This document discusses techniques for agencies to effectively utilize freelancers. It begins by noting the growing reliance on freelancers in creative industries. It then provides tips such as starting searches for freelancers early to access better talent; understanding that different skills have unique market conditions; tracking general freelance needs; and using different sources like marketplaces for different scenarios. The document emphasizes the importance of building a roster of preferred freelancers, evaluating candidates, and creating an environment for freelancer success and long-term relationships.

1. 9 Techniques to Make Freelancers
Work for Your Agency
CEO & CO-FOUNDER - DAVE BENTLEY
cavalryfreelancing.com

2. Last 2 yearsFirst 17 years

3. Our vision is to unlock the way freelancers are
sourced and managed across the advertising &
marketing landscape
The future of freelance
expertise in creative services

4. Your reliance on freelancers is likely to
grow, not diminish
Accept freelancing as a strategic
necessity and the need to build robust
capabilities
1

5. Freelance demand is doubling every 3 years
0%
13%
25%
38%
50%
2014 2017 2020
48%
19%
9%
Large companies in Australia planning a +20%
contingent workforce
Getting Trendy 2017 - How large organisations are driving the growth of the contingent workforce, Expert 360, 2018
Internalisation of
marketing
Cost control
Strategic projects
GIG ECONOMY
DRIVERS

6. The Advertising Industry also has unique dynamics driving up
Freelance demand
Revenue volatility from
less retainers and more
projects
Not enough budget to afford
expanding expertise
Greater reliance on
Freelancers

7. The traditional order in marketing is being redefined
by the growth of the gig economy
Brands / Tech
companies
Agency /
Prod. Co
Freelancer
Agency /
Prod. Co
Freelancer
Brands / Tech
companies
Agency /
Prod. Co
Freelancer
Agency /
Prod. Co
FreelancerFreelancer Freelancer

8. Talent loves Freelancing too
No amount could
18%
$100,000+
29%
$75,00-$99,999
9%
$50,000-$74,999
20%
$20,000-$49,999
15%
$5,000-$19,999
9%
Extra pay to go back into a full
time role?
Why do you prefer
freelancing?
Flexibility
32%
Salary Potential
15% Diversity
16%
Career opps
2%
I don’t
11%
I'm my own boss
23%
Freelancing in Australia 2018 Report, Expert360 2018

9. And freelancers are growing in Australia
Source: Centre for Future Work calculations from ABS Catalogue 6333.0, Table 2.3.
22%
23%
24%
25%
26%
2012 2017
25.1%
23.1%
Share of Casual workers in Australia

10. Yet, no one likes finding freelancers
in the creative services industry
Stressful
Expensive
Unreliable
Time consuming

11. The industry is complex, parochial, and historically
resistant to innovation
No easy way to keep
track of freelancers
Availability is often
unknown
Lots of skills &
market conditions
Quality is paramount
& nuanced
Fragmented
Imperfect
sources

12. With a growing reliance on freelancers, Companies
need a smarter more robust solution
Earlier visibility of
Availability
Intelligence on
market conditions to
influence decision
making
Reviewable Industry
standard quality
markers
Centralised access to
industry freelancers
A simple way to
manage a freelance
team
No easy way to keep
track of freelancers
Availability is often
unknown
Lots of skills &
market conditions
Quality is paramount
& nuanced
Fragmented
Imperfect
sources

13. Don’t let short lead times
screw you
Start searching early
2

14. The best freelancers
are never free

15. Short lead times impact quality and capacity
tomorrow 2 days 1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks 5 weeks
3%
10%
15%
30%
50%
60%
70%
Access to best people
Access to good people
Spray and prey
Available
Freelancers

16. And stress levels
tomorrow 2 days 1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks 5 weeks
3%
10%
15%
30%
50%
60%
70%
Effort,
Stress,
time

