Learn how to become a freelance digital marketer in 2024. In this article, we talk about starting freelance marketing. We discuss skills, how much you can earn, the good and bad sides, and the steps to enter this exciting career, perfect for digital nomads. It’s not suitable for everyone, but it could be right for you.
If you’re keen on a thrilling digital marketing career with lots of freedom, think about being a freelance digital marketer. Wondering how to become one? This post has answers to various questions about freelance digital marketing.
Let’s get started!
What is Freelance Digital Marketing?
Being a freelance marketer involves working on your own rather than being part of a company’s staff. Freelance jobs are based on individual tasks or projects. Businesses often outsource numerous assignments across different fields to freelancers. Freelance work has its advantages and disadvantages, which we’ll discuss further in this post.
What Does a Freelance Digital Marketer Do?
A freelance digital marketer is a person who offers digital marketing services to businesses, nonprofits, and organizations as a freelancer, not an employee.
The services provided by freelance marketers cover a broad range. Usually, businesses hire freelance digital marketers for:
- Paid advertising, such as Google ads, Facebook ads, YouTube ads, etc.
- Video marketing, including ideation, scriptwriting, shooting, editing, publishing, and promoting videos
- Influencer marketing
- Search engine optimization, including keyword research, SEO content creation, and building backlinks
- Creating and managing entire sales and marketing funnels
As you can see, there is a wide variety of work assignments that a freelance digital marketer can choose from.
What Skills Do You Need to Become a Freelance Digital Marketer?
To become a freelance digital marketer, the skills you require depend on the services you plan to offer. You can join an online course to learn these specific skills.
Digital marketing covers various areas, each with its unique technical skills. Nevertheless, there are general freelance skills applicable to any domain you choose. These skills include:
1. Content writing and Copywriting
All online content starts with writing. That’s why it’s important to be good at writing. Even if you hire someone to write for you, you should still know enough to recognize good writing, review drafts, and provide helpful suggestions. Understanding the fundamentals of content marketing will boost your confidence.
2. Search engine optimization (SEO)
Having good search engine optimization (SEO) is important when you share things online, like blog posts, LinkedIn articles, Amazon or Etsy product descriptions, or app store details. SEO helps your intended audience discover your digital content more easily.
If you don’t use SEO, you’ll have to depend on paid ads and referrals to get people to see what you share. You only really need the basics of SEO unless you plan to focus on offering SEO services to others.
3. Marketing analytics
Whether you’re into email marketing or handling Facebook ads, it’s essential to grasp collecting and analyzing marketing data. Almost every part of digital marketing can be measured, tracked, and improved, highlighting the importance of knowing marketing analytics.
4. Business skills
In addition to knowing marketing well, both the practical and people-oriented aspects, you also must have crucial business skills. Keep in mind that you’re running your own business now. These abilities are necessary for starting and managing a successful business. They consist of:
- Leadership and vision setting
- Financial management
- Project planning and management
- Problem-solving
- Marketing and sales
- Customer service
- Negotiation
- Networking
As your business grows, you may decide to take on staff. In that case, you’ll need to have skills in:
- Recruitment
- Delegation
- People management
How Much Does a Freelance Digital Marketer Make?
Since this is not an employed role, the incomes of freelance digital marketers vary widely. It depends on how valuable your services are, the types of clients you work with, and how good you are at hustling to find clients and selling your services.
Some types of digital marketing are more lucrative than others. Email marketing, growth marketing, and paid advertising roles, for example, tend to command higher fees than other digital marketing services.
Certain industries also pay more than others. Finance, electronic manufacturing, sports teams, internet publishing and broadcasting, and well-funded startups tend to pay the highest salaries and contractor fees.
Data on how much freelance digital marketers make is limited. Talent.com has only two data points for freelance digital marketers’ income in Canada: CA$39,000 and CA$87,750 per year.
In the US, the annual salaries for freelance digital marketing range from $46,313 for entry-level positions, up to $80,288 for more experienced freelance marketers. The average of 16 data points is $59,963.
Too many variables are involved in determining how much you can make as a freelance digital marketer.
Suffice it to say that you can make from almost nothing to more than six figures a year—especially if you combine your freelancing with other streams of income. More on that below.
