Fine, having decided to become a digital marketer and having decided to become a freelancer, now is the time to put your ideas into action. But how? is the question before you. That is why I encourage you to read on to find out the answer for that.
You made the right decision!
The trend now is to go online and India has gone online up by 150% in this pandemic. So every investor in India has come to know the power and potential of digital marketing. Of course digital marketing has become a lucrative career option these days and is all the rage.
To become a freelance digital marketer, we need to understand two concepts – Freelancing and Digital Marketing. First of all, Freelancing is the best option to choose when you consider work-life balance, flexibility and freedom. Freelancing is also called – Independent Business. As of 2020 India is second to the US among the workforce opting for freelancing. There are already of lot of freelancers working as content writers in India. And the modus operandi of any freelancer is almost the same irrespective of the domain one chooses (the difference is explained in detail below in the article). So….
Who is a Freelancer?
A freelancer is a person who works for more than one company simultaneously at his own set time. There could be a monthly pay but is usually paid after completion of a project. You could work from the comfort of your home or anywhere you please. There won’t be a manager to give you targets. You are your own boss. With the experience you have gained through freelancing you can choose to start a digital marketing agency (here) or work as a manager for any reputed company. A freelancer has to have a good network as you will have to scout for jobs yourself.
A freelancer is preferred nowadays because of the productivity and the results the person is able to achieve for a company he signs for.
Now let us move on to the next concept – Digital Marketing……
Who is a Digital Marketer?
As you all know each and every business nowadays has to have an online advertising strategy for two reasons – 1. Competition 2. Massive consumption of digital content.
Digital Marketing is the field that aids businesses to launch, promote and sustain their products or services with the help of digital communication technologies, in any market – be it local or international.
Digital marketing is one field that is never going to lose its sheen for years and years to come.
As a digital marketer you would inform and educate the target audience who in turn grow the business. So it is mandatory for you to understand the business (various businesses as a freelancer) thoroughly well to shine in this job. The fate of a business hugely depends on advertising these days. People have come to understand that, the world being a global village, it is just not enough to churn out better products but also find even better ways to market it. So such is the gravity of this profession.
Digital Marketing can be broadly divided into two –
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- Search Engine Marketing (SEM) 2. Social Media Marketing (SMM)
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Under SEM there are –
- Search Engine Optimization – SEO
- Pay Per Click – PPC
Apart from this we have –
- Website Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Video Marketing
- E Mail Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
- Mobile Marketing and much much more.
As the technology is ceaselessly evolving updates are unstoppable in this ever growing field. You need to keep yourself on the same page then and there in order to survive in this profession.
Hence it is imperative for you to find out your niche in this ocean of digital marketing to be a master in your domain. Next you will have to study the company’s demands, the needs and gaps etc. The call for could be brand visibility, customer satisfaction, conversion, launches and so on. So tailor your digital marketing strategies to the requirement.
Digital marketers could be SEO experts, PPC specialists, back link developers, web developers and should have knowledge in tech tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, Hubspot, Google Analytics, Salesforce etc.
Since you work all on your own, as a freelance digital marketer you need to perform some tasks like project management, accounting, networking etc.
How to become a freelance digital marketer in India?
Ultimately, we have come to the crux of the article. Peruse the list to get a hang of it.
- Identify your niche
- Build the Portfolio
- Create a market for yourself
- Advertise your Brand
- Pitch in Precisely
- Set up your price
1. Identify your niche
Since digital marketing is a very vast subject, it is better to be a master in one particular niche rather than a jack of all. By that you will have the required knowledge and expertise to help yourself in the assignments. So first become a certified digital marketer and specialize in your area. Attend digital marketing workshops, conferences and listen to podcasts to keep yourself updated. For example SEO works better for FMCGs, SEM for the educational sector, SMM for tourism etc.
Once you have decided the area of interest, accept opportunities in that niche only and become an expert in that.
As an employee in an office environment you will be helped by your seniors or colleagues but here since you are working alone it is better to be in a position to provide solutions to the clients as and when the necessity arises.
I suggest taking up any associate type of jobs in digital marketing companies to pick up the tricks of the trade. Learn as much as you can so that you can execute almost every task all by yourself. When you feel that you have learnt and put them into practice enough and when you feel confident of standing on your own legs then it is time you started freelancing.
2. Build the Portfolio
You will be required to build a strong portfolio of previous works to showcase it to your clients. And that can happen only gradually as you gain ground. As a beginner it is advisable that you intern with some companies to understand the basics and get the know-how of this industry. As mentioned above you can also be involved in entry level jobs.
Content writers, you need to write for online publications and be specific about your niche to gain by-lines and exposure.
I would like to tell you here that you can also work free of cost for your close circle like your friends, family and acquaintances to build your portfolio. Here though you are not paid you will get an exposure and also you have the luxury to commit mistakes and learn from them. So you can do this side by side.
Make sure your portfolio includes your professional profile with a synopsis and testimonials and reviews from clients.
3. Create a market for yourself
The first step to market yourself is to create a personal website. It has to be professional; SEO optimized and should contain your services, portfolio and the contact details. The website could be personal or business oriented. Personal brands might be difficult to get converted into business brands when the company grows. So give it a long term thought and decide on it. And make sure your website is engaging and optimized for mobile usage.
In addition to that, create social media profiles, LinkedIn profiles, start a blog for your online presence and attend forums and conferences of freelancers to grow your contacts. There are also freelancing websites like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, LinkedIn Jobs etc., where you can find potential clients to begin with.
Brand yourselves with both professional and certain unique personal traits that will make you stand out in the competition. Consider creating a simple logo for your brand. This is not going to hurt. After all, the way you brand yourself showcases the client the way you are going to uplift theirs. You can also try sending proposals to clients and approaching them directly.