17. 0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
tomorrow 2 days 1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks 5 weeks
100% 100%
80%
70% 70% 70%
60%
When to Search
Available
Freelancers
“When, not if”
Confidence of
project going
ahead
Start Search
Book here

18. Audit your general freelance needs and
get ahead of them
Build a freelancer Roster and establish a
workflow to monitor & replenish your
freelance team
3

19. BOTTOM UP
Capacity planning
Audit Framework
TOP DOWN
Strategic skillset planning
Cost controlling
FREELANCE
NEEDS
x2
TO ACCOUNT FOR
AVAILABILITY ISSUES

20. Skills needed to execute your vision of tomorrow
Skills we sell
Film &
Content
Data
Marketin
g
Growth
Trad.
Media
Perf.
Media
Strategy Account Creative
PM/
Producer
Design Front end Backend Analytics CX / UX App QA
Manager
Lead/
Strat
Senior
Mid
Junior
Leadership team
The Now
Current Revenue
Typical program of work
Full Time Team
The future
Strategically important
Sporadic projects
Requires expertise in skill
Can’t justify FTE’s
The future
Strategically important
Sporadic projects
Requires expertise in skill
Can’t justify FTE’s

21. Skills needed to execute your vision of tomorrow
Film &
Content
Data
Marketing
Growth
Trad.
Media
Perf.
Media
Strategy Account Creative
PM/
Producer
Design Front end Backend Analytics CX / UX App QA
Manager 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Lead/
Strat
1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1
Senior 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Mid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Skills we sell

22. Skills needed to manage capacity issues of today
(most freelancers in a month in past year)
Film &
Content
Data
Marketing
Growth
Trad.
Media
Perf.
Media
Strategy Account Creative
PM/
Producer
Design Front end Backend Analytics CX / UX App QA
Manager 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lead/
Strat
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Senior 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 3 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 1
Mid 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 0 0 2 1
Skills we sell

23. Freelance requirements
(x 2 to account for availability issues)
Film &
Content
Data
Marketing
Growth
Trad.
Media
Perf.
Media
Strategy Account Creative
PM/
Producer
Design Front end Backend Analytics CX / UX App QA
Manager 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
Lead/
Strat
4 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 2 2
Senior 0 0 0 2 2 4 2 6 4 6 6 2 2 4 2 2
Mid 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 2 4 4 4 4 0 0 4 2
Total Pool 8 2 2 4 4 6 6 8 8 10 10 8 4 10 8 6
Skills we sell

24. Proactively build a Roster of preferred freelancers
1. Easily maintainable & shareable
2. Contact freelancers directly & quickly
3. Keep notes (rates, performance)
4. View availability
5. Freelancers manage their details
6. Book directly

25. Your competition are already setting Rosters up

26. tomorrow 2 days 1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks 5 weeks
3%
10%
15%
30%
50%
60%
70%
With no lead times, you gain access to the best people!!
Best people
Good people
Spray and prey
Available
Freelancers

27. Implement a ‘light touch’ always on Roster building process
Make 3
interviews a
weekly routine
Source
Via low effort channels -
marketplaces, job ad platforms,
social channels
Add to Roster
1 2 3
Est relationships
4
Vet

28. Intelligent Roster
MARCH RELEASE

29. Internal Ratings
Availability
Book & Message
Recommended
available freelancers
Add discipline groups
Intelligent Roster
MARCH RELEASE
Number of freelancers
to build towards

30. Market conditions vary
dramatically for freelancers
Adjust planning and mindset for
different disciplines
4

31. Market conditions & dynamics
TYPICAL GIG
LENGTH
DAYS WEEKS MONTHS
SCARCITY
(DEMAND & SUPPLY)
FEW MANY
TIME PERIOD FROM
BRIEF TO BOOKING
1 2 3 4 5+
Weeks

