Are you looking to start a business as a digital marketing freelancer?
This article outlines the best strategies for digital marketing freelancers to get started.
We’ll explore strategies for:
- Learning digital marketing skills
- Generating high-quality leads
- Automating processes for efficiency
- Measuring success to ensure continuous improvement
By implementing these tactics, you can grow your business as an experienced and successful freelance digital marketer!
Summary
If you’re short on time, here are the key points to get started as a digital marketing freelancer:
- Develop & improve your skills
- Get clients
- Get results for clients
- Repeat this process
If you do these things regularly, you can grow your freelancing and freelance digital marketing business.
To learn how to win clients as a digital marketing freelancer, watch my in-depth free Masterclass training by clicking here.
Start by developing your digital marketing skills
One way many digital marketers develop their digital marketing skills as a freelancer is to start by watching YouTube videos on how to do various aspects of digital marketing.
These digital marketing skills can be used in a variety of businesses. For example, you can buy Shopify stores, advertise them and then sell them for profit.
You could learn how to become a financial advisor and use paid advertising to get more clients.
Or you can simply become an expert freelance digital marketer for a variety of niches and eventually scale this into a marketing agency.
Either way, you won’t go far without the basic knowledge and skills in digital marketing. And the more you learn about digital marketing, the faster your business will be able to grow!
Some of the videos you can watch to improve your digital marketing skills include:
- Paid ads (e.g. Facebook or TikTok ads)
- SEO
- Organic outreach
- Cold email
- Strategy
- Using digital marketing tools
- And more
Check out my YouTube channel for examples of some of these videos in action.
Tip: It’s difficult to be an expert in everything. So it’s a good idea to specialize in one area and then have a general knowledge in other areas.
However, it’s important to note… Watching free YouTube videos is a good start, but the reality is it will only get you so far.
The problem with YouTube videos is that:
A) They do not go very in-depth
B) You don’t get personalized help on how to implement what you’re learning
That’s why it helps to work with an expert who has already done what you’re looking to do for best results.
This can be done in the form of a lead generation online course which includes 1-to-1 consulting to help you if you get stuck.
How to generate digital marketing leads for your freelance business or agency
Once you’ve developed the skills for being a digital marketing freelancer, you need to start generating leads for your freelance digital marketing career and business.
To do this, you need an effective lead generation strategy. The better your lead generation strategy, the more new clients you will win.
Here are some tips on how to do this:
1. Join freelancing sites
The fastest way to get clients as a freelancer is to target people looking to hire a digital marketing freelancer.
You can do this by searching for jobs on Upwork or Fiverr.
I recommend, in the beginning, keeping your prices low until you have developed some testimonials and case studies you can use for future leads.
2. Build your online presence
Finding freelancing jobs on freelance websites is a good way to start, but it’s not the most profitable way to grow your client base in the long-term.
To maximize your reach, consider using multiple channels of communication with your target audience. By employing various communication channels, such as social media platforms, email campaigns, SEO-optimized content marketing and PPC ads, you can reach a wider audience while achieving your desired outcomes.
That being said, creating appealing video content is something that potential clients can always relate to and it also makes you stand out. The advice is to keep it simple but memorable. And if your aim is to expand your audience, enhance accessibility, or overcome language barriers, consider learning how to translate videos to English subtitles.
Each channel offers unique advantages that cater to different audiences and goals.
Social Media: Engage with prospects on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn where they spend most of their time.
Email Campaigns: Send targeted messages directly to subscribers’ inboxes for personalized promotions or updates.
Content Marketing: Create valuable content that educates readers about industry trends or solutions while subtly promoting your products/services.
SEO & PPC: Optimize website pages for organic search results while also investing in paid advertisements on Google Ads or Bing Ads platform for instant visibility.
For best results, I recommend focusing on a few lead-generation channels, to begin with. If you’d like to learn which channels work best, see ‘Step 4’ of my free Masterclass training.
3. Create educational Content
In addition to utilizing various channels of communication, creating educational content is key when trying to maximize the reach of your digital marketing efforts.
Producing content that resonates with your target audience is essential for building trust and generating leads in the long-term.
The best type of shareable content in many cases is Google SEO or YouTube.
YouTube allows you to generate free leads; if your content is good enough, the algorithm will share your content organically with other people interested in what you do.
4. White-label your services
Another effective way to grow your digital marketing client base is to partner with other business owners who can refer you prospective clients.
One way to do this is by offering white-label services.
White-label digital marketing services are when you provide digital marketing services for the client of another business behind the scenes.
If you find a good white-label partner (such as a larger digital marketing agency), they can refer you clients for many years.
5. Increase Your Conversion Rate
Optimizing your website and content for maximum conversion rate is crucial in turning potential customers into paying clients.
Focusing on boosting user experience, providing persuasive CTAs and experimenting with A/B testing can help significantly increase the odds of visitors converting into leads, sales appointments and clients.
This includes having a responsive design that works well across various devices, fast loading times, and easy navigation. According to Google research, 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than three seconds to load; therefore, optimizing your site’s speed should be a top priority.
6. Create Compelling Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Your CTAs are integral in guiding visitors toward specific actions, such as signing up for newsletters or converting into a client.
To create effective CTAs:
Use clear and concise language that communicates the value proposition.
Select a color palette distinct from other elements on the page, ensuring it stands out.
Place them strategically throughout your site where users will most likely see them.
Embed your call to action naturally so it doesn’t look like an ad (see what I did there)
7. Utilize A/B Testing
A/B testing, also known as split testing, involves comparing two versions of a web page or element with varying changes to determine which performs better in conversions.
