Delivering on Freelance Writing Gigs
According to McKinsey’s Global Institute, as published in a blog  post on Fiverr, entitled “Top Tips for Making More Money in the Gig Economy in 2017,”  as much as 30% of the adult workforce is involved in some type of independent work activity. Many of those are contracting in what is now called the “Gig Economy.” As the founder of a burgeoning Inbound Marketing partnership, I was searching for a flexible content model. One in which I could draw on the assets of several talented communications specialists to help push an initiative.

Using the Agile Methodology I can pool virtual talent and focus each individual’s skillset to accomplish short-term goals. Once a goal is accomplished or a challenge is met, agile marketers analyze feedback from the campaign, sometimes called a “scrum” in more structured marketing departments. I like to stick with the term “sprint”, it seems to work better for my “small team” workflow, although technically I am running what is called a “scrumban”. These are terms used by developers that have adopted an agile methodology, and are defined in articles linked to this blog post.

My clients want to see results fast, and although Inbound Marketing tactics can increase site visitors, leads generated, and sales converted, these results are typically produced over time. Short-term gains are much more difficult to obtain.

Agile Helps Inbound Marketing Agencies Deliver Results
When inbound tactics are working, they can produce 10% to 20% improvement in overall website visitors for many months. Most inbound marketing professionals I’ve researched strive to reach a goal of delivering a 1% to 3% site-wide conversion rate for their customers, but some high-performing sites can end up with an overall conversion rates in the 8% to 10% range.

Multiple inbound articles profess, “The key to increasing site-wide conversion rate is content.” I agree, but would add that the content has to be relevant, engaging, compelling, persuasive, informative, educational, and human. That’s a tall task. And that’s what makes the inbound methodology so difficult to accomplish.

In a January 2017 blog post, “Inbound Marketing: Myth or Proven Methodology?“, Square2 Marketing’s Chief Inbound Scientist, Mike Lieberman, describes how difficult it can be to create a sustainable content strategy. However, I still believe there’s no better way of delivering the right message, at the right time, to just the right audience.

Done properly, inbound marketing allows a small marketing agency to define their customer’s goals, set objectives, and begin providing relevant content that drives results. B2B companies that have allocated funds to the creation of search engine optimized copy see it as an extremely worthwhile investment. 

There are varied perspectives on the best way to plan and administer an inbound marketing strategy, but one fact remains, the best freelance marketing/ corporate partnerships come from having the right fit with your inbound marketing agency.

Customers have to feel comfortable with the pace and methods of their content creation process. My goal is to delight customers, and to provide a service experience that exceeds their expectations.

Agile Entrepreneurs Combat the Inefficiencies of the Virtual Marketing Gig
Since no single freelancer can execute a total inbound marketing plan, it’s essential for me to put together a team to achieve my customer’s marketing goals. Although, coordinating a group of freelancers may be less expensive, it is rarely as effective as a coordinated marketing team.

To combat the inefficiencies of coordinating a small group of freelancers, I use an agile marketing method  that enables me to deliver contributions from several virtual content providers, while empowering them to choose the tasks they want to take on.

Despite Common Misconceptions, Agile Still Requires a Plan
The agile marketing method doesn’t operate without a plan, for executing a communication strategy without a plan is a recipe for failure. There‘s a common misconception that adopting an agile marketing methodology means marketing by the seat of your pants, throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. On the contrary, agile marketing is simply an alternative way to deliver proposed content.

For my purposes, developing an agile method improves the quality and relevance of deliverable content and enables freelance writers to work more collaboratively, add more value and deliver campaign results more quickly. Campaigns or “sprints” that don’t produce are evaluated and tested to find what doesn’t work. There are no failures if non-productive sprints help ascertain what does work. .

Inbound Marketing Within an Agile Framework
Inbound with agile enables me to put several freelance writers on small portions of a defined imitative. An evolving inbound marketing plan helps prioritize our work on effective campaign tactics that deliver. Then, we can use past sprint results to improve the effectiveness of future campaigns.

Agile marketing enables a small group of 1-5 contributors to create higher-quality marketing campaigns by shortening time to market, testing, and responding to customers and buyers changing goals.

