The Dangers of Contracting Out Digital Marketing as Gig Work

The barriers to entry in digital marketing have steadily been lowered over the years.  New tools and platforms can be a blessing to productivity in the hands of a competent professional, or a fast track to disaster for an “aspiring professional”.

Fiverr went public today and there was an interesting test conducted by a writer at Quartz.  Essentially she tested out three different writers to provide her with a short news article about Fiverr’s IPO.  At the risk of spoiling the suspense, the experiment did not go particularly well with varying issues in timeliness and quality.

Everyone loves a bargain but buying professional services for five dollars almost shouts “you get what you pay for.”

Consistency is a major factor in digital marketing success. Having a core professional or professionals that know the business and its target market is almost always the most efficient way to achieving sufficient results.

However, this is not to say there can’t be a place for gig work in your digital marketing campaign.  Any small gap in you or your marketing partners’ skill set might be bridged by a service like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer.com, etc. But any of these small job platforms need to be approached with caution.

Here are a few tips on using these freelance platforms successfully.

1. Don’t go low cost – Cost is what keeps these platforms afloat so they are all below typical rates for anyone in a developed country. Almost all the providers are working cheap so the higher cost providers will still be a bargain and might actually delver a useful service.
2. Weigh the Reviews – Many of the mid or higher cost providers on the platform are able to command that rate because they’ve proven themselves over time with other clients. Learn from others experience and select providers that have a good track record.
3. Review How Providers Bill Jobs – In an attempt to overcome the low rates, some providers offer only subsets of jobs so that you have to buy several gigs to complete the work. It becomes an unproductive game of cat and mouse as they try and nickel and dime each element of a project from you and isn’t worth the effort.
4. Hold on to the Good Ones – If you find a provider that does quality work on a timely basis. Make sure to request work from that provider directly rather than bidding the job out again and hoping to find someone with the same level of competency.

Using these platforms can be a process of finding diamonds in the rough.  As the Quartz writer concludes it often takes more time than it’s worth to get the desired product.  But if you are diligent in finding a few of those diamonds, it can be a helpful and cost effective supplement to your digital marketing capabilities.