How to Attract Top Freelance Talent to your Agency

The advertising industry is one of the biggest drivers of the growing freelance economy. Attracting the best creative, advertising and marketing professionals will boost the quality of your company’s work product and your brand. Here’s one strategy to attract the highest quality freelance workers no matter where your company is located:

Freelancers, like full-time employees, want to work where they are treated well and fairly compensated. Employers in the city of New York draw top freelance talent because laws are in place to protect their rights.

 

Policy and Practice that Protects Freelancers

Even if your business is not located in NYC, you can benefit from following The Freelance Isn’t Free Act, the city’s initiative that protects freelancers. The law became effective on May 15, 2017, providing rights for freelance workers in NYC to ensure they are paid in full and on time. Essentially, the law:

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  • -Requires contracts between freelance workers and hiring parties that are worth $800 or more to be in writing.
  • -Prohibits hiring parties from paying workers late or underpaying workers.
  • -Protects freelance workers against retaliation for asserting their rights under the law.

-Put Your Terms in Writing

 

A written contract is not only professional, it’s just common sense. It protects both you and your freelancers and boosts the credibility of your business. Be sure to include payment terms, timeframe, and scope of work for the freelance worker as well as remedies when the contract is not satisfied.

 

When expectations are clearly written, freelance workers can focus on work without the distraction of awkward conversations about terms and payment issues. Invest in the services of an attorney to prepare a template for freelance contracts to ensure you’re not leaving anything out.

 

Paying Freelancers Hourly? Track their Hours for Accurate Payments

Freelance workers choose when they work, invoice for payment, and do not punch a time clock. However, tracking their hours benefits both you and them, especially if freelancers work on several of your projects simultaneously. Tracking a freelancer’s time documents the hours worked, providing records to compare to an invoice. Even if the arrangement is not to pay hourly, tracking freelancer hours allows you to track productivity. Of course, having a timesheet that is intuitive and easily accessible is critical. So is a reliable Accounts Payable system that allows you to quickly confirm that payments were made on a timely basis if any questions arise.

 

Keep Remote Freelancers in the Loop

Many of the best freelancers work remotely. Whether they are across town or thousands of miles away, being in another location can impede communication, bog down production and create stress. A central place to communicate, collaborate, and document project work will keep everyone informed.

 

A system that provides a visual display of assignments and notifications makes it very easy for a remote worker to see what is on their plate each day.

A good agency management system can automatically link conversation threads with a project. This makes it easy for remote freelancers to stay up to date with last-minute changes and current status.

 

Boost Your Online Reputation

Having policies and procedures that portray your company as fair and professional paves the way for a superior reputation. Once you’ve placed your policy in place, build your reputation as a great place to work by encouraging positive reviews on sites like Glassdoor. Before long, top freelance talent will be drawn to your business, contributing to the quality of your company’s work.

 

And if that isn't enough to convince you...

It has been predicted that freelance workers will be the majority by 2027. With the growing number of freelancers, the rest of the country will likely follow NYC's example with similar legislation on a local, state or even federal level.

 

Do you need an easy way to track freelancer time, pay their invoices and keep remote workers in the loop?  Advantage Software is purpose-built for full-service advertising agencies, creative teams, public relations firms, and marketing firms of all sizes. Over 850 agencies use Advantage for AccountingProject Management and Media. With features like a built-in document management repository, schedules, agile boards and a training video library, it has everything you need to manage your business. We’ve been helping our clients maximize productivity, efficiency and profitability for over 40 years. Find out how we can help you by contacting us for a demo. If you simply would like to learn more, sign up for our free Newsletter.

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