Are you part of a marketing team looking to maximize your next freelancer collaboration?
Then you have come to the right place!
In this post, we are going to look at five ways you can build a long-lasting, trusting relationship with the next freelancer you hire.
Let’s get started:
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Collaboration is a two-way street.
The freelancer needs to meet the needs of your project, but your project also needs to meet the needs (and expertise) of the freelancer.
Before you begin working together, it can be beneficial to establish a system where you test to see:
Ideally, this test will replicate the working conditions of your project. You will be able to get a good feel for the freelancer, and they for you.
For example:
Let’s say you are looking to hire a graphic designer to create digital assets for an upcoming content marketing campaign.
You would like a freelancer who:
To test this, you could devise a short, deadline-based, paid task where they:
You can then benchmark the working progress and outcome of this task against your most important criteria.
Also:
It is important to remember that this test is about more than just allowing the freelancer to showcase their skills.
It is also a way to test your team’s communication skills. So, be open to feedback and insight from the freelancer you are trialing to see how you can improve.
Freelancer collaboration relies on the sharing of information. The more informed both sides are, the smoother and more effective the project.
Your marketing team should create a detailed project brief outlining the needs of the project. This should be communicated clearly and comprehensively.
For example, there is a noticeable difference between:
“The freelancer will edit and prepare branded podcast episodes.”
And:
“The freelancer will edit Loomly’s monthly branded podcast episodes, using the audio branding materials provided, to create 30-minute-long episodes that focus on key branding takeaways. The editing process should involve the removal of adult language, off-topic comments, and any elements that may conflict with the company’s brand guidelines.”
This is a slightly oversimplified example, but you can see what we are trying to illustrate. Depth and precision can remove doubt and conflict from the project. (More on that in the next section.)
Likewise:
The freelancer should create an in-depth summary of how they work, the support they need, and any other relevant information.
For example, a freelance audio engineer may provide information such as:
If possible, this information will be presented as an agreement that both parties will sign, with the opportunity to make amendments after some time has passed.
Expectations are a common point of conflict in freelancer collaboration.
Specifically:
Let’s say you have hired a freelance writer to create content for your blog.
Your agreement states:
These terms form the basis of your agreement. But, it is not uncommon for marketing teams to have expectations beyond this, such as:
If the freelancer is not aware of these expectations, they will not deliver on them. They may not have included them in their agreement because they are not part of their service.
The marketing team would feel disappointed that expectations have not been met; the freelancer would feel frustrated they are expected to do a task they did not agree to.
Thankfully, this conflict is easily avoidable.
To do this, marketing teams and freelancers must:
If this is your first freelancer collaboration, it can be that these misaligned expectations only arise once the project is underway. You can not always account for everything!
In that case, it is important to have a clear channel of communication where this can be discussed and communicated clearly.
This brings us squarely to the next section:
The underlying factor in each of these sections is communication; it is key to a successful freelancer collaboration.
Partnerships are at their strongest when communication is:
As such, there are two components you need to establish.
The first component is a forum where you can discuss the current project, a space where the freelancer has a direct line to relevant members of the marketing team and vice versa.
The chosen forum should allow for the easy sharing of:
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The second component is a process for reviewing communication. This is where your marketing team and the freelancer can both ask questions like:
The feedback you receive can shape the next phase of your collaboration and promote continuous improvement.
Ideally:
These will both be places where the marketing team and the freelancer can speak freely.
This does not need to be a no-consequence zone — it is a professional relationship, after all! — but sharing honest thoughts and healthy conflict should be promoted.
Freelance collaboration can be scary.
It is normal to worry about handing over important parts of your project to a freelancer; your work is an extension of you, and you want it to be treated right.
But it is important that you trust your freelancer’s abilities: allow them to delight you with their work.
Many people operate as freelancers because they:
Your project has just become their project. You are working with a professional who wants to submit work that you will love.
This means you need to give them the time and space to complete the work their way. Have faith they will produce the results you want, and rectify any mistakes as they go.
If you want to foster a positive freelancer collaboration, there are five things you need to do: