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A freelance marketing coordinator can
By Carsten Bjerregaard, Marketingcapacity.dk (Link to the article. Copying/publishing without agreement is not allowed)
A marketing coordinator operationally ensures that marketing plans are executed smoothly and on time. The marketing coordinator often works alongside marketing assistants and project managers under the marketing director and marketing manager, with cross-functional responsibility for making things work in practice. Is a venue booked? Do you need to arrange hotel accommodation? Do you need to proofread slides from management? Or does the marketing manager need to get an overview of the current status of activities? These are all things you go to a Marketing Coordinator with.
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What is the role of the marketing coordinator?
A marketing department carries out a lot of projects. Using internal employees, freelancers, agencies and other suppliers such as media. The bigger the department and the more projects it runs, the more details need to be taken care of and the more things can go wrong. The role of the marketing coordinator is to make things work.
So marketing coordination is all about:
- Having an overview of what's going on in the department
- Having an overview of which plans to execute in the coming period
- Having an overview of the people and companies that need to work together
- Helping to provide the right information at the right time
- Keeping a good atmosphere in a fast-paced environment
- Helping to resolve ad-hoc situations and crises that arise
- Being able to respond to queries from marketing management
It's a job that is often defined individually according to the needs of the company, the personal roles of the other marketing staff - and what the marketing coordinator brings to the table in terms of skills and personal qualities.
What else is a marketing coordinator called?
It's a bit fluid in terms of titles, so a marketing coordinator's function is sometimes called a coordinator, a marketing assistant, a marketing secretary or something else.
How does the marketing coordinator create value?
The marketing coordinator is one of those employees whose work might only be noticed when it's not being done. "Why isn't it under control? Why haven't we had that report printed out yet? Where will our exhibition stand be stored? Where are we going to eat after the seminar? Has our photographer been paid? Have we sent out the invitations?" A good marketing coordinator creates value by making sure:
- That the internship is under control
- That marketing activities are executed
- That the materials and activities in practice have the quality that was intended
What types of marketing coordinators are there?
There are as many types of Marketing Coordinators as there are people with that job title. Because the Marketing Coordinator role is filled by:
- The framework around the tasks
- The formal tasks
- The informal tasks
- Unforeseen tasks
- Ad hoc tasks
- Troubleshooting
That's why no two marketing coordinators are the same. And it's going to take some getting used to if you have to change in that position. Because you will almost always experience 'Merete always had this under control' situations.
Marketing coordinators can be all types of role models:
- The type of mom who knows everyone personally and empathizes to keep things running smoothly
- The planner who has Excel sheets everywhere and never misses a detail
- The officer who manages everything according to deadlines - and delivers with a steady hand
- The practitioner who takes pride in the smooth running of events and the daily flow of the office
What does a marketing coordinator need to know?
Naturally, the marketing coordinator must have a basic, broad-based understanding of marketing, promotion and communication. So they understand what's going on and what the professional task of the entire department is. At the same time, the marketing coordinator must have insight into the specific parameters of this particular marketing department:
- Products and services
- Target groups
- Strategies, goals, marketing plans, annual cycle and KPIs
- Design manuals
- Internal guidelines and policies
- Internal partners
- Contact data and agreements with partners
In addition, it would be an advantage if the marketing coordinator has some understanding of the different disciplines and specialties that the department deals with:
- The marketing process from strategy to idea, plan, production and implementation
- Project management
- Graphic identity
- Texts
- Design
- Media
- Analyze
- Search engine optimization
- CMS and website updates
- Technological flair in general
Plus, of course, the personal qualities that are in high demand:
- At a glance
- Sense of order
- Quality sense
- Hands-on practicality
- A Do'er approach to things
- Empathy - and the ability to communicate empathetically
- Conduct - that is, the marketing coordinator knows how hard to follow rules in a given situation
- Proactivity
- Commitment and desire to get involved
If it sounds like the marketing coordinator needs to be a jack of all trades, that's because they are. For example, in order to assess whether you're on track with a delivery, it's a great help if the marketing coordinator has the intuition and instinct that comes from professional insight.
Why a freelance marketing coordinator?
In the past, most people might have thought of freelancers for one-off projects. However, many companies have now realized the benefits of working with freelancers on a long-term basis:
- You can cover needs that don't justify a permanent position
- In periods when you don't need it, you don't pay for the skill
- In a long-term relationship, the freelancer gets to know the company almost as well as a permanent employee
- Compared to buying the desired skill set from an agency - such as an advertising agency - working with freelancers is usually much cheaper
- You have the flexibility to rethink the overall competency profile of the person responsible for an area
- More and more really talented people prefer to work freelance
- A freelancer can still look at your business 'from the outside' - which is a valuable thing when thinking about creative
- Freelancers can bring fresh, outside inspiration to your business
How do you find a good freelance marketing coordinator?
Finding the right freelancer can be difficult. And above all, it can take a long time. Because there are many freelancers within the same field, and even if they boast the same skills, there can be a big difference when it comes to the way they work and the work they deliver. When you ask Marketingcapacity.dk to help you find a freelancer to work with, the process is simple:
- You describe your needs to us (either in writing or verbally - we'll confirm in an email)
- We screen our 600+ profiles and, if necessary, the market through our channels
- We nominate a list of candidates and talk to them according to your needs
- You will be presented with 3 candidates that seem to meet your needs
- During the 3 meetings (at your location or digitally) you can ask questions and see examples of their work
- You choose the freelancer you would like to start working with
- We set it up in our systems with time tracking etc. so you have an overview and full control
In other words: After describing your needs, simply set aside 2 hours to meet with 3 hand-picked and screened candidates. That's your guarantee of a good result with reasonable effort.
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