It is very important that freelancers should make their transactions and correspondence secure from internet thieves. So establish a VPN connection, keep your passwords strong, two-step authentication for your email ids and software updated.
After having covered all these steps, WAIT. Since clients need to approach you among so much competition you need to be patient until you get the right opportunity.
4. Advertise Your Brand
One way to advertise yourself is to build a blog. Showcase each and every talent of yours no matter how trivial it is in your blog. This is a potential channel to attract clients. Put yourself in the shoes of the clients and write on topics covering both your services and the client’s would-be needs. Show them how knowledgeable you are in this field. Eventually when your blog hits traffic you can use it for affiliate marketing purposes which will also generate money.
Another way is to build personal pages in Social media like LinkedIn and Twitter. Be very detailed in your profile and publish content related to digital marketing.
The next step is guest posting in reputed websites. By doing this it brings you the desired links to yours followed by traffic and recognition.
5. Pitch in precisely
When clients approach, you will have to pitch the details of your services. The pitch should include how successful you will be able to handle the project. Give the clients a few insights to the assignment. So they get an idea of your abilities.
6. Set up your price
When potential clients approach you for projects one of their foremost questions would be – “What is your pricing?” So it is better to have a prior calculated answer.
The pricing could be based per hour or per project. Clients come with different needs and deadlines. So decide the pricing of your services based on that. See that your pricing model is flexible and genuine. You can even try giving discounts or offers. Also don’t undercharge your services. As you grow in your domain you can set up a high price for the quality of work. It is better to decide on the per project model in the beginning. As per hour pay works better with professionals who have gained a higher amount of productivity and acquaintance in this climate of work.
One best way to have an idea about the existing market rate is to refer to freelancing websites or post questions in forums. Pricing also can depend on the time frame, your location, the client’s location, the business etc.
For getting paid you will have a bank account and with account providers like Paypal, an invoice processing system and a business agreement.
Other skills
Time Management
Time management is the utmost requisite for any freelancer. As a digital marketing freelancer save your time by:
- Spending more time on billable tasks (that generate revenue) than non-billable tasks (that don’t generate revenue) like reading emails from strangers, spending too much time reading blogs and social media.
- First things first. Prioritize your work related tasks in the morning. Leave the administrative tasks for the later part of the day. This is because morning time is more productive.
- Keep a to-do list for each and every client separately so that you don’t confuse between clients. Perform tasks in a batch. Allocate each day in a week exclusively to each client.
- Allocate the time for your works like building blogs, updating websites etc. Make a calendar for your tasks.
Also dedicate time for your learning and development in digital marketing as well.
Connect with other freelancers
It means a lot to have links with other freelancers. Apart from maintaining friendly relations it will help you stay updated in the field and exchange opinions & advice. It could be a chance for you to promote your brand as you can send and receive referrals.
You can follow them on social media. Get their email ids so that you can make your conversations professional. You can also have chats over Skype or Zoom. You can also end up working jointly in future.
The Daily Routine of a Freelance Digital Marketer
- Enhancing your website/blog to promote yourself
- Scheduling appointments and meeting new/existing clients
- Responding to emails and other online queries
- Searching for new job postings online
- Pitching in or writing proposals to new clients
- Networking with other freelancers
- Setting up KPIs
- Designing Case studies
- Learning marketing concepts; staying updated
- Creating social media calendars
Working for existing clients like –
- Optimizing client websites for SEO
- Creating content
- Working on PPC campaigns
- Strategizing for Social Media and other digital marketing campaigns
- Writing newsletters
- Documenting all the work (for portfolio)
- Preparing invoices for the clients etc.
There are a lot of tools to help you like Google Suite for your personal work, SEMrush is an all-in-one DM tool, Optinmonster – to grow email lists and enhance conversions to websites, Mailchimp – to email marketing campaigns and Grammarly.
Paid tools like Google Analytics and Google Search console also come handy.
A quick synopsis to acquire a client
- As said above, LinkedIn is quite a good option to lookout for clients. Optimize your profile with the right keywords, create a fancy URL, ask your professional circle to endorse you, give a powerful headline, add a cover photo – like that of you giving a lecture or at work, recommendations from previous clients, upload your works and services.
- Service free of cost but with conditions. For example you can offer a free 15-minute consultation. You can do this through Facebook groups or LinkedIn profiles. You can also invite people to join webinars conducted by you.
- Just volunteer to give suggestions and insights to any Facebook or Instagram page of any random brands that you come across. You can ring the bell by offering such useful information that the brands overlook.
The Pay
The pay for a freelance digital marketer can range from INR 100000 to 900000 approximately. The average salary could be around INR 300000 a year for a fresher. The pay can also depend on hourly rate basis and as said above and it can also depend on the project you take, the skills and expertise you possess, the brand and the location.
For example, the hourly rate for a SEO specialist is INR 250, PPC specialist is INR 220, social media manager is INR 270 approximately.
You will have to deduct the amount for paid tools, ISP and other expenses. So you will have to calculate the net amount for your productive hours after that.
In Future
After having gained experience as a freelance Digital marketer the next step could be you can start a digital marketing agency or have a small team to assist you to continue as a freelancer per se.
The Flip-side of being a freelancer
There is an enormous amount of work that has to be handled all alone. It might seem a herculean task at the start but as you sink into the routine you will find it easy. Further the flip side is that you might not get a proper and fixed monthly income, no benefits like PF, ESI etc. And there could be lot of distractions as you work from home. It requires a lot of discipline and dedication to work as a freelancer.
Being a freelancer is like being an entrepreneur. There are risks in every job. So be prepared to take risks. Strive and be dedicated till you gain importance, build credibility and reputation. Be desirous to learn, self-motivated, have patience, persistence and consistency – you will reap the rewards. So get going and all the best!