How To Generate Income As A Freelance Digital Marketing Professional

The digital marketing field is growing rapidly every year, but if you’re new to the industry you may feel a little intimidated. The good news is that there is plenty of digital marketing work available, you just need to know how to position yourself correctly. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place to learn everything you need to know.

We’re about to give you the rundown on what you need to know to general income as a freelance digital marketing professional.

What Does a Freelance Digital Marketing Professional Do?

A freelance digital marketing professional is defined as someone with a wide range of skills relevant to digital marketing.

This may involve skills such as social media management, content creation, search engine optimization, and web design, just to name a few.

Unlike other freelance jobs, a freelance digital marketer usually wears a lot of hats owing to the wide scope of services required by different clients.

You don’t necessarily have to be a jack of all trades to become one, though.  Having a basic knowledge of the skills mentioned is usually enough though being an expert in each will work to one’s advantage.

Below are some of the things you’ll usually find in a freelance digital marketing professional’s to-do list:

• Crafting digital marketing strategies
• Writing blog posts
• Setting up KPIs
• Creating promotional materials like ebooks, PDFs, and presentations
• Designing infographics
• Writing newsletters
• Redesigning and monetizing a website
• Putting together Facebook or Google Ads
• Perform search engine optimization
• Go on sales calls
• Build online courses
• Go on client meetings
• Preparing monthly reports
• Running PPC Campaigns
• Responding to emails

While it does seem overwhelming at first glance and it looks like a ton of work, you can easily handle all of these with the right approach and mindset.

There are also a host of productivity tools easily accessible via the internet that can help simplify things but still produce better results.

How Much Money Can a Freelance Digital Marketing Professional Make?

As with any freelance job, the amount of money you can earn depends on many factors.

Location is definitely one of them, with freelancers from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom demanding higher pay compared to freelance digital marketing professionals from other countries like India or the Philippines.

Skills and experience are also huge determinants with the more experienced ones understandably getting paid better compared to those who are just starting out.

Payment also usually comes in different forms.  Some prefer to be paid on an hourly basis while others go for a project-based type of payment.

The average salary of a freelance digital marketer in the United States is around $66,000 per year.  In the United Kingdom, a freelance digital marketer earns an average of around £40,000 per year while in Canada, the average is about $58,000 per year.

If you prefer getting paid at an hourly rate, the range is between $15 to $45 per hour depending on skills and experience.

How to Start Your Career in Freelance Digital Marketing

If you’re convinced that freelance digital marketing is what’s best for you, you must make the transition as smooth as possible by taking the right first steps.

Below are some of the things we recommend.

Equip Yourself with the Right Skills

With all the skills required to perform the job efficiently, it goes without saying that having all the marketing skills you need should be a top priority.

Unlike an office setup where you’re sent to training by your boss, freelance digital marketing is totally different because you are in charge of everything, including the courses you’d take that will help you brush up on the skills the job requires.

You can start by reading a couple of blogs, watching videos on YouTube, or signing up for webinars and online courses.

Taking on small projects for free will also help you get the experience you need in performing the skills mentioned until they become second nature.

Start a Digital Marketing Blog

This is perhaps one of the most important steps if you’re looking to jumpstart your freelance digital marketing career.  It’s because a digital marketing blog can help you in so many ways.

Apart from giving you the practice you need and making you comfortable with writing blog posts, what makes this step so special is the fact that it helps potential clients understand how best you can help them.

You’ve probably heard of the phrase “content is king” and this step exemplifies exactly why that is.  Content is a really powerful way of attracting new clients.  More often than not, you don’t even have to sell your services because the content you publish has already done it for you.

Blogging puts you in a position of authority.  It highlights your knowledge of the topic you write about so when clients find your blog and read each of the articles you published, you’ve already given them an idea about how you can help their business in terms of their digital marketing needs.

Network with People in the Industry

Never underestimate the power of networking even if everything you’re going to do is online.

One of the biggest mistakes aspiring freelance digital marketers fail to do is to make connections with fellow freelancers especially in the beginning.

This is a very important step because the opportunities you’d get from these connections are tremendous compared to not having connections at all.

Here are some of the reasons why:

• You can learn a lot from fellow freelancers by exchanging ideas and experiences with them.
• They can help you promote your personal brand which is crucial if you’re just starting out.
• They can refer clients to you.
• You can ask for their help if there are services you’re still unable to provide.

Bear in mind that when we say connection, what we mean is to really connect with them in a more authentic and long-term manner.  Genuine connections can do wonders for your business so make sure to reach out to as many of them while you’re still in the preliminary phase.

Conclusion

Freelance digital marketing is on the rise and it will continue to do so with the rate things are going.  More and more people are looking for career opportunities that will allow them to live their desired lifestyle and with the freedom that comes with freelance digital marketing, we can’t blame them, can we?

If you’re looking to transition to freelance digital marketing, the information provided should help give you a headstart so you can build and operate your own freelance digital marketing business.

Once you’re ready to get started, sign up for an account with FreeUp and start putting your skills to use by working with clients.