Thinking of pursuing freelance content marketing? With digital marketing rapidly on the rise, many businesses are on the lookout for a reliable content marketer. You may be wondering: what skills do I need? What are the benefits of working freelance? In this article, we tell you everything you need to know including how to become a freelance content marketer, things to consider and how to get started.
How to become a freelance content marketer: table of contents
- What is a freelance content marketer?
- Why do companies want to hire freelance content marketers?
- What are the benefits of working freelance?
- What skills are required for content marketing?
i. Content writing & proofreading
ii. Marketing - Getting started
i. Creating a website
ii. Creating a LinkedIn profile
iii. Emailing potential clients
What is a freelance content marketer?
A person who creates the content followers, fans and customers want to consume. They create a range of content from blog posts to social media captions, to video and more.
Being a freelance content marketer means that companies requiring your services will hire you as an individual, usually on a contract basis. You may have read our blog on how to become a freelance web content writer – not to be confused with a freelance content marketer. While content writing may be part of a content marketer’s job, your tasks include much more than that. These can include:
- Research and analytics of keywords, topics, performance tracking etc.
- Web design
- On and off-page SEO
- Content distribution on social media, third party sites etc.
- Creation of content including blogs, videos, podcasts
- Content and marketing strategies
Why do companies want to hire freelance content marketers?
If you are working as a freelance content marketer, you are likely to possess many of the skills companies need to stay relevant online. In this day and age, businesses need a good online presence to thrive. Hiring someone in your field is an affordable way to add these skills to their team.
Your flexible working method will also be a bonus. However, it’s important to make your knowledge and expertise clear, whether this be on a website or LinkedIn profile. When hiring someone on a freelance basis, it can be difficult for people to sort through all of the potential candidates – the easier you make this for them, the more likely you are to be hired. Read on for our best tips and tricks for getting started…
Wondering how much content marketers make? We tell all…
What are the benefits of working freelance?
Wondering whether to join an agency or content marketing company rather than work as a freelancer? Everyone’s situation is different, so it’s important to weigh up what is best for you. The main benefit to working freelance is the flexibility of the work – you can decide exactly where you want to work and when, meaning you can achieve a greater work-life balance that aligns with your specific schedule.
Remember – freelancers are self-employed, so it will be up to you to sort the finances. Need some help? Check out our blog on how to write an invoice for freelance work in the UK.
How to become a freelance content marketer: skills required
The clue is in the name – to become a freelance content marketer, you need skills in two main areas: content and marketing.
Content writing & proofreading
Fact – you need to love writing. It’s also ideal if writing is something that comes naturally to you, as you’ll need impeccable spelling and grammar to make it as a successful content marketer. You’ll need to combine creativity and sales to create engaging and compelling content, whether this is blogs, web pages, or anything else. If you think your content writing could use some work, why not pick one of these top courses?
Proofreading and editing skills will get you another tick. No piece of writing is perfect the first time, and you’ll need to recognise your own mistakes and find room for improvements. After all, if you’re a freelance content marketer, you won’t have anyone to fix the job.
Marketing
To write from a marketing perspective, you need a bit of flair. It’s your job to encourage customers to either visit a business’ website or purchase their products once they get there. You are the one with the power to turn a reader into a consumer. If you’re proven to be successful, more and more businesses will want to invest in your services.
Our advice? Know your marketing strategies. It’s integral that you have a good knowledge of both on and off-page SEO – in other words, you need to know how to optimise SEO on a web page, as well as off the site. This might include guest posts or social media advertisements. If you can offer keyword research and content strategy at the same time, you’ll be a great candidate.
How to become a freelance content marketer: getting started
So, this blog has encouraged you to pursue a career in freelance content marketing. You possess the skills that are required, and now you’re wondering how to get started. We can help…
Create a website
To become a freelance content marketer, you have to be prepared to put in some extra work before you see success – starting with your own website. A freelance website is a platform on which you can showcase your talents and examples of your content marketing work. It should also show your personality and your niche; the things that will make you stand out against other freelancers. Make sure you include your rates and a method of contact – people are lazy, so it’s better for everything to be in one place.
Ensure you have a good LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn currently has 756 million members – in other words, anyone who may want to hire you is likely to be on there. A good profile will allow you to make valuable and relevant connections in the content marketing industry. People will also be able to endorse your skills as evidence for other potential customers. If you want to know more about how to write a powerful LinkedIn profile, take a look at this article.
Email potential clients
If you’ve done your research properly, you’ll know which businesses may be interested in hiring a freelance content marketer of your calibre. There’s no harm in sending some warm emails to any potential clients. You can give them a brief insight into what you’re offering, and direct them to your website and LinkedIn profile once these have been created. If done properly, these will hopefully speak for themselves!
If you love being a freelance content writer, why not join our network at Copify?
Header image: Marvin Meyer
Embedded images: Daniel Thomas, Paige Cody, Souvik Banerjee