32. Design
32
MARKET
TYPICAL GIG LENGTH
FEW MANY
DAYS WEEKS MONTHS
TIME PERIOD FROM
BRIEF TO BOOKING
1 2 3 4 5+Weeks
MARKET
TYPICAL GIG LENGTH
FEW MANY
DAYS WEEKS MONTHS
TIME PERIOD FROM
BRIEF TO BOOKING
1 2 3 4 5+Weeks
UX & UI Design
MARKET
TYPICAL GIG LENGTH
FEW MANY
DAYS WEEKS MONTHS
TIME PERIOD FROM
BRIEF TO BOOKING
1 2 3 4 5+Weeks
Creative
MARKET
FEW MANY
TYPICAL GIG LENGTH
DAYS WEEKS MONTHS
TIME PERIOD FROM
BRIEF TO BOOKING
1 2 3 4 5+Weeks
Technology
FREELANCER MARKETCOMPANY MARKET COMPANY MARKET FREELANCER MARKET
Source: Cavalry member data 2018

33. Brief to booking time on Cavalry - By Expertise
Brief to Booking Time
Expertise
Design
AccountManagement
Creative
ProjectManagement
Strategy
Technology
UXDesigner
Media
1 wk 1 wk 1 wk
2 wks 2 wks
3 wks 3 wks
3-4 wks
Source: Cavalry member data 2018

34. Brief to booking time on Cavalry - By Gig Period
0-10days
11-20days
21-30days
31-40days
41-50days
+50days
1 wk 1 wk 1 wk
2 wks 2 wks
3-4 wks
Brief to Booking Time
Gig Period
Source: Cavalry member data 2018

35. Rates vary significantly across
disciplines and locations
Research rates and budget to afford the
right freelancer for the right period
5

36. Rates vary significantly by discipline
Discipline Average Rate
Film Director 1081
Market Researcher 1006
Consumer Planner 950
Strategy Director 919
Photographer 882
CX Strategist 879
Cinematographer 867
Sound Engineer 825
Program Manager 817
Service Designer 802
Camera Operator 767
Delivery Director 750
Production Manager 746
Client Services Director 731
Business Analyst 720
Discipline Average Rate
Comms Strategist 718
Creative Director 707
Architect 705
Digital Strategist 669
Content Producer 637
Growth Marketer 635
Design Researcher 620
Project Manager 611
Retoucher 608
Information Architect 602
Art Director 589
Script Writer 581
UI Designer 567
UX Designer 557
Design Director 556
Discipline Average Rate
Editor 554
PPC Manager 551
Front End Developer 551
Industrial Designer 550
Digital Media Planner 550
Tech Director 544
Digital Producer 534
Back End Developer 525
Copywriter 513
Android Developer 509
Traditional Media
Planner
502
iOS Developer 498
Branding Designer 491
Animator 486
Finished Artist 470
Discipline Average Rate
Community Manager 470
Social Media Strategist 468
Content Manager 462
Journalist 459
Event Producer 440
PR Strategist 440
Account Manager 437
SEO Manager 433
Set Designer 425
Performance Media
Strategist
413
Illustrator 413
Traffic & Operations 411
Graphic Designer 408
Tester 327
AVERAGE RATES PER DISCIPLINE
Source: Cavalry member data 2018

37. Rates vary significantly by location
Sydney Melbourne Brisbane
Design 617 462 558
UI & UX 648 688 674
Creative 593 490 417
Delivery 582 609 388
Media 499 477 477
Strategy 771 713 729
Technology 618 417 532
Film & content 783 690 411
AVERAGE RATES PER DISCIPLINE
Source: Cavalry member data 2018

38. Track down a freelance rate guides

39. Freelancers don’t see the working
week in the same way you do
Consider maximising when
freelancers want to work
6

40. Times of week freelancers prefer to work
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Morning 81% 83% 84% 83% 82% 24% 24%
Afternoon 78% 80% 80% 80% 79% 21% 21%
Evening 35% 35% 35% 35% 31% 19% 19%
Source: Cavalry member data 2018

41. Different channels to find freelancers are
useful in different scenarios
Agree freelance sources for different
scenarios
7

