Hiring Freelancers & Contractors – The Last Marketing Agency Taboo?
As an agency, we pride ourselves on delivering a transparent service to all our clients. Our team consists of a vast range of specialists all of which have their own parts to play in the delivery of our many services. We hire freelancers and contractors to cater to the needs of our clients too – yes, we said it! Unlike the huge proportion of businesses that do the very same thing, it’s not a fact that we’re afraid to shout about.
Of course, we were like that once, and in most cases would hide our use of contractors and freelancers from our clients and competitors due to the negativity felt throughout so many industries. But with freelancing and contract work becoming an increasingly attractive option for UK workers, we’re guessing that many more businesses are hiring self-employer contractors and freelancers, and keeping schtum.
The stats that say everyone does it
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the freelance, independent and contract industry has grown by 25% since 2009, growth figures that far surpass the expansion of the UK automotive industry. The sector is now estimated to be worth some £109 billion annually, with the freelance arm of the industry alone providing £30 billion of added value to the UK economy according to the Self-Employed & Freelancer Association (IPSE). If trends continue to rise in this manner, more than 50% of all workers in the UK will be freelancers, contractors or independent professionals by 2020.
It’s not just in the UK where the freelance and contract industry is booming. Across the pond, in the US, there are currently 53 million individuals taking on supplemental, temporary, project-based or contract-based work – that’s approximately 34% of the US’s workforce. Worldwide, freelancers and contractors are being used across a wide spectrum of industries, not just by marketing and advertising agencies.
They’re more important today than ever
Using freelancers and contractors goes hand-in-hand with a number of benefits. Not only does it allow businesses to keep their overheads as low as possible, it also provides a flexible way of working favoured by both company and contractor alike. With the recent and continuous structural shift in the UK economy, it’s no wonder that freelancers are finding a steady flow of work from companies across the country. Thanks to low overheads, even when times do get tough businesses have a chance to bear the storm and come out at the other end.
The lower overheads also mean that products and services can be priced competitively to save clients with varying needs A LOT of money. For marketing companies like ourselves in particular, the capacity to work on-demand as well as fulfil retainers on behalf of our clients means business can grow from strength to strength, whatever requirements a project dictates.
There’s no such thing as a ‘jack of all trades’
One of the main reasons we hire freelancers and contractors is that they are experts in what they do. As an agency we don’t try to be a jack of all trades, instead we enlist help from experienced and knowledgeable specialists based internally and externally to deliver the best possible service to our clients.
Our network of freelancers and contractors is carefully selected by us. All of our freelancers are vetted and we use them within our business on our own stuff before we even let them near a client’s work. We can vouch for them and what they have to bring to the table.
We operate a strict relationship with our contractors, and use in-house reporting, tracking systems and agreements (including NDAs) to ensure all our freelancers operate in accordance with our high quality standards and our client’s. As a company, we actively invest in our contractors and freelancers – after all, they’re apart of the team – providing training, generous pay and bonuses where deserved.
It’s bloody normal!
As a client reading this the inevitable question on your lips at this very moment has to be – What are we paying you for then?
We aren’t just an outsourcing agency, far from it. We have in-house expertise, and our selected freelancers and contractors act as an extension to that to fill the gaps in our skillsets. We are marketing experts, providing the correct advice and tools to achieve carefully devised strategies. Freelancers who excel in what they do are able to provide a much higher standard of service than we could trying to cobble things together ourselves.
We vet our contractors and only use freelancers we trust. All play an active role in our company, demonstrated by the fact that most of our freelancers have direct client communication from time to time and even attend meetings on our behalf. We manage the entire relationship to ensure strategies are not only devised but managed and measured to the highest of standards.
Like our honesty? Share this post with your friends. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need assistance with your own marketing activities. Our team of specialists, contractors and freelancers would be delighted to help!
