Engaged a freelancer and got great results? Here are a few reasons why engaging the same freelancer for additional projects can save you money and time—for you and for other hiring managers in your organization.
1. Well-established lines of communication mean work can get done faster
With every working relationship, it takes time to learn how one another prefers to communicate. Getting to know a freelancer and letting them get to know you and your business can help establish clear lines of communication, which is critical when working with someone remotely.
Kolya Tevosyan, a senior web developer and certified WordPress expert on Upwork, says, “When we work with clients on Upwork on multiple projects, we communicate clearly, and there is no back-and-forth when it comes to feedback.”
Not only that, well-established communication with your freelancer can cut out the extra delays that come with engaging traditional agencies where a request has to go through multiple people to get fulfilled. Koyla says, “This process can sometimes take days. But when someone is working with me directly on Upwork, the response time is usually minutes. Hours, if not minutes. Never days, and never weeks.”
2. Familiarity with your category, audience, or services can give freelancers a head start understanding your goals
When working with new talent, it’s usually important to get them up to speed on your company’s background, what you do, and who your audience is. This provides perspective around your goals, and context about the work being done.
When a freelancer has spent time getting to know your organization to complete a prior project, they already have valuable insights—and can likely go on to recommend their own solutions and approaches based on what they’ve learned.
For example, a content writer might conduct research about an initial article for your brand and, in the process, uncover interesting topic ideas for future content. As they learn more about the subject matter, they may find new opportunities to contribute content that aligns with your efforts.
3. Understanding internal processes and requirements can smooth out future project kickoffs
When a freelancer gets the hang of how you work—including any platforms, processes, or collaboration tools you use—that second project can often get started much quicker. For projects that have tighter deadlines or urgent projects like bug fixes or copy edits, this can help get things moving much quicker.
4. For tech projects, there’s added familiarity with the code, data structure, or system
Preston Hunter, a PHP developer and database specialist on Upwork, says, “It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable or experienced or skilled a developer is, if you are asking the developer to work with OPC (other people’s code), it’s going to take more time.”
However, when you engage a developer who already knows the code, it can be less time-consuming, and less expensive. Hunter notes that for more ongoing relationships, “I essentially maintain the entire body of source code in my head. If an issue comes up, I know where to go to figure out what is going on.”
5. For design projects, there’s an understanding of brand standards, tone, and style
If your brand has a set of visual guidelines, any skilled designer should be able to pick up a project and create assets to your specifications. But sometimes, there’s a learning curve—and the rounds of revisions that come with it. If a designer has previously worked with your brand’s style, chances are that familiarity will help them move faster.
That’s exactly what Vitamin Energy needed when the company had weeks to get new packaging designed, produced, and get to market. They re-engaged a graphic designer the company had worked with before on Upwork to design the product image, and the designer was able to create the packaging and get it to print within a period of 48 hours.
6. Follow-on projects can keep a rhythm going
Tevosyan also notes how agencies or freelancers who offer numerous services are great for follow-up projects because the engagement can be seamless. “There is a significant cost benefit for the client when they work with one freelancer who can offer multiple services on repeat jobs. It’s much more efficient and easy for my clients to get everything done in terms of the website, design, and development, because I understand exactly what they need from working with them before.”
Ready to hire… then rehire?
Beyond the immediate savings, working with remote talent can give you and your organization confidence in knowing your larger projects can be completed with the help of freelancers—ultimately giving you the ability to say “yes” to new programs for your team.
