We are not a behemoth organization here at RMH. But we are immensely powerful in our agility, experience, focus, and passion. Our team is streamlined and can tackle just about any marketing challenge thrown our way. And we do it well. We’re Jacks (and Jills) of all trades. But we also have a secret: we invest in the gig economy.
What does this mean? What are the benefits? What are the disadvantages? Why does this even exist? All good questions. Here’s our take…
What is the Gig Economy?
Today’s workforce is packed full of innovative trends and new norms. One of the biggest trends involves individuals making the decision to become gig (or independent) workers. This is allowing skilled professionals greater flexibility, more dynamic project loads, and potentially increased income.
This Entrepreneur article identifies 10 of the highest paying gig economy jobs this year: https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/309958
According to Intuit, the owner of TurboTax, the gig economy is anticipated to grow to over 40% of the US workforce by 2020.
Why Is This a Good Thing?
Somewhat of a stigma still hovers around the term “contract worker”. Some may believe that freelancers only freelance because they aren’t capable of holding down a steady job. Along similar lines, there may be fear that the services a client is paying for will not be the same quality if contractors are used.
We disagree.
We may be well-versed in all things marketing, but part of our agility stems from our understanding that the best product we can deliver for a client may require additional minds. We only want experts working for our clients, so we benefit from the increasing availability and talent pool the gig economy offers. When specialty projects arise, our clients know they have a one-stop shop with RMH. It’s not often that you’ll hear us say, “that’s not in our wheelhouse.”
One of the most common examples that pops up for us is the request for specialty photography. Whether it’s real estate, construction, consumer product, lifestyle, or action photography, we wouldn’t want to rely on just anyone with a DSLR camera. We vet through an extensive list of independent photographers to ensure we work with the best talent for that specific project.
Below is a recent example of a development site photoshoot where we utilized one of our extremely talented contract photographers:
In addition to photography, we pull from a talented pool of videographers—depending on the client’s needs—to offer the best possible product. Whether the project requires drone footage, live action, or animation, we have just the right expert in our back pocket.
Again, our goal is to deliver the most remarkable quality to our clients, which could also take the form of specialized content writing. A versed writer for a winery has a very different tone than that of a writer for an engineering firm. We partner with the best and have the most qualified arsenal after 13.5 years of vetting the gig economy.
Our Outlook
Each of us at RMH has made a commitment to never stop learning. And one of the best ways to learn is by meeting and working with people who can teach you something new. Even if they are here for a brief time, gig workers contribute to the quality and spectrum of what we can produce. And with the ever-evolving needs of our clients, the gig economy allows us to adapt and remain nimble in order to evolve ourselves.
-Christine M., Senior Account Manager