marketing to an agency. Option one is more 'formal' than option two. You'll begin to spend less time on client work and more time on hiring and running your business.
The disadvantage of this choice over being a solo freelancer is that you will need to acquire and obtain new clients in order to pay your salaries and expenditures. You will no longer only have to look after yourself, but you will also have to look after your team and always look for ways to grow your business.
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How Much Do Digital Marketing Freelancers Make?
Those aspiring for digital marketing freelancing are curious. All they want to know in the first place is how do freelancers make?
What will I say to you now? It depends, that is the answer.
Digital marketing specialists earn between $44K and $90K per year in a company, depending on years of experience. Because there is no set pay scale for freelancers, your earnings are determined by your hourly rate.
How much you may charge per hour now is determined by your skills and expertise, the type of job, the monetary value it will provide for the customer, and how much the client is willing to pay you.
The final point is essential, and it should be understood from the start. The rate you will be paid for a job is not always your usual rate. During talks, the client may establish a maximum hourly fee, which you may accept or decline.
You can decline it if you have a large portfolio and a lot of clients who are waiting, but if you're short on new leads, you may have to work below your 'regular' fee to stay in business.
According to research, the most common hourly fee for digital marketing freelancers in the United States ranges from $51 and $200 per hour.
The amount of money you can make is determined by your hourly rate and the number of billable hours you work per month.
For example, if you can finish 5 billable hours per day at a rate of $100 per hour, you can earn $10,000 per month (5 days a week).
You'll need to remove roughly $1000 each month (for tools, servers, and so on), leaving you with a net of $9,000 per month or $108K per year.
This is only one example. Each freelancer will earn a different rate, but this is a profession that can provide you with a decent income.
It's in high demand right now, and with the use of the Internet, it's projected to increase even more in the coming years.
Where To Find The Best Freelance Digital Marketing Jobs?
One of the quickest methods to find work as a freelancer is through job portals, at least until you've established your blog and reputation to the point that clients would approach you and request your services.
By keeping an eye on the job listings on these websites, you can apply for hundreds of jobs in digital marketing:
Here I will tell you the helpful tips for your application process:
- Prepare in advance - view many job posts that you believe might be a good fit by visiting the websites mentioned above. Make note of their specifications and attempt to produce a few application templates. Instead of doing this for each job application, this will save you a ton of time.
- Submit your application quickly - a normal job ad can attract 50–60 applications in a matter of hours. Individuals looking for services might not read through the entire list but instead, choose the first applicant that is a suitable match. So, it's crucial to submit your application as soon as possible.
- Understand the client's need - Employers sometimes use particular questions in the job advertisement as a tactic to aid in the screening procedure. Applicants who fail to respond to their queries are not given any consideration. Thus, before turning in your application, make sure it addresses all of their queries and worries.
- Keep your price low - If your charges are cheap at first, you'll have a better chance of landing a project. In your application, be sure to state that your pricing is flexible. Whenever you strike up a conversation with a client, you'll have an opportunity to convince them that you're the ideal applicant and negotiate a lower fee.
Conclusion
It's a great experience to start working as a freelancer in the field of digital marketing. You may choose which tasks to do as a digital marketer, and the work is never boring.
On the other hand, not everyone is suited for this line of work. You must be driven and exude extreme confidence to work as a freelancer. It can easily turn into an extremely stressful job when your family's and your life are at stake.
Developing your skills first is the best method to increase your confidence. You must possess expertise in a variety of fields in order to provide clients with digital marketing services. Although it won't happen immediately, you can develop it with practice and learning.
You may unwind and enjoy the ride if you're confident that you understand how digital marketing operates and have a few success stories to show for it. The need for digital marketing consultants is growing and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the coming years.
Take it slowly, develop your portfolio over time, and never stop learning and trying new things. You won't regret entering the exciting field of digital marketing.
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Digital Marketing