Sharing the Positives : Contracting in the Coronavirus Crisis

Tom Fitton is a marketing contractor and like the rest of us is adjusting to life in the Coronavirus Crisis. Read what he has to say here about contracting in the current climate and his tips for contracting in his sector.

Tim Fitton, Marketing Contractor

What are the advantages working as a contractor?
In the current climate, flexibility to pivot quickly to sectors that are seeing strong growth and also not having all my eggs in one basket in terms of over exposure to industries that are unfortunately struggling. I would only ever work for one company per vertical and as a result of me working across a few different sectors which has cushioned the blow of the recent disruption.

What are the advantages for a client of using contractors?
I feel I am well placed to answer this, in the past I've managed channels in-house at the likes of Missguided with some agency support and I've also managed the marketing team at PushON delivering services for clients. For me the main benefit of using a contractor is you know exactly who is completing the work and you always have a direct line of communication with that person. The agency model typically involves several layers of communication between account managers and the actual people who are hands on with the campaigns. But there are lots of other benefits that contractors offer, to name a few; value for money, more scope to bring contractors in to work on-site and flexibility in terms of contract length. I try and be everything an agency can't be, and act like an external team member.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?
I've been contracting since 2013 and the hardest part has been a bit of 'burn out' here and there. I've handled this by having a few periods where I intentionally take on less work to give me some time and space to refocus. I think this has been very important part of my success, as I would never want my standard of work drop for the reason that my reputation and thus referral is my main source of new business. 

In the current climate, do you have any advice for permanent employees who are looking to become a marketing contractor?
I would say as much as possible; know your value and don't do work on the cheap. Don't let anyone take advantage and think they can pay you less than your worth because of the economic climate. When someone does this to me now or at anytime it immediately rings alarm bells. I prefer to work for companies targeting strong growth and in order to do that you need to focus on quality of delivery in all areas.

What are the pitfalls to avoid?
Speaking as an advertiser; only taking on work for companies with products or services that you believe in and agree with is important to me. If you think someone is trying to flog a dead horse, or are doing something that does not sit comfortably with you, long-term that's not an account you are going to be motivated to work on.

Top 5 tips on being a great contractor in your sector?

1. Reach out to companies you really like and introduce yourself, if you are genuine and show them you know their product / industry, they will often be interested in speaking to you.
2. Don't be scared of failure; trying new techniques/approaches and being open about it with clients about is a healthy way for you both to learn about what doesn't work... and most importantly what does.
3. Don't take on more work than you can manage.
4. Stay on top of industry developments and adapt as you see the advertising landscape changing.
5. Make lots of friends and always do the right thing, referral is where a lot of your business will come from.

 Thanks for sharing this with us Tom!