Fobes.com contributer, Steve Olenski, agrees. In a recent post on www.forbes.com, “13 Marketing Trends For 2017 That B2B Marketers Need To Understand“, Olenski sites agile marketing as a burgeoning trend to address the current demand for fast results in marketing campaigns. Agile Methodology allows marketing teams to work smarter, not harder. Content and campaign roll-outs are launched much quicker, and results are analyzed to initiate future projects. The goal is to get the right things done at the right time by adopting a far more collaborative approach, both within the organization and with clients.

What Is Agile Marketing
If you’re still confused about Agile Marketing, a recent article by Adrea Fryrear and published on Content Marketing Institute’s blog outlines the adaptive marketing methodology. 

An Agile team deliberately chooses what to work on by visualizing workflow on a whiteboard. With a large writing team, the method can be used with a structured, directive approach, the “Scrum,” or in a “Kanban”, a less structured method using work-in-progress (WIP) limits – the upper limits on how many work items are assigned to each content contributor. Combining components from Scrum and Kanban, a “Scrumban” offers the ability for a group to develop high-quality content without being rigid about assignments and deadlines.

The trick to achieving success in an agile campaign is to prioritize a to-do list for your team. This list is referred to as the backlog. High priority tasks are placed at the top of the backlog and low-priority items are placed at the bottom.

Projects are written with customer developed personas top-of-mind. As an item moves up the backlog list its parameters become more specific. So, by the time an item gets to the top of the list it is explicitly defined. Team members pull work from the backlog.

A Sprint is Not Like a Relay Race
In a sprint, all participants are up and running at the same time. After each sprint we try to launch a short-term campaign or imitative and measure the corresponding results, even if it’s not a fully completed project. This gives my customers the ability to change direction or duplicate a campaign’s success.

In a March 2016, blog post published by Content Marketing Institute, Andrea Fryrear, comments on how content teams working in sprints can be extremely efficient in developing the content needed for a sustained content strategy.

Agile teams work in sprints, defined as set periods during which team members aim to complete a set amount of work that’s connected to a long-term plan. Each sprint lasts between 1-4 weeks, with two weeks being the most common duration. Agile marketers working in sprints are said to produce content which is typically more buyer-focused, and which addresses both the quality and quantity of content.

If you’re a one-person marketing force working in this gig economy, and you’re looking to augment your content offerings with virtual contributions from other freelance writers, inbound marketing within an agile framework can be your solution to providing customer-focused, high-quality content while keeping your writing partners committed and engaged.

3 Reasons Why You Should Still Use Email Marketing.

With all the clutter and spam being generated by email marketers, many many owners
and marketing professionals are asking,

Is email marketing still effective?
I know you’ve seen way too many of these types of sales pitches  in your inbox, and
you’re thinking, nobody is gonna fall for these schmaltzy schemes any more. However,
the the facts prove the contrary.

Email solicitations are still one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing, and they
work. The Sales & Marketing Executives Club of LA point out three major findings in a
recent survey.

1.  74% of consumers prefer to receive commercial communications via email.Although
   you may think cold calling, print advertising or salesmen stopping by for
   a visit may yield a greater ROI, Email Marketing still has a higher rate of conversion. 
2.  138% more is spent by consumers who receive email offers than those who don’t.Today’s
   consumers aren’t looking to be sold. They don’t want fast talking salesmen,
   or flashy promotional materials. They want to be educated and informed. They want
   proof that your product or service is the best solution. A well conceived customer-
   focused email may be the best way to lead prospects to your product or your solution. 
3.  66% of consumers made a purchase online as a result of an email marketing message.
   Consumers want to be led along a buying journey that considers their needs and their
   desires. Individual offers made to segmented markets convert sales. For even greater
   conversion rates. Present offers to buyers who are at different stages of the buying cycle.
   Hubspot.com Inbound Marketing suggests three offers: one to attract buyers who may not
   know you; or your product; one to convert buyers who are still considering their options;
   and one to close buyers who are ready to make a decision.For more information on using
   email marketing and landing pages to increase sales checkout our email marketing facts sheet
   [PDF]. Also check out this article, Can Cold Email Marketing Really Work, which was
   originally published by Wealthy Web Writer.