Freelance marketing is a dream job for any persona who is interested in marketing. However, like all other freelance jobs it requires a lot of hard work, organization, discipline, responsibility and patience on your part. If you want to strike out in the world as a freelancer marketer then here are some points, which you should consider before taking a plunge:
Do you absolutely love marketing?
Marketing has never been a fixed timing job. And with freelance marketing you will have to give up the timings entirely. As a marketer it is your job to be on the pulse of the marketing at all times. Even if you are marketing about a small product or targeting a particular demographic, you have to take the global approach. This means that you cannot ever say ‘my working timings are done for the day’.
The other aspect of marketing is that you have to absolutely love it at all the times. Ask yourself if you love people, products and the impact they have. The joy of having to see your marketing campaign take off and be a success cannot be compared with anything else.
Do you know your stuff?
It is one thing to love marketing and other thing to know about your stuff. Take a blank sheet of paper and write down all the things that you think that you think are needed to make a marketing campaign. Do not refer to any help when writing this, write from your own mind. When you are done writing then take a stock of what you have written and what you have missed.
Are you aware of true meaning of terms like branding, return of investment, targeting, engagement, sales, marketing, advertisement, social media marketing, follow up etc? Can you convince the client that you know what you are talking about and why he needs you? These will be the two important questions that you should know the answers to.
Do you have the right image?
Nobody in this world today in looking for an oily haired sleek looking marketing executive to market his or her product. The world of marketing has moved much beyond its ancestral marketing rules. Marketing today is done both offline and online. As a freelance marketer you will have to know how to combine both means for a successful campaign.
Therefore, before bidding for freelance marketing jobs ask yourself if you have the right image and if not then are you willing to work hard for building one. Your image includes your qualifications, skills and portfolio. Of course your confidence and communication skills top in the list of the image building exercise.
You need to create a brand of yourself. The idea behind this is simple; if you can market yourself then you can market anything. The way you market yourself will say a lot to the client about the way you will market their brand.
Do you have funds to sustain yourself?
When starting out in marketing as a freelancer you will have to promote the brand that you have built for yourself. This will require some expenditure from your side. Sometimes you will need to eve handout some freebies as a part of the promotional package. This means that you might have to give the client a small taste of what he or she can look for if you get the whole project. Therefore make sure that you have at least some backup funds with you that can carry you until you get the payment for the project.
Do you have the tools for the trade?
The tools of the trade include a computer, internet connection, a working email account, telephone number and an office space, in case you need to hold meetings. These tools will help you in getting your work done in time and stay in touch with your clients easily. You will be easily able to present a professional front by utilizing these tools properly.
About K Saravana Kumar
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