The freelance surge is here ⚡️

Plus: What’s a “people-first” GTM strategy?

April 11, 2024

Hey there! This week, over 30 million people across North America paused their work to look up at the sky for a once-in-a-generation solar eclipse. And when marketers hear “millions of people sharing a unique experience,” they think: “opportunity.” The eclipse inspired a whole slew of activations, including limited edition donuts, craft beers, vacation giveaways, and even solar eclipse glasses. Did your marketing team step up to the solar challenge? Hit reply and let us know!

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The Freelance Surge Is Happening

As brands and agencies tap more freelance and fractional talent, the gig economy is taking over marketing.

The numbers: Last year, freelancer network Wripple tallied a 78% growth in project volume—with 87% of hirers seeking freelancers in marketing or creator roles and 51% seeking multimedia content creators, according to a recent report from AdAge.

Who got hired? Most companies hired freelancers for consulting assignments or long-term staff augmentation roles, while 50% hired fractional team leaders. Most companies were looking for freelancers with five years of experience, but mid-market clients sought those with closer to 2–3 years of experience.

The challenges of freelancing: Overall, the professionals who make up the marketing gig economy are satisfied with their work. But they did cite a few areas for improvement for hiring teams that want to attract the best possible talent…

  • Leveraging automation for onboarding 

  • Understanding the need for a consistent and standardized briefing process

  • Having clearly defined points of contact for issue resolution

What are your thoughts on the freelance marketing surge? Join the conversation on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Introduces CTV Ads

During its B2Believe conference last week, LinkedIn debuted new ad solutions to help B2B marketers engage with their audiences—both on and off LinkedIn.

First up: CTV ads. LinkedIn became the latest platform to jump on the connected TV (CTV) advertising bandwagon. Marketers can now share LinkedIn video campaigns to platforms like Roku and Paramount, reaching their audiences via TVs and streaming devices.

Next? LinkedIn Premiere, a partnership with NBCUniversal to promote LinkedIn’s CTV campaigns on NBCU content. Through LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager, B2B advertisers will be able to target campaigns based on categories like interests and company type.

But it didn’t stop there. LinkedIn is now testing Live Event Ads, so advertisers can promote their company’s live events before, during, and after they take place.

YouTube Expands Shopping Options for Brands

This week, YouTube rolled out four new updates aimed at enhancing shopping capabilities and driving more sales for brands selling products on the platform.

The new features: 

  • Shopping Collections allow creators to curate "virtual storefronts" showcasing and driving traffic to brands.

  • The Affiliate Hub streamlines the process for brands to discover and collaborate with creator partners, while Affiliate Hub Tagging upgrades help resurface brands’ past product mentions for shoppability.

  • YouTube is integrating with Fourthwall, an ecommerce platform designed for creators.

The opportunity? As YouTube invests in its creator ecosystem, shopping represents a growing marketing channel. These updates lower the barriers for brands to get products embedded into creator content.

What’s next: YouTube said more shopping discovery features are coming—an expanded suite could amplify the platform's role in brands’ social commerce strategies.

Today From MarketerHire: The People-first GTM strategy

This week on the MarketerHire podcast, we sat down with Mark Kilens, a celebrated leader known for scaling industry giants like HubSpot and Drift. As CEO and co-founder of TACK, Kilens now directs a go-to-market (GTM) firm that innovates how businesses generate revenue—with people at the forefront. 

In this episode, you'll learn:

  • The ins and outs of people-first GTM

  • Why most companies think about GTM the wrong way

  • How to implement a people-first GTM model in your company

Looking for your next GTM superstar? We’re ready to play matchmaker. 

The Raisin Bread Roundup

  • Intel reports a major round of layoffs—hitting marketing and sales the hardest.

  • These are the three core principles every content creator needs to know.

  • Thinking about marketing in the metaverse? Here’s what you need to know.

  • The New York Times is using a new metric for ad performance… 👀

  • Many brands are turning to brand ambassadors instead of influencers—here’s why.

Thanks for joining us! We want to know: What did you think of this revamped edition? Let us know here! We’ll be incorporating your feedback into future editions—so stay tuned for next Thursday!