91% of brands have moved at least a part of their digital marketing operations in-house. (source: Search Engine Journal)

56% of brands list the lack of talent and skills to build a competent in-house team as the biggest hurdle. (source: Search Engine Journal)

Walmart has decided to take its digital advertising in-house. (source: CNBC)

Verizon stops using 46 different agencies to bring more "core competencies" in house. (source: AdWeek)

The reasons for the shift in bringing agency talent in-house shouldn't come as a huge surprise: cost, transparency, control, quality. Marketing is both part art and science - one size does not fit all. So, by bringing key competencies in house brands have more visibility (transparency) into metrics and processes that deliver results (cost, control, quality).

One of the biggest challenges represented by this challenge is talent. Marketing spend and programs can be cyclical and/or resource-heavy at points in the process, but it's not feasible to carry all of the resources required in-house on a full-time basis. So, employers are taking a page out of the agency playbook - leverage a dedicated network of freelancers to deliver work on a project or even an ongoing basis.

And, tech has stepped up to the challenge. Several job board marketplaces have come to market focused on freelance and contract workers. Not all marketplaces are created equal, so as you peruse the list below remember to take a closer look at what additional value is being added by the marketplace for both the employer and the freelancer.

Trends can sometimes be like passing fads, the move to bring marketing more in-house has the potential to swing back toward agencies in the future. However, as employers are increasingly more committed to higher percentages of both distributed and contingent workforces, the pendulum may never come back all the way for agencies as it was before.

Interesting Sources of Freelancer Talent

• Communo is a marketplace of freelancers and solopreneurs available for project and retained work. They have been leveraged by agencies to augment projects and are starting to open the platform to brands. They raised USD $2.35 Million earlier this year. Learn more about Communo here.
• WorkGenius is a more traditional job board marketplace that matches freelancer talent to jobs and projects. Not exclusive to marketing, but we expect good representation there. They raised USD $6.96 Million earlier this year. Learn more about WorkGenius here.
• Marketerhire is a job board marketplace focused on marketing freelancers that seems to differentiate on service. They raised $1 Million in 2019. Learn more about Marketerhire here.
• You can't talk about freelance marketplaces without mentioning Upwork. The combination of elance and oDesk, they are the current brand leader in providing freelancer resources for projects of all types.

Wethos started with the mission to connect marketing freelancers to projects and jobs in the not-for-profit sector. After raising $3 Million in 2019 they announced an expansion into other vertical markets. Learn more about Wethos here.

Originally published in the HRWins MarketWatch Newsletter

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