Tips for Hiring Freelance Marketing and Sales Pros to Support Your Business
Guest post by Jenna Sherman from parent-leaders.com. Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash.
As a business owner, you rely on marketing and sales experts to attract customers and drive growth. However, if you're just getting your business off the ground, you may not have the means to build a full-scale marketing and sales team yet. Don't worry. Freelance professionals can help you fill the gaps and give you the support you need. Agencies like The Adriel Hampton Group help businesses like yours scale up, giving you professional insights from a trusted external source. Read on to find out how to find the right experts to get started.
Understand the benefits of hiring freelancers
You might think that it's preferable to have an internal team to handle your marketing and sales. In fact, inviting an external point of view is often preferable, as you'll get fresh insights from an objective third party. Hiring from outside of your company has other benefits too. You'll be able to tap into specialized expertise and enjoy the greater flexibility that comes with hiring independent contractors. You'll also save significantly, as you'll pay for what you need when you need it.
Identify what type of freelancers you need
There are many niches in the sales and marketing field, so it's important to narrow down your needs. Hubspot provides a list of types of marketing to help you figure it out. In some cases, you may not need a person for the job but can rely on "off-the-shelf" services. For example, if you haven't established a formal business entity, you can use a business formation service like ZenBusiness. This is cheaper than a lawyer, and creating an entity like an LLC will help you save money, reduce paperwork burden, and protect your legal liability.
Write detailed and targeted job ads
Once you know exactly what roles you want to fill using freelance sales and marketing professionals, it's time to write job ads. The key to a successful job ad is detail. There are a few questions to ask yourself as you craft the ad, such as why there is a need for this project position, what personality traits will make a person successful in the role, and what credentials they need. You also want to think about how you can attract top talent. That means highlighting the benefits you offer, such as a budget for software and equipment.
Set up an interview screening process
Once you've posted your job ad, the applications will start rolling in. As you screen resumes, have your original job posting in front of you. This will allow you to directly compare the wants and needs of your post with the profile of the applicant. You can then narrow down the pool to a handful of applicants to interview in person or via video chat. BetterTeam provides a guide to running a good interview, like preparing questions in advance. You may also want to take notes during the interview.
Create an onboarding process
Once you've completed your interviews and chosen your final applicant, it's time to get started. Don't just throw your freelancers into the deep end and expect them to swim. Give them the tools they need to succeed. For example, if you use collaboration tools like Asana or Slack, make sure they have access to these. Establishing a rigorous onboarding process can help your new talent feel at ease. Start by establishing a visual connection to the team via an introductory Zoom call.
Craft a detailed sales and marketing plan
You hired your sales and marketing freelancers because you want them to help your business grow. To make sure that happens, sit down with them to create a detailed sales and marketing plan. Ideally, sales and marketing will work in tandem, creating a supportive network. Marketing should attract new leads, which sales should then convert to new customers. Talk to your freelancers about your goals and how to best achieve them. Then, create a written plan you can all refer to.
Identify critical KPIs to measure success
When drafting your sales and marketing plan, make sure to discuss key performance indicators, KPIs. Rhythm Systems explains the importance of KPIs, revealing that they allow you to analyze patterns, track progress, monitor company health, and make adjustments to stay on track. KPIs are also great for seeing how well your freelancers are working. For example, if you wanted 100 new leads in a month, did they achieve that? If you aren't achieving your KPIs, it may be time to adjust your sales and marketing plan.
Maintain regular communication with your team
One of the challenges of working with freelancers is communication. Take a proactive approach to this hurdle by setting up clear communication strategies and policies upfront. There are many tools you can use to stay in contact with people who aren't on-site, like Slack, Skype, Zoom, and Dropbox. Encourage your team to download the necessary tools and use them regularly. This ensures that your freelancers feel seen and are comfortable coming to you with questions or concerns.
External sales and marketing professionals can benefit your business in many ways. However, you want to make sure you're hiring the right people. Follow the steps above for success.
Want more content about leveraging sales and marketing for greater business success? Check out the Adriel Hampton Group blog.