42. Immediate Access
to freelancers
Representative of
local market
Quality markers Availability Value for money Support
Referrals
Cavalry
LinkedIn Search/
Social
LinkedIn Job Posting
Recruiters
Seek
FAFF
Fragmented Imperfect sources for freelancers
xx
x x x x
x x
x
x x
xx x x
x

43. Agree freelance sources for different scenarios
Building your Roster
Standard Role
We need in 3-4 weeks
Tricky Brief
Good amount of time
Tricky Brief
We need it next week
FREE OR NEAR FREE, TRUSTED SOURCES, LOW VOLUME
HYPER TARGETED, INTENSIVE, MANUAL, HIGH COST ON SUCCESS
REACH HIGH VOLUME EASILY, CURATED RECOMMENDATIONS, REASONABLE COST PAID ON SUCCESS
HIGH REACH, TARGETED,
UPFRONT COST

44. Agree freelance sources for different scenarios
Building your Roster
Standard Role
We need in 3-4 weeks
Tricky Brief
Good amount of time
Tricky Brief
We need it next week
Staff, Freelancer and Industry colleagues (incentivise)
Social channels, LinkedIn Search, FAFF
Trusted kick ass recruiter
Marketplaces
Seek

45. Local talent marketplaces out there
Design, Creative,
digital and media
talent
Models, Influencers,
Photographers
PR and Comms
specialists
Event and
hospitality staff

46. Marketplaces combine ease, high reach and quality curation
System curates
applications and
recommends best
candidates
based on quality
markers built over time
1000s of
freelancersFREELANCER APPLIEs
RECOMMENDS BEST
FREELANCERS
GIG ALERT TO EXACT
AREA OF COMMUNITY
SIMPLE MANAGEMENT
DASHBOARD

47. Know how to evaluate freelancers
Identify gates to move candidates
through
8

48. 48
EXAMPLES OF WORK
WHO THINKS THEY’RE GREAT
EDUCATION
AWARDS / ACCOLADES
EXPERTISE
CULTURAL FIT
SUBJECT EXPERTISE
AVAILABILITY
BINARY
WORTH TALKING TO
STRONG INDICATORS
AUTOMATIC ENTRY (OR NOT)
WHERE THEY’VE WORKED
APPROACH
RATE
WHAT ROSTERS ARE THEY ON?

49. Great in, great out
Create an environment with the freelancer
for success & a long term relationship
9

50. Create an environment for success & a long term relationship
• Motivating to the point Job
Descriptions
• Good briefing, documentation
and Q&A
• Reasonable timeframes
• Fair rates
PRE
• Leadership and team support
• Productivity technology stack
conducive to collaboration &
remote working
DURING
• Credit freelancers on projects
• Pay them on reasonable terms
• Establish ongoing relationship
• Involve them in company
events
POST
Treat freelancers how you want clients to treat you!

51. 1. Your reliance on freelancers is likely to grow, not diminish
Accept freelancing as a strategic necessity and the need to build robust capabilities
2. Don’t let short lead times screw you
Start searching early
3. Audit your general freelance needs and get ahead of them
Build a freelancer Roster and establish a workflow to monitor & replenish your freelance team
4. Market conditions vary dramatically for freelancers
Adjust planning and mindset for different disciplines
5. Freelancers don’t see the working week in the same way you do
Consider maximising when freelancers want to work
6. Rates vary significantly across disciplines and locations
Research rates and budget to afford the right freelancer for the right period
7. Different channels to find freelancers are useful in different scenarios
Agree freelance sources for different scenarios
8. Know how to evaluate freelancers
Identify gates to move candidates through
9. Great in, great out
Create an environment with the freelancer for success & a long term relationship
9 Techniques to Make Freelancers
Work for Your Agency

52. The future of freelance
expertise in the creative
services industry
cavalryfreelancing.com
0435 341 506
dave@cavalryfreelancing.com
Thanks!!