Hiring a Cheshire Freelance Marketer

Hiring a freelance marketer can be the most cost-effective way for a small business to get experienced help without taking on a full-time salary. It works best when a little preparation is done first. This guide covers what to have ready, and what to ask, before you hire anyone in Cheshire or further afield.

Be clear about the job

Start with the problem rather than the task. "We need more of the right enquiries from Crewe and Nantwich" is more useful than "we need social media posts". Try to name:

• The one or two outcomes that matter most in the next six months
• Which services or products you most want to sell more of
• The towns and areas you genuinely cover
• What has been tried before, and what happened

Know your basic numbers

You do not need a dashboard, but a few rough figures make every recommendation sharper:

• Roughly how many enquiries you get each month, and from where
• How many of those become customers
• What a typical customer is worth to you
• What you currently spend on marketing, including any agency, ads or software

If you do not know some of these, say so. Working them out is often part of the first piece of work.

Gather access in advance

Delays usually come from logins. Before the work starts, check that you can access:

• Your website admin, domain and hosting accounts
• Google Analytics and Google Search Console
• Your Google Business Profile
• Any ad accounts and social media accounts
• Your email marketing or CRM tool, if you use one

Make sure accounts are in the business's name rather than a former supplier's.

Decide on budget and time

Be realistic about both. A focused project, such as a website rebuild or a marketing plan, has a defined fee and end point. Ongoing support suits work that needs regular attention. Decide how much of your own time you can give each month for approvals, because quick feedback keeps costs and timescales down.

Questions to ask a freelance marketer

• What would you do first, and why?
• What exactly will I receive, and when?
• How is the price set, and what is not included?
• How will we know whether it is working?
• Who actually does the work?
• Can I see examples of similar projects, and the live websites?
• What happens if I want to stop?

A good answer is specific, puts the price and scope in writing before work begins, and does not promise guaranteed rankings or results.

Warning signs

• Guaranteed first-page rankings or fixed lead numbers
• Long contracts before any work has been seen
• Vague reporting with no link to enquiries
• Accounts set up in the freelancer's name instead of yours

Working with MCG Growth Marketing

MCG Growth Marketing is based in Cheshire and works with small businesses across Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. You work directly with Samuel McGarrigle MSc MCIM, with the scope and price agreed before work starts. The standard website rebuild is £1,000 for up to 40 pages, and other projects are quoted from a written brief. If you have done the preparation above, a short enquiry or a 15-minute call is usually enough to agree a sensible first step.