Pros and Cons of becoming a Freelance Digital Marketer
Working as a freelance digital marketer has several benefits. Some of these are:
1. Flexible schedule
As a freelancer, you get to choose when and how much you work, as long as you meet client deadlines. Your pay is tied to the results you achieve, rather than the hours you put in. While some freelancers charge by the hour, it’s advised for freelance digital marketers to focus on fees tied to outputs and results instead of hours worked.
2. Variety & choice
Being a freelancer has a cool advantage – you get to pick the projects and clients you want to work with. At first, you might feel like taking on any client work that comes your way, and that’s okay while you’re building your client base and track record, and, of course, making some money.
But as you become more established and consistently attract clients, you’ll have the freedom to decide which projects you want to work on.
3. Location independence
Freelance digital marketers often work from different locations. You can do your job from anywhere, just as long as you have a computer and a good internet connection. This profession goes well with a digital nomad lifestyle, allowing you to blend it with your passion for travel. Alternatively, if you prefer working from home, you can avoid daily commutes.
4. Lower costs of earning money
In business, there’s a term called “cost of doing business.” Employees in turn have a “cost of earning money,” which includes expenditures for travel, clothing, makeup, and lunches and coffees during your work commute. You have none of those expenses if you choose to become a freelance digital marketer.
Yes, you do have costs as a freelancer, but most of the time those are tax-deductible business expenses.
(Note: I’m not an accountant, and this is not business financial advice. Consult an accountant to find out which business expenses you can claim in the area where you file taxes.)
5. Unlimited income potential
Technically, your income potential as a freelance digital marketer is unlimited. That’s because you can charge as much as you want as long as clients are willing to pay.
In addition, you can juggle freelancing with another side hustle or even a part-time job. You can also combine a full-time job with part-time freelancing. Whichever you choose, you can have financial security and ever-increasing potential for growth.
Cons of Freelance Digital Marketing
Not everyone is suited for freelancing as a digital marketer. There are downsides to consider, like:
1. Constant hustle
As a freelancer, you need to constantly work hard to have enough potential clients. You might end up putting in more hours than when you had a regular job because, in addition to serving existing clients, you have to promote your services and convince new clients to hire you.
2. Feast or famine
Freelancing also has a drawback – you don’t get a steady paycheck. Your work demand may have ups and downs. Even if you’re great at marketing, clients might be less active during summer and holidays.
3. No benefits
Being a freelancer means you don’t get the usual job perks like paid time off, sick days, health benefits, or disability insurance. Basically, if you don’t work, you don’t get paid.
4. Pressure to earn more
You can, and should, get your own health coverage and disability insurance. However, these will have to come out of your own pocket. And usually, these are not considered business expenses. (Again, I’m not an accountant, and laws may be different where you are. Do your due diligence to see what the tax laws are in your country.) You should also have a rainy-day fund for when you want or need to take time off. This means you have to make more than an employee’s salary to match the entire package you’d receive as an employee.
5. Loneliness and isolation
Ultimately, working as a freelancer can feel lonely, especially when working remotely. This might be tough for people who like being around others, and it could push them to seek traditional office jobs. Even if you’re someone who prefers solitude, it’s essential to find ways to connect with people for your well-being.
So You Want to Become a Freelance Digital Marketer: Next steps
If after reading this post, you’re more excited than ever about becoming a freelance digital marketer, then here are your next steps:
1. Pick a niche: Is it SEO, Facebook ads, social media, or content writing? Pick one specific area or domain of digital marketing you want to specialize in.
2. Pick an ideal client: Which types of clients and/or industries are you happiest working with? You can choose to focus only on nonprofits or you can narrow your focus on a specific industry such as software, retail, eCommerce, finance, travel, beauty, etc.
3. Create an online presence: As a digital marketer, you’re expected to know how to create and maintain an authoritative online presence. Potential clients will always check you out and draw conclusions about you even before they connect with you. Make sure what they find shows you in the best light. Create a video resume and online portfolio to attract clients.
4. Build a track record: Start building a track record of getting results for clients. Document everything you do, and track results so you have proof of what you’re capable of. Also, always collect testimonials from clients. You need social proof to market your services.