You can make data-driven decisions to optimize your site for maximum conversion rates by consistently testing and analyzing the results. Some elements to consider testing include:
- Headlines
- CTA button colors and text
- Page layouts
- Images and videos
Incorporating these strategies into your digital marketing efforts will help increase conversion rates, ultimately leading to more leads, appointments, and clients each month.
8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization (SEO) involves optimizing your website to rank higher in search results for keywords related to your products or services – driving organic traffic from people actively searching for solutions like yours online.
To generate quality leads through SEO:
- Perform keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs Keywords Explorer to identify high-converting terms relevant to your niche.
- Create optimized content targeting these keywords, focusing on providing value to your audience.
- Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in your industry to improve your site’s authority and search rankings.
To learn more about generating leads for free using SEO, check out ‘Step 4’ of my free Masterclass training.
9. Social Media Advertising
One of the fastest ways to scale up your digital marketing freelancer business is to utilize the powerful advertising tools of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
On these paid advertising platforms you can target specific demographics based on age, location, interests and more for generating leads.
Right now, the best two paid advertising platforms would have to be TikTok ads and Facebook ads.
By utilizing tailored campaigns to reach potential customers who are likely to be interested in your products or services, social media advertising can help you generate leads.
Here are some additional tips to generate freelance digital marketing leads:
Create compelling ads with eye-catching visuals and strong CTAs encouraging users to take action (e.g., watch a free educational video).
Test different ad formats (e.g., carousel ads vs. video ads) and targeting options (e.g., lookalike audiences vs. interest-based targeting) to optimize performance over time.
Analyze campaign data regularly using platform-specific analytics tools like Facebook Ads Manager or LinkedIn Campaign Manager – adjusting strategy as needed based on results.
Incorporating these strategies into your digital marketing efforts will help you generate quality leads that are more likely to convert into paying clients – ultimately driving growth for your business.
10. Automate your marketing
Now that you’re generating leads and clients, the next step as a freelancer digital marketing business owner is to automate as much as possible!
Utilizing AI marketing automation tools to take care of mundane tasks can free up your resources to concentrate on more critical elements, such as formulating plans and interacting with customers.
Here are some areas you can automate:
Email Marketing Automation
Email marketing is a crucial component of any digital marketing strategy. Automating email campaigns with email marketing automation tools enables freelancers to send out personalized messages in response to customer actions or events, such as subscribing to a newsletter or making an online purchase.
Social Media Scheduling
Maintaining an effective presence on social media is vital for connecting with potential customers and boosting brand recognition; to save time, tools like Buffer or Hootsuite can be used to plan and schedule posts ahead of time so they are automatically posted at the best times.
CRM Integration & Lead Scoring
Incorporating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software into your digital marketing efforts helps automate lead tracking while providing valuable insights into customer behavior.
Many CRM platforms offer lead scoring features, which assign a numerical value to each lead based on their likelihood of converting into a paying customer. This allows you to prioritize your marketing activities and focus on leads more likely to become paying customers.
Here are my top-rated marketing funnel & CRM tools.
11. Measure Your Results
To effectively measure your results, it’s essential to identify the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). KPIs are quantifiable measurements that help evaluate the effectiveness of a campaign or strategy. Some common KPIs in digital marketing include:
- Traffic: The number of visitors coming to your website.
- Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page on your site.
- Average Time on Site: How long users spend browsing through content.
- Email Open Rates: The percentage of recipients who open an email from a campaign.
- Email Click-Through Rates (CTR): The percentage of recipients clicking links within an email from a campaign.
Regularly reviewing reports generated by analytics tools to measure your social media ROI will help you identify trends and areas where improvements are needed.
Based on this analysis, adjustments should be made to your digital marketing and content strategy accordingly.
Remember that measuring results is an ongoing process – don’t be afraid to make changes as needed.
Conclusion
By leveraging freelance digital marketing services, businesses can gain a competitive edge and increase their ROI. Digital marketing campaigns should be tailored to the business’s goals to maximize reach, conversion rate, lead quality and automation of processes.
By keeping track of performance and analyzing outcomes, companies can guarantee they are getting the most out of their expenditure on freelance digital marketing services for long-term success.
FAQs related to freelance digital marketing
What is the role of a freelancer in digital marketing?
A freelance digital marketer helps businesses develop and execute online marketing strategies to reach their target audience, increase brand awareness, and drive sales. They may specialize in areas such as SEO, content creation, social media management, email marketing or paid advertising. Freelancers often work independently on specific projects or campaigns for clients.
How much does a freelance digital marketer make a year?
The annual income of a freelance digital marketer varies based on factors like experience level, specialization area and location. On average, they can earn between $40k – $100k per year. Highly experienced freelancers with strong portfolios can command higher rates and potentially earn more than this range.
How much do freelance digital marketers charge per hour?
Freelance digital marketers typically charge an hourly rate that ranges from $25 to over $100, depending on their expertise level and niche focus. Other freelancers may prefer project-based pricing or retainer agreements instead of hourly billing, providing more predictable income streams.
How to start freelance digital marketing with no experience?
Learn essential skills through online courses (e.g., Coursera, Udemy) or certifications (e.g., Google Analytics).
Create your own website/blog/social media profiles showcasing your knowledge & skillset.
Build a portfolio with case studies or sample projects.
Network online and offline to find potential clients.
Start by offering your services at competitive rates, gradually increasing them as you gain experience and credibility.
Ashley Davis (or ‘Ash’ for short) is the CEO & Founder of Skyline Social. For over 15 years, Ash has been helping business owners get high-quality leads, appointments, and clients each month. He has extensive experience working with B2B & B2C industries in finance, insurance, marketing, sales and beyond. Learn more about the author here.