10 Skills You Need To Do Freelance Marketing (and Not Fail)
Remote Job Hunting
Freelance marketing calls for more than strong social media skills and a way with words. Learn if you have what it takes.
[What skills do you need to excel in freelance marketing?
Marketing involves strategy, multiple outreach channels, tons of moving parts, and various team members. It takes a special person to manage all that without letting anything slip through the cracks.
Freelance marketing is even harder because there isn’t a 9 to 5 office structure to keep you productive. And there’s no grumpy boss over your shoulder to tell you to stop watching cat videos.
So what does it actually take to up your game in freelance marketing?
10 Freelance Marketing Skills To Attract Top Employers
An effective marketing strategy helps brands achieve their goals. That typically includes scoring new leads, increasing brand engagement, promoting products, and strengthening brand awareness.
Companies search for freelance marketers to get this done remotely. While this increases opportunities around the world for digital nomads, it also widens the pool of talented candidates for employers.
Translation: You face steep competition for gigs.
That’s why your skills, experience, and personality make all the difference.
You don’t need a fancy degree in Marketing or Business to stand out (though it doesn’t hurt). The keywords used on your resume, CV, and application should speak louder on your behalf.
These are the 10 freelance marketing skills most in-demand:
#1. World Class Organization
A day in the life of a freelance marketer usually entails:
- Creating a marketing strategy
- Building a marketing funnel
- Setting up key performance indicators (KPIs) to track
- Content and copywriting (such as blogs, whitepapers, emails, eBooks, case studies, etc.)
- Social media posts (including infographics, videos, etc.)
- SEO research
- Ad creation
- … and much more!
You must be able to switch from these separate tasks seamlessly. And that requires a system of extreme organization and attention to detail.
The more experience you can show off with these tasks, the more desirable a candidate you’ll become.
Scheduling and completing all this work requires a profound understanding of time management.
[Freelancing isn’t for the undisciplined, unmotivated, or lazy. Despite being allowed to work in yoga pants, it takes an enormous amount of discipline to stay focused and produce.
Freelancers must possess self-awareness. They must understand their limitations and create a low-stress work/life balance.
Freelance marketers who hurdle this challenge with grace often mention these skills:
- Self-motivation
- Proactivity
- Reliability
- Punctuality
There’s also no way to market products or services without expert communication abilities.
[Most of your job as a freelance marketer requires communicating with your target audience. That’s why many freelance marketers cut their teeth as content writers.
It’s estimated that 70% of customers prefer learning about products via content[*]. Connecting this way has been shown to build brand loyalty[*]. But that’s only if your audience likes what you say and how you convey it.
So freelance marketers must write effectively and concisely. You’ll need level 10 spelling and grammar skills to tackle all the:
- Blogs and social media posts
- Email newsletters
- Paid ads
- Copy for landing pages
You not only need to write effective and persuasive copy. You must also weave SEO best practices into your writing to make sure the right people see and interact with it.
#4. SEO Knowledge
Businesses that land their content on the first SERP score 92% of consumer traffic[*].
But this isn’t dumb luck.
It requires researching and analyzing trends and best practices to uncover rich keyword strings. Freelance marketing pros know how to boost search engine rankings and increase traffic.
This helps visitors find what they’re looking for and should lead directly to what they’re promoting.
Always mention SEO proficiency and experience. It goes a long way to establishing your digital cred.
#5. Digital Literacy
The digital skills gap means those well-versed in new technology will climb to the top of the virtual resume stack. Knowing how to use the right tools will make your job easier whether your marketing for one or multiple clients.
Freelance marketing requires more than a basic understanding of:
- CRM software
- Social media and social media schedulers like Buffer
- Google Analytics
- Team messaging tools like Slack
- Project management tools (such as Trello or Asana)
- Graphic designers and video editors
Highlight your proficiency and employers will feel confident in your ability to jump right in and start working without a training session.
[Freelancers have to sell their services to new clients if they don’t want to be homeless and starving. So freelancers must listen well, negotiate, and convince clients of their skills and abilities.
If you can sell yourself to total strangers, employers will assume you can also persuade people to buy products or start a subscription.
People who know how to pitch themselves talk about results, not who they are. They’re also transparent about their process and rates. Add all this to your application and garner maximum interest.
#7. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Part of creating a marketing strategy involves IDing and tracking KPIs. These will show whether your efforts are trending in the right direction or need a few tweaks.
Freelance marketers must understand all aspects of data analytics, from capture to interpretation. Data-driven decisions require critical thinking skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
Employers know candidates who favor this way of working will help them reach their goals without wasting time or money on hypotheticals.
[The marketing umbrella overlaps many different departments. So even though freelance marketers may work solo, they need killer brainstorming and collaboration skills to mesh with the team.
Show employers, you’re an independent worker bee who’s also an awesome team player.
[Keeping up with the latest trends isn’t usually a prerequisite for landing a job. But that’s not the case in the world of freelance marketing.
People get bombarded with images and funny text a million times a day. It takes an astute eye for emerging trends to lead the pack and get your brand noticed.
On-trend freelance marketers don’t use boring resume templates. They favor bold, modern designs that reflect their out-of-the-box thinking. And they use a stunningly cool website and well-curated social media pages to display their creative storytelling ability.
[No team wants a Debbie Downer killing the productivity vibes.
A freelance marketer may not be in the office, but you’ll know they’re salty about something from their passive-aggressive emails or emoji-less Slack messages.
Radiate positivity off the bat and clients will love working with you. Positivity uplifts teams, increases productivity, and creates a better work environment.
How do you show off your sunny side? Always convey your excitement, enthusiasm, and eagerness. Bonus points awarded for giving genuine compliments too.
Do You Have the Goods To Storm the Freelance Marketing World?
Companies are always looking for freelance marketers to spread their brand awareness and messaging. Convey these 10 skills to prospective clients and they’ll tap you for a spot on their team ASAP.
Hoping to hire the best freelance marketers? Scan their resumes and CVs for these skills to narrow down your choices. And don’t forget to post your freelance gigs where professional digital nomads look for opportunities. Psst! That’s right here.
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