Read this before you hire a freelance Growth Marketer.

I get it. The temptation to hire freelance Growth Marketers who promise quick wins is strong. However, solely relying only on these approaches often leads to wasted time and resources and ultimately distracts you from building an engine for sustainable growth - which is what your startup needs to scale.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱, 𝗻̲𝗼̲𝘁̲ ̲𝗷̲𝘂̲𝘀̲𝘁̲ ̲𝘄̲𝗵̲𝗮̲𝘁̲ ̲𝘆̲𝗼̲𝘂̲ ̲𝘄̲𝗮̲𝗻̲𝘁̲.̲

Here are some notes to help you find the right fit:

𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆
Some freelancers have a "bag of tricks" designed to deliver immediate results. These might include tactics like:
- Running a flash sale to boost short-term revenue
- Running ads to quickly increase website traffic
- Sending a one-time promotional email blast to ‘dormant leads’ to generate ‘demand’

Maybe this sounds familiar? While there is nothing wrong with running these tactics, remember they boost short-term metrics and rarely contribute to long-term growth. Make sure you recognise that sustainable success requires a strategy beyond quick fixes.

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲
Focus on candidates who can clearly articulate a long-term growth plan for your business. They should be able to identify key milestones, growth levers, and any potential challenges. Their vision should not only align with your business but also help you reach your revenue metrics. If the role is for a specialist, make sure they understand (and can talk to) how their role fits within that long-term plan.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁
Communicate your long-term goals. Let candidates know you value learning and sustainable growth over immediate, flashy results. Have candid conversations about:
- What isn't working and why
- Surprising findings from recent campaigns
- Lessons learned and how they will be applied in the future

Marketers who embrace this dialogue are more likely to align with your long-term vision.

Focus on long-term indicators rather than short-term spikes. Assess whether their efforts are moving you closer to your overarching business goals. If progress is slow but steady and aligned with your strategy, you're on the right track.

𝗕𝘁𝘄… 𝗜'𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀. Many of the best growth people I know work as freelancers, including myself.

I sincerely hope this helps!
G