According to Forbes, freelancers made up 35% of the entire United States workforce in 2016. This number is expected to increase in 2018, eventually reaching 50% by 2020. Nearly every industry is being dramatically reshaped by the influence of freelance workers. This is especially true for positions that handle content marketing and promotion. Because content marketing is essential in helping brands gain exposure, having top talent to deliver the most relevant content is more important than ever before. Companies across the country are deciding to work with freelancers in order to improve efficiency, decrease costs, and have work completed around the clock. Since the number of freelancers continues to rise with each year, it is crucial to examine the current and future state of freelancing and content marketing.
An effective way to make money fast for many individuals is to work remotely as a freelancer. Positions that were not possible a decade ago are now taking over the workforce. One of the more popular areas of content marketing that is now handled by freelancers is the creation of blog posts. Small, medium, and large companies are opting to have freelance writers draft relevant content for their blogs.
Why?
Rather than paying one or more full-time writers on staff, blog posts can be purchased as needed. This is not only cost efficient, but it also allows organizations the option to find and utilize top talent from around the globe.
Managing social media communities is becoming a popular task to outsource to freelancers. Since these job functions can be completed from almost any location, it often makes sense to have a freelancer take on the duties. Many small and medium sized companies find it challenging and cost prohibitive to hire someone full-time to manage their social media pages. While large corporations usually have the budget and enough work to fill an entire day, smaller businesses do not typically have the resources to justify a dedicated social media manager. The nature of freelance work makes content promotion through social media channels accessible to almost any kind of organization.
Hiring self-employed individuals to work on content marketing duties continues to make more sense by the minute. As companies continue to slash budgets, downsize, and get by with fewer resources, freelancers are there to meet the needs of a changing workforce. Not only does a business not have to provide benefits, office space, or office equipment for freelancers, but they can also request and receive work outside of the 9-to-5 workday. Additionally, instead of hiring the best talent in the local area, companies now have their pick of skilled individuals from around the world. The valuable benefits of hiring freelancers to complete content marketing duties is sure to grow the number of total freelancers in the near future.
Although there will always be a need for in-house staff members, many facets of content marketing and promotion are being shifted to freelancers. From blog posts to social media duties, it will be interesting to observe just how much freelancers will change the industry.
