The Easiest Way to Find Freelance Digital Consultant
So, you have decided to hire a freelance digital consultant? That’s a smart decision.
Now the question is: How will you find them?
There are several ways to do it. Such as, asking around in your professional network, creating a social media post, or maybe posting an advertisement on an online job search platform.
All these methods can help you find consultants, but it may take you a lot of time and cause a lot of stress.
In this article, we’ll discuss the easiest, most convenient way to find digital consultants in just 5 steps. Let’s discuss these steps one by one.
Step 1: List Down the Problems You Want to Solve
Every consulting engagement should begin with you. As a business, you should define the problems that need to be solved. Doing this helps you choose the right consultant from a pool of thousands. If your local search rankings are not very high, then you may need an SEO or Google Ads consultant. If you’re not sure what topics your business blog should cover, a content marketing consultant can help you create a content strategy for the entire year.
Not sure what Facebook pixels mean and how to track visitors who click your ads? A Facebook ads consultant can do it for you and even reach those visitors again with retargeting ads. The bottom line is: no matter what your problem is, there is a digital consultant out there who has the solution. So, start with defining your problem and decide what digital skills you need in a consultant.
Step 2: Approach a Freelance Consulting Platform
Now that you know what type of digital consultant you want to hire, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start finding one. There are several ways to do it. But in this article, we’re going to discuss the easiest way to find consultants, that is, freelance consultant platforms.
The best freelance platforms have access to hundreds of digital consultants and can easily find one for you-sometimes, within a couple of days (true story). Simply call them or email them and explain your situation. Based on your requirement, they’ll send you the profiles of a few top consultants to choose from. Rest assured, they’ll handle the initial interviews and background checks themselves.
Now, if you want to find a consultant, you can also post an advertisement on online job boards. But if you do so, be prepared to be bombarded with hundreds of CVs, and, of course, cover letters—most of which will probably be a copy-pasted version. Social media posts are also good, but still, the size of the talent pool decreases substantially. And again, you’ll also get a lot of inquiries from unsuitable candidates. On the flip side, you might also end up getting very few responses to your advertisement on job boards or social media.
However, with online freelance consulting platforms, you’ll only have to speak to the top-notch, handpicked consultants from which you can choose the best one for your business.
Step 3: Go Through the Profiles of Consultants Who Have the Right Digital Skills
Let’s consider an example. Suppose you want to hire a Facebook Ads consultant because your ads aren’t producing the desired results. However, if you dig deep, you may find that the reason why your Facebook ads aren’t converting is that your page has only 12 followers and you don’t have enough social proof to build trust. In this case, you might need an inbound marketing expert to lift you up from obscurity and increase your follower count.
But wait—what if a consultant is experienced in both Facebook ads and inbound marketing? Well, you should prefer them over someone who’s only experienced in one of the aforementioned areas. The best freelance platforms have access to candidates with multiple digital skills, so finding the ideal digital consultant won’t be an issue at all. Go through their profiles and choose ones who has the skills to solve your problems. And if you have to hire multiple consultants to completely remove a problem, feel free to invest money into it because it will most likely pay for itself in the long run.
That being said, it will certainly be beneficial if you’re working with an online consulting platform who have qualified people to help you define these skills.
Step 4: Meet the Selected Consultants
After you have selected the right consultants (or just one consultant) for an interview. You should ask them about the results they have achieved for previous clients. Case studies are a good way to find out what a consultant has exactly done and what they can do for your business. Not having case studies doesn’t always mean that a consultant doesn’t have what it takes.
You can read the testimonials if case studies aren’t available. Even though testimonials aren’t as thorough, they can give you a pretty good insight into a consultant’s capabilities. Take this testimonial for an example: “Sarah’s SEO strategy increased our Google search rankings and our revenue increased by $30,000 a month.” Well, even if Sarah doesn’t have a detailed case study, she might be able to tell you how she achieved it in the interview. Remember, even if you contact a consultant through the best freelance platforms, always check their previous track record of success.
During the meeting, you should also ensure that the consultant you’re going to choose is a good fit for the company’s internal culture, too. Yes, skills and talent are attractive. But without people skills, the consultant won’t be as efficient.
Step 5: Do the Final Paperwork With the Freelance Consulting Platform
Alright, if you have followed steps 1 through 4, you’re very close to lifting the anchor and sailing to your destination with your consultant on board to guide you.
Once you have chosen your favorite digital consultant, reach out to your freelance consulting platform to complete the remaining paperwork. Maybe send them some flowers and chocolates, too. Well, if only you want to. Indeed, the best freelance platforms can make the process of hiring a consultant so easy.
Remember, there are other methods to find digital consultants out there. As mentioned at the beginning of the article. But you should keep the time and opportunity cost in mind. As a business owner, your time is money. A smart business owner would think outside the box and use online consulting platforms like Consultport to find the right consultants for their business.
