Hiring freelancers can be a tricky business. On the one hand, you’re looking to save on the people you’re onboarding; on the other hand, you need those who can work with your business long-term. This can be hard when you factor in things like price point and availability; however, with the right balance, you could gather a talented team for the long run. If this is something you’ve been hoping to structure, then I’ve provided a few helpful tips to get you started. Check them out below:
Have A Standard Set Of Materials
If you’re going to be working with freelancers, then already having a standard set of branding materials ready is crucial to maximizing your time with them. Not only will this help time-wise, but it will additionally add a level of consistency, which as noted by Zimmer Communications, increases brand recognition by 23 percent. And no matter if it’s your logo or other branding assets, this is something that you need to be mindful of starting out to be successful moving forward.
Start out by looking at the branding assets you currently hold, as well as how helpful those are to the rest of your team. This includes things like your logo and color scheme but also popular hashtags and other marketing insights. Make sure these items are well organized and make sense to an outsider, as these will be crucial in onboarding and keeping up with training new hires consistently. Your branding should be something that stays the same across the board, so try to make all your assets something you can easily translate. And finally, don’t forget to make yourself available to explain everything you have going on with your assets, as that will really help solidify consistency.
Find Automated Solutions
Another important step to getting the most out of the freelancing process is using automated systems to save on a lot of the actions necessary to run a business. From eChecks to automatic invoicing, having the tools to make your process of hiring freelancers much easier is crucial, especially if you’re hiring freelancers regularly. In fact, as noted by Entrepreneur, businesses lose 20 to 30 percent from inefficiencies every year, which is a pretty staggering figure when considering how much revenue that is. And if you’re trying to reduce your costs, then this is one strategy you should certainly be mindful of.
Take a look at how your current processes work, as well as how you can reduce the number of steps necessary to be successful. For example, HG.org’s Aaron Kelly has developed an automatic contract system that can handle your contracts more efficiently. Additionally, things like invoicing could also be handled with automation. All-in-all, the basic goal is to find a service that saves time in comparison to what you charge yourself, giving you the most opportunity to thrive on what your efforts are worth.
Set Competitive Rates
Although an underrated element of hiring freelancers, it goes without saying that if you can offer a competitive rate, you’ll be much better off in the long run. Although it’s great to try to maximize the most talent out of the lowest price, sometimes it’s good to pay those who are worth the money to hang on long-term. Plus, you’ll be secure you have a great product.
An excellent example is with something like hiring a graphic designer. As noted by UpWork, the average graphic designer is around $45 per hour; which when you break down why, it makes sense that they’d cost that much. Graphic designers can offer you a service that could potentially stand the lifetime of your business, which might be worth a little bit more of additional investment. And if you’re able to price yourself a little bit more competitively, it will be worthwhile for the long-term.
Let Them Work How They Want
Finally, if there’s one thing that a lot of freelancers despise, it’s contractors that try to make it seem like they’re an employee at their company. Quite simply, if the contract isn’t requiring a multiple month commitment, then giving them the freedom and flexibility of freelancing is a must. For example, according to Global Workplace Analytics, 80 to 90 percent of the US workforce says they’d like to telework part-time, so giving your freelancers the support they need to work remotely is a must. All-in-all, try to imagine what characteristics you’d want as a freelancer.
What are some strategies you utilize when working with your freelancers? Comment with your insights below!