The Benefits for Workers in Digital Marketing and Remote Work
Intro
Digital marketing being a very young career field easily lends itself to adapting to contemporary working environments. Even prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, remote work was a popular work environment for digital marketing, with many digital marketing professionals electing to conduct their business entirely online through e-commerce.
The field is widely populated by freelancers and entrepreneurs, without surprise considering the low capital requirement to get started. Online business owners need only knowledge of e-commerce, a computer and the drive to run a business on their own volition whereas business owners requiring a shop need a hefty initial investment.
Why is digital marketing especially good for remote work?
The main barrier for most career fields in regards to switching to remote work is that some operations and deliverables cannot be executed remotely, or not as effectively; an example would be business to business sales, in which meeting clients and partners in person results in a more effective sales closing.
However, digital marketing is unique in that every deliverable can be seamlessly submitted online. This applies to just about every sector of digital marketing as these deliverables involve things such as content marketing pitches, search engine optimization, social media marketing, copywriting materials and web analytics. All of these items can be easily given to the client through file sharing and no real difference is noted in comparison to if the professional was working in person.
In fact, many may consider digital marketing to be even more efficient when performed via remote work because marketing firms can pay less in building rentals, office overhead and administrative costs. Essentially, all a marketer needs is their computer, the appropriate software and a viable communication system with their team to produce work that is equally on par with in person work.
How does remote work improve the average digital marketing professional’s quality of life?
Remotely performing digital marketing work is almost entirely a benefit to people who work in the field. The only drawback is that remote work causes workers to