How much can you earn as a freelance digital marketer?

The trend to work remotely without being attached to a single organization or being stuck in 9 to 5 has been growing, especially among generation z. But where did it all start?

If we were to pick a freelance job, we’re all heads up for digital marketing! In Bali, there is an increasing number of freelance digital marketer nomads enjoying their healthy work-life balance. Imagine working in an island paradise, smelling the sea breeze while listening to the waves with a panoramic view of the sea and the sky — heaven calls! Now, that’s what we call a dream job. Of all freelance jobs, why digital marketing?

What is digital marketing?

Have you ever come across ads on TV back then? But now you bump into ads as you scroll down your Instagram or Facebook? Do you still read the news in a newspaper or just scroll through social media to get the latest news? Fun fact! There’s a rising demand for technology after COVID-19 on digital marketing as many companies have adopted digitalization, which means it’s an opportunity for you to be a part of it. Hmm, interesting!

According to a LinkedIn report, Digital Marketing Specialist is one of the top demanding job positions, with over 860,000 job openings (mostly social media, content strategy, SEO and analytics). Wow, that’s almost 1mil job opening! But why?

Although there are many business-related graduates, Malaysia is still facing a digital skills gap in this industry which we need to keep up with the fast-paced digital era. Now, if you’re wondering how to start freelancing in digital marketing, please stay because we’re about to reveal it.

How should you start as a freelance digital marketer?

Obtain necessary skills by joining courses and getting certificates.

One of the most important ways to start your freelancing career is by obtaining important skills. Join courses and get certificates to showcase your credibility.

Start posting and connecting on LinkedIn or your own blog.

Don’t forget to showcase your professional profile to your future clients. We recommend you start posting and building your LinkedIn profile to connect to your prospects and expand your networks. The more, the merrier!

Pick a speciality or niche.

As a freelance digital marketer, it’s important to recognize which skills you’d love to strive to offer your clients and be passionate about doing it. Did you quit your job to do something without any soul or passion? Over time, do you want to dread yourself completing the client’s job just for the sake of getting money? 

This is why you need to be remarkable in a speciality. When you become a specialist, you become an added value. Clients tend to invest in specialists because they are the ones who know the inside-out of the industry better than the generalist freelancers.  

Create a portfolio.

Once you create your portfolio, clients may easily recognise your artwork and match what they are looking for before investing in digital marketing freelancers.

Set an ideal rate.

Then, set an ideal rate. So, what’s your price? How do you even set it? Let us give you some tips on how to calculate roughly.

For a start, divide your desired annual salary by 52 weeks. Let’s say you want RM48,000 per annum.

RM48,000/52 = RM923.08/week

Then, take that amount and divide it by 40 hours in a week, considering you’re working 8 hours a day for 5 days a week.

RM923.08/40 = RM23/hour

Now, that’s your rough hourly rate. But of course, that is not the final amount to charge your client. It’s just a guideline to get your rough figure as a start.

Start finding customers.

Once you’ve set your rate, [claps] chop chop! You may start getting your customers!

What is the pay expectation?

According to Indeed, as of 27 June 2022, digital marketers’ average monthly base salary is RM3,008. Freelancers may earn more than triple the rate in a month, as much as five figures. In case you’re wondering what the pay expectation for each specialisation in digital marketing is, watch this.

Social Media: RM70/hour

SEO / SEM: RM120/hour

PPC: RM110/hour

Content Marketing: RM50/hour

Copywriter/Copyeditor: RM50/hour

Email Marketing: RM75/hour

How to achieve the pay?

1. Identify your most profitable skills.
2. To become a badass freelance digital marketer, you must identify your most profitable skills to serve your clients.
3. Get the right clients when selling services.

How to achieve this? Beware of scammers! Be sure to get the right clients when selling services. Choose the clients and projects that you would want to work on.

Create a content calendar or schedule to monitor.

If you want to be well paid and get your clients to repeat your service, you must be organised and know which task to prioritise. Create a content calendar or schedule to monitor your task to-do list.

Practice timeliness when delivering a job.

Most importantly, practice timeliness in delivering your service. Remember, your clients have their deadlines as well. So, don’t screw up