Why Business Owners Use Freelancers Instead Of Professional Marketing Agencies

If you are familiar with phrases like ‘gig economy’ or ‘freelance nation’ than you should know by now that the way we work and conduct business has drastically changed in the last decade. Around 34 percent of workers in the USA alone are freelancers now, which makes approximately 53 million people who have an alternative, non-traditional workplace. They usually work from home, have a somewhat loose work schedule and complete work independence. These might be just a few reasons why the majority of millennials are freelancers.

With such a high percentage in question, it is safe to say, therefore, that freelancers have become the main contributors to the global economy, and their growth is only more expanding. But why is that so? Why do business owners hire freelancer rather than professional marketing agencies?

The ‘gig economy’ is more than an accurate description of the global economy nowadays, so let’s take a look at why we have become the ‘freelance nation’ that we are today.

Cost-effectiveness

If one thing is sure, hiring freelancers is far more affordable than hiring a professional marketing agency or a full-time employee. If you hire an agency or an in-house employee, you need to be aware of additional costs alongside regular salary, for example, charges for further training of an individual or the whole team. At this point, making such a move in your business would be a complete waste of time and money. Therefore, business owners instead go for freelancers, who even at their highest hourly rates will still save you up to 30 percent. This also means that you don’t have the responsibility of a salary for the freelancer, health insurance, social security or retirement, which in the long run will surely save you a lot of money, and the job will still be done.

Specific Expertise

One of the main reasons business owners hire freelancers is that they are specialized in specific fields and business areas. For example, if you are looking for someone to lead and develop your marketing strategies, then you will hire a freelancer who is individually experienced and specialized in that field. This means that freelances have a profound knowledge regarding a particular job since the majority of freelancers have either completed college education in a specific area or they are incredibly experienced and talented. What freelancers do is sell the skills at which they excel, so you can be sure that the work will not only be completed, but it will be great as well.

Flexibility

Having an in-house employee or hiring an agency to perform tasks can be advantageous if there is no fluctuation of work. However, if the situation is the opposite, then hiring a freelancer can be extremely useful. Freelancers can be employed per project or even for a limited time if the individual does a really good job. Once the project is completed, or the freelancer doesn’t provide quality work anymore, you can always replace them, or even rehire once new projects come along.

Having a freelancer on a project means that the person can also work for a specific payment outside the hourly rate. One more advantage is that the prices can also be negotiable and flexible if the worker does a good job or not. The contracts between you and the freelancer can also be terminated without any side effects and additional costs, like workers’ compensation benefits or unemployment insurance. Overall, freelancers are more likely to offer flexibility unlike agencies or in-house employees.

Independence

Since freelancers are already trained in a specific field, you can be sure a project will be completed without you having to keep an eye on them. The majority of freelancers need a basic introduction to a project, necessary tools and information, and a set deadline; once the milestone for a project is set, you can focus on other tasks and let the freelancer do the work. As freelancers are ‘free,’ you won’t be wasting time providing additional training or worry whether they will execute the task appropriately. They already have their own work processes and strategies that help them conduct research, apply knowledge and meet deadlines.

Involvement In The Project

Even though freelancers are independent workers, you can still communicate with them during the whole work process. If you are simply unsure of whether the freelancer will do a good job or you just want to avoid unsatisfying results, you can directly communicate with a Freelancer and follow their work. By doing this, you can be sure to lessen any possible problem and to receive the end results that you wanted. By hiring a freelancer, you are surely reducing the risk of receiving unsatisfying end results.

Global Access

Freelance platforms like Upwork, People per Hour, Crowdsource or Toptal allow you to find talented freelancers from around the world. Each of these platforms are in English, but also allow clients to seek workers of any other language in the world, which basically expands your reach for potential hire. Regardless of whether you are looking for a content writer, a marketing manager or IT developer, you can be sure to find the freelancer you are looking for, since these platforms enable global reach, therefore, a higher hiring probability. For example, when it comes to content writing, sites where you can pay for an essay offer paper writing services provided by a team of specialized freelancers.

Team Of Multiple Freelancers

So, why would be better to hire several freelancers at once that to hire a professional agency? Well, hiring a team of freelancers is easier to manage, especially if you are working on more creative or marketing projects that do not need constant work overlooking. A group of freelancers is also already trained for a specific project, so you also don’t need to waste additional time for explanations, but rather, the team will get to work as soon as possible. So not only will the project be done on time, but you will save money and have potential long-term freelancers on board.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.