Hey commuters,
Today, I'm settling down in my little office with a cup of morning coffee to talk about a topic that's been on my mind lately: has freelancing made me a better content marketer?
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Now, let’s pour that coffee and get down to it. ☕
Thought #1: Learning to Sell Myself
First and foremost, freelancing has tremendously helped me learn how to sell myself and my work.
Unlike a full-time role where you land a job through interviews and mostly communicate your value internally, freelancing flips that dynamic on its head. You're constantly looking for new clients and marketing yourself and your services all the time.
This constant hustle has given me a fresh perspective on sales (and sales people!), which I previously found difficult to understand. As a freelancer, you become your own product, and having this sales mindset has been incredibly enlightening. In fact, it has made me respect my sales colleagues so much more. When I return to a full-time role, I know this experience will give me a new outlook on how to present the value of what I do.
Thought #2: The Reactive Nature of Freelancing
Another key point is the reactivity freelancing demands. I must admit, freelancing has made me much more reactive. You're often required to showcase results immediately to prove your worth to clients.
While this has honed my execution skills, it's also led to some bad habits, like skimping on long-term planning and strategy. In a full-time role, taking the time to understand the business and its goals is crucial. As a freelancer, the fast pace sometimes forces you to skip this deep understanding.
Though I’ve managed to secure quick wins, I've had to remind myself constantly about the importance of stepping back to strategize and understand the broader picture.
Thought #3: Broader Experience
Freelancing has also given me a much broader experience than I ever had in full-time roles.
Over my 10 years in marketing, I've worked in MarTech, HR tech, and B2B SaaS companies.
Freelancing, however, exposed me to diverse industries like sustain-tech and document storage solutions (random, I know!).
This widened scope makes you a more versatile content marketer because you learn to adapt your strategies for different verticals and personas. This broader experience will serve well when transitioning back into a full-time role, giving you insights you'd perhaps only gain over decades in a traditional job.
Reflecting on the Freelance Journey
As I reflect on this, it feels like a good time to share some news – I am heading back to a full-time position! I'll be revealing more details on my LinkedIn next week.
This episode is a way for me to draw a line under my freelance experience and share what I’ve learned.
Freelancing has certainly made me a better content marketer, but it’s essential to be mindful of both the good habits and potentially detrimental ones you pick up along the way.
My experience has been about constant learning, selling my value, and understanding different industries, but I also recognize the need to balance execution with thorough strategizing.
Stay tuned for next week's episode where I'll be interviewing an amazing guest in beautiful Barcelona. Until then, happy marketing!
#27: Has Freelancing Made Me a Better Content Marketer? 3 Quick Thoughts