The gig economy has taken the business world by storm. It has helped to shape and evolve how businesses operate, as well as open up new career opportunities for individuals.
What is the “gig economy”?
But what is the gig economy exactly? It is essentially a buzz word for independent contracting or freelance work. Many individuals are getting involved in the gig economy to achieve a better work-life balance, to earn residual income and to seek entrepreneurial opportunities they may not necessarily find through the traditional 9-to-5 desk job within corporate America.
Although millennials are associated with the gig economy, many baby boomers are also attracted to it, looking for opportunities to earn extra income for retirement.
In fact, according to an article published by Forbes and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 55 million people in the United States are “gig workers,” which makes up more than 35 percent of the United States workforce. This is only expected to increase to 43 percent by the year 2020.
Furthermore, the availability and accessibility of technology and digital applications, such as Slack, Google Drive and Dropbox, make embracing the gig economy that much easier.
On the other side of the coin, the gig economy has also helped businesses, particularly solopreneurs, startups and small businesses. Many businesses have leveraged independent contractors, consultants and freelancers to help them with their marketing initiatives, projects and activities. This has allowed marketers to do more with their marketing budgets, saving money from hiring in-house staff members.
How marketers can leverage the gig economy:
1. Feed your marketing machine with great content.
One of the most popular freelance or gig opportunities is content writing. In addition to providing great content and marketing technology tips, tricks and resources, did you know that ClearVoice also offers subscribers access to a database of qualified and vetted freelance writers?
ClearVoice allows subscribers to search for freelance writers by category, role and content type. By using ClearVoice, marketers can save a ton of time and effort from searching and browsing, vetting and “interviewing” freelance writers. ClearVoice has already done the work for you. Simply log on, browse writers, review their rates and reviews and contact those who seem to be the best fit for your project and team.
2. Manage online or digital ads.
Paid advertising can make many marketers cringe. After all, the thought of eating up a portion of your marketing budget by investing in digital ads that may or may not yield results or prove ROI is enough to keep you up at night. Furthermore, many marketers don’t have the knowledge, skills or experience to create or manage digital ads. And after all, who has time?
However, marketers have the opportunity to outsource online ads management to professionals who specialize in this particular field. For example, Fiverr allows marketers access to a number of qualified individuals who are available to help you and your marketing team set up Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads and even a Google Ads campaign.
3. Install new software in your marketing technology “martech” stack.
One of the most valuable assets and tools a marketer has at his or her disposal today is a marketing technology stack.
Our digitally driven era has not only created gig economy opportunities, as we described above, but it has also led to the birth of hundreds of digital tools, all designed to help make professionals’ jobs— and lives — easier.
By investing in the right martech stack, marketers can make their marketing budgets go that much further. However, like anything, maintaining a martech stack requires time, effort and knowledge that many marketers may not necessarily have.
However, you can outsource martech stack maintenance to a qualified professional. For example, if you need new email marketing software installed, and don’t have the time to do it, why not surf Fiverr for the right person for the job?
4. Automate emails for online shopping sites.
In addition to the birth of the gig economy, the world of e-commerce has exploded, thanks to online retail giants like Amazon and eBay. As a result, many aspiring entrepreneurs have launched their own e-commerce sites, selling products and goods from homemade gifts and accessories to automotive parts.
Again, maintaining e-commerce sites — as well as the entire marketing funnel — takes time and effort. Furthermore, maintaining an e-commerce website requires a specialized skill and knowledge, especially if your site is designed and operates in an e-commerce app, such as Shopify.
Working with a professional to build and set up an e-commerce email automation campaign that not only promotes your online store but also nurtures leads and contacts can help streamline the buyer’s journey and also ensure your online store is functional at all times.
Hiring a full-time in-house designer can be expensive. Additionally, in our digital age, there always seems to be a need for custom graphic creation for social ads, pitch decks, email banners, website header images, logos and the list continues.
Marketers can leverage freelancer platforms to find creative and high-quality design professionals for all their design needs, and for a fraction of the cost of an in-house designer.
5. Hire social media management professionals.
As marketers, we know that creating content, scheduling and posting and engaging with audience members on various social media channels is incredibly time-consuming. In fact, depending on the size and nature of your business, this could be a full-time job itself!
However, finding qualified professionals to help manage your brand’s social media can be a challenge. There are many factors to consider, such as lining up content for a social media marketer to post and share, ensuring the voice and content of the posts remain on brand and is appropriate for your target audience and fans — in addition to keeping up with social monitoring and conversations.
Platforms like ClearVoice and Fiverr host a number of experienced and qualified social media marketing and management professionals. Many of them also specialize in certain social media platforms. For example, if you are looking for a social media marketer that specializes specifically on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, you can simply search for “Facebook social media marketer.”
If your business has a presence on multiple social media sites, many social media marketing professionals can help you manage content and build a fully comprehensive social media strategy that spans across multiple channels.
A complete martech stack at work
Finally, marketers today don’t have to break the bank to hire an in-house marketing, design and development team, unless they have the budget to, of course. For the solopreneurs and startups among us, there are plenty of other resources you can add to your marketing tech stack that are just as effective, and save you time, energy and money.
Regardless of your marketing or digital martech stack needs, you will likely be able to find a professional to help you get things done and reach your business’ goals, all by leveraging the gig economy.
