We all know the importance of content creation, but if your team is already at capacity, it can leave you at an impasse. Sure, you could add more to their plates, which means they’ll have to rush through tasks, but this will result in subpar content and unhappy employees.
You could also get a blog post or two up every few months when your employees have spare time, but this isn’t likely to lead to long-term benefits. What’s the solution here? Hiring freelancers.
By outsourcing your content needs, you can not only develop and maintain a high-quality content strategy but reap all the benefits that come along with it — higher domain authority, increased organic traffic, enhanced trust and credibility, and more leads and conversions.
For many reasons — 14 of which are listed below — there’s never been a better time to hire freelancers.
14 reasons to hire a freelancer today
Whether you want content for a business blog, website, social media channels, videos, or anything else, here are the top 14 reasons to hire a freelancer today.
1. Freelancers can be hired in teams — not just as individuals.
It’s time for companies to rethink how they think about freelancers.
A lone copy hero is great, but what about productivity gains that can happen when you source a group to tackle a problem or project — a group that includes the designer, editor, project manager, and essentially, an A-to-Z solution for managing it so you can stay focused on your bottom line?
More than ever, it’s easier to find a group of people to hit it out of the park for you, not just a solo flyer as a one-off.
2. Your business will save money. Period.
Another big reason to bring in freelancers versus full-timers has got to be cost savings. Every full-time head has overhead, office space, and other variables attached to it.
By coming to terms with a team of freelancers about the needs of your short- or- long-term project, you can get tactical about the resources necessary to deliver a quality product – and pay them for that alone.
No vacation time, benefits package, or 401K program. Just money for the completion of the project.
3. Freelancers can relieve built-up pressure in workflows.
There are times when new or existing projects overload your staff. Freelancers can relieve your staff of this pressure so they can focus on other core responsibilities.
Maybe your in-house team does the SEO research, but you want to outsource content creation to freelance writers and editors. Or maybe you want a fully managed content creation team, including strategists too.
The great thing about hiring freelancers is that you have the freedom to pick and choose depending on your current needs.
4. You can fill your content channels with quality content.
As a business owner, you have built a company that sells a product with a business plan and execution strategy — the whole nine yards. But, in terms of creating a consistent content schedule for your brand, your efforts have been put on the back burner simply due to a lack of time.
That’s where freelancing can help your content marketing efforts by doing things like:
- Build blog pieces that establish you as a thought leader in your space while developing a rapport with your customer.
- Design infographics that tell your company story in a colorful and social media-friendly way.
- Producing engaging and informative social media videos
- Devising an SEO strategy to help your company establish better domain authority and SERP rankings.
5. Freelancing brings positive energy.
You might not expect that one of the reasons to hire a freelancer would include positive energy, but it’s true. There’s nothing better than working with people who are happy to be on the job.
Freelancers are positive because project work comes with fewer promises. It’s a reality of the pursuit. That’s why the best freelancers stay indispensable because their livelihoods may depend on it.
6. Freelancing offers a diverse perspective for brands.
On a daily basis, full-timers dig in with the other full-timers on the team. They breathe in the same brand (or brands) day and night with one another and fight the same battles on the front lines. Admirable.
But what about the world outside your four walls? Freelancers see the world differently because they’re on the outside looking in.
They bring a unique cultural perspective and see things that you don’t and even bring a welcomed dose of creativity to your brand. Whichever it is, bringing in a team of freelancers with a fresh set of eyes to solve complex problems can add intangibles your brand is not aware of.
7. Freelancing allows you to find the best fit for your clients.
If you’re at an agency, depending on who you have in-house, it can make a world of difference to bring in freelancers who know the industry. Whether they’re in the travel industry, health care, or real estate, each client is different.
Since you’re assigning specialists who know the client’s industry you…
- Provide confidence and reassurance
- Bring in someone fluent in their “language”
- Minimize any costly learning curves
- Keep the workflow moving efficiently, so you don’t hit any speed bumps
8. Freelancing brings in different skill sets.
It might be the most obvious reason to bring in a team of freelancers, but it’s worth including on this list for sure. Every project or client has its own needs, and if you don’t have the skill set already in-house, then you need someone to bring the funk.
Enter talented freelancers. Freelancers can create animations for a product video, write social media content, or craft SEO-driven blog pieces that jell with today’s best practices. Skills your current staff may not have yet.
9. The freelancer talent pool is larger than ever.
Many freelancers prefer this lifestyle now — especially post-pandemic — for a few reasons:
- Affords them greater work/life balance and the ability to make their own schedules
- Allows them to stay nomadic and travel more throughout the year
- Gives those who do it well more income than a traditional 9-to-5 job
10. Freelancers give you an edge over your competitors.
Let’s face it: If you’re in business, you’re likely competing against another business. Maybe your product offering is superior on all levels, and if so, that’s fantastic.
But if you’re neck-in-neck in a Coke/Pepsi or tortoise/hare scenario, you may want to load up on people who give you a competitive edge
It could be an SEO specialist or community manager to finally feed your channels the content they crave. Whatever it is, freelancing can satisfy the appetite.
11. Freelancing comes with very few strings attached.
Here’s another one of the reasons to hire a freelancer that many people find compelling: it’s not permanent. You always go into a new freelance relationship with the best of hopes, but if it’s not a good fit, it’s easy to part ways with no hard feelings.
There are rarely contract agreements, no benefit packages, and no COBRA. Freelancers are used to working “stints,” so you can always cut the cord if you need to with good intentions and without repercussions.
Or, on the flip side, you can also simply re-up them if they’re delivering beyond your wildest expectations.
12. Freelancing has become the norm.
Freelancing used to be what you turned to if you didn’t have the budget for a full-time hire. Now, it’s seen by many — including ad agencies — as the smart way of doing business. It’s a way to tactically ramp up when things get busy — and scale down when things get slower.
After all, you don’t buy a car without test-driving it first — and sometimes, you shouldn’t hire someone without trying them out. Bringing someone in for a freelance stint before extending a full-time offer is a great way to do that.
13. There are freelancers for almost everything.
It’s true that writers, graphic designers, and editors once comprised the motherlode of freelance help available — and they still do. But now, you can also hire freelancers to do jobs you may not have realized had a freelance option.
Consider the following “careers” that now come in freelance form:
- Lawyers
- Accountants
- PR managers
- Data analysts
- Web developers and software engineers
Human-resource professionals are now available as independent contractors, which can help offset full-time costs.
14. It’s easier than ever to find freelance talent.
Gone are the days when you have to know someone looking for a freelance gig — which inevitably limited your options. Now, there’s an abundance of qualified and vetted freelance talent only a click away.
And thanks to intelligent search filters and a deep talent pool, diving in has never been easier.
Now that you’ve read all the reasons, it’s time to take action. So, which fresh set of freelance eyes and superhero skills is going to be right for your business?
It might be time for a test drive.
Now that you’ve heard the most compelling reasons to hire a freelancer, talk to a content specialist at ClearVoice about your needs. From website copy and blog posts to ebooks and social content, our talented team of freelance strategists, writers, editors, and more has you covered.
