So, you’re considering hiring a contractual professional? Before you take the leap there are a few important things to consider. Let’s start by going over two cons.
Con #1: You do not have an in-house person that understands every aspect of your operations. Therefore, you have to be selective when hiring a contractual professional to help streamline your marketing objectives. When you begin this work, it is important to set the tone of your branding with an experienced marketing guru so that the goals will flow without you having to micromanage. Setting clear lines of communication and a point person is equally important. Here at Savvy Marketing Solutions, we strive to include this in onboarding (within the first few weeks). With small businesses, we understand you may not have a clear branding structure or know how to apply goals. That’s what we do well. Having your attention in the first few weeks will set the tone of our work. The goal is to get us what we need to manage your digital media independently.
Con #2: If you are a micromanager, hiring a contractual professional may not work well for you. Since you are hiring a professional who will be working out of office, you are responsible for setting them up for success and letting them work in their expert field. Attempting to dictate every decision (i.e. the exact time of posting something on Instagram or the location of an icon on a flyer) will potentially hinder and impede the work you are paying for! We suggest creating a trial period when the professional is first hired. During this time, give them time and space to create what is needed based on your initial onboarding meetings. Also, be very transparent in what you need and ensure you are communicating extremely well during this time. Keep this in mind: the good thing about most contractual work is that it can be tracked and proven! Track the numbers and let your contractual professional(s) shine.
Now that we have dissected two cons of hiring contractual work, we’ll discuss two pros to consider.
Pro #1: Cost-benefit. You will receive the work you deem necessary by a professional that is consistently saturated in their field without having them in-house. If you pick one, like Savvy Marketing Solutions, you can be assured that they are deep in the digital media rabbit holes – paying attention to trends, algorithm changes, Google updates, social media expectations and all of the details it takes to make informed suggestions and decisions. Digital marketing is vast, constantly growing and ever-changing. If you’d like to stay up-to-date and have a fresh mindset, it’s best to lean on those who surround ourselves with it. Especially with the influences of COVID-19; it has caused your digital presence, no matter your industry, to triple in importance. Lastly, when hiring a contractual professional you are not paying taxes on their hours and you don’t have to provide them with health and other benefits – that is money in your pocket!
Pro #2: A contractual professional is not bogged down by the daily issues of running a business since they do not work in-house. This translates to them being better equipped to relay your overall brand and marketing goals in a genuinely productive way. If you already have an in-house point person, consider that a contractual professional can help you complete projects that require skills and experience your full-time staff may not be comfortable doing. For example, there are plenty of talented and experienced managers that have an umbrella of responsibilities that include digital marketing, yet they may not be industry experts. We work well with such professionals and are happy to help cultivate a productive team without adding any waste.
Now that you have compared these pros and cons, take the time to consider your brand and marketing goals as well as your budget. Determine if and how a contractual professional will benefit your goals and begin your search. Interested in learning more about our areas of expertise? Contact us now for a free consultation. We’d love to help you level up.
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