Suppose that you have a company that is launching a new product. You need a team of content creators, designers, and marketers to help you in the launch. Would you hire permanent employees for each of these roles?
Or would you rather get freelancers on board with short-term contracts, just for this purpose of this campaign? Companies are increasingly moving towards hiring freelancers, instead of creating more jobs. This practice of hiring independent contractors for short term gigs makes up a gig economy.
According to a report by ASSOCHAM, there are already 15 million freelancers in India. Moreover, according to an UpWork study, following the pandemic, more than 36% of the global workforce comprises freelancers and gig workers. Soon, you could be one of them. This article outlines why we are increasingly favouring freelance over permanent.
Why Do Companies Hire Freelance Workers?
Here are the benefits of the gig economy from the point of view of companies.
● Expertise at affordable rates
It is not always cost-effective to hire an expert full-time. Freelancers and consultants are specialised talents who give the company only a bit of their time as needed.
● Bigger talent pool
Since brands are not offering full-time jobs, they can invest in and hire more freelancers, or break up the project into specific roles for particular people. There are more gig workers to choose from than full-time workers.
● Flexible schedules and faster deliverables
Freelancers work on flexible schedules and companies can negotiate the time and duration as per their needs. Companies can get more work done in less time with freelancers.
How Can Young Professionals Benefit From the Gig Economy?
Here are the reasons why the gig economy is an attractive choice for young professionals:
● Hit the ground running
This phrase means to start out big. That is what young freelancers get to do. In most companies, getting early-career jobs with little or no experience is difficult. This is not the case for freelance work.
● Exposure to more clients
Freelancers can work with multiple clients, learning the ropes for different sectors, industries, and companies, based on the project requirements. This experience is not possible in a permanent job.
● Flexibility in time and work
A freelancer can pick and choose their assignments and their timings. Freelancers may or may not work on weekends, may start work late in the morning or work till late in the night. There may not be daily deadlines.
● Choice of location or remote work
As the world is slowly moving towards permanent hybrid work or remote work, companies are now more open to having a part of their workforce functioning remotely. Since freelancers are associated with the business for shorter durations, they are not bound by location.
● Focus on skills
Businesses engage freelancers for the skill set that they offer. Other factors such as interviews, education, prior experience matter only to the extent of initially validating this skill set. Gig workers also get to hone their skills, free of the baggage of the additional work that comes with a full-time job.
What Kind of Roles Are There For Gig Workers in Content Marketing?
Here are some freelance roles that you can pursue in digital marketing:
● Website developer
● SEO Specialist
● Freelance Blogger
● Content Writer
● Content Editor
● Social Media Manager
● Advertising Expert
A marketing team consists of multiple independent players aside from the in-house team. A company may engage freelancers for different aspects of their content strategy.
