Do you do your own marketing/graphic/web design?

[Greenfairydust]

I am a senior marketing professional currently in a permanent role and I am thinking of going freelance and offering support to small businesses, charities and arts organisations.

I wonder though is small/medium business owners tend to do their own marketing or do they still hire freelancers?

And if you do hire freelancers what would you find most useful for your business:

• Graphic design: flyer, posters, cards, signage and logo design
• Developing an online presence: Web design and content management; search engines optimisation, paid online advertising
• help with audience segmentation and mapping customer journey
• e-commerce support
• help with social media content
• copywriting
• anything else I might not have thought of...

Basically I don't want to join into a crowded market where a lot of people are already offering these freelance services but instead work out if there is a real need for a specific type of support.

Any feedback for my initial market research is most welcome!

I do all my own. I can't afford to outsource, and certainly most small businesses are in a similar position at the moment..I have previously hired help with graphics, but I now use Canva and do my own.

You know, many business owners hire freelancers for marketing and design work. It all depends on their resources and expertise. Graphic and web design are always popular choices, but offering services like developing an online presence, SEO, social media content, and copywriting can also be valuable. Another idea could be offering support for e-commerce, which is currently in high demand. The key is to find your niche and offer something unique that sets you apart from others in the market. By the way, have you thought about reaching out to a digital marketing agency for contraction company? They might have some great insights for you.

I am just starting out but got someone else to do my graphics as just looks so much better than what I could do. Considering social media marketing help but don't think I could afford it but if business grows would definitely be one of the first things I would want to outsource

I think a lot of small businesses are using Canva for design and increasingly AI for copywriting.

Perhaps your business needs to take a different spin? You could train people in how to use these tools more effectively.

Great thread OP, I am in the same boat.

I’m currently building my
site (risingdigitalmarketing.com) and offer a number of services, however design isn’t one of them (although I’d love to team up with someone who was good at this).

SEO, business strategy are things I am offering and looking into content marketing as it’s in demand.

I use Canva free templates for bits and pieces that don’t take long, but I outsource stuff that is time-consuming - eg I’m presenting at a conference next month, and I need really high quality slides, so I will write the content as text on slides, and ask them to work them up. Also, if I need a whole suite of assets for a campaign - I don’t have the time and skill to make them stand out, so I sketch out what I need, and pass them over.

If you are good at PowerPoint or Google Slides, and have a good eye, I’d use you!

^also id expect a freelancer to have all the licences for software that I don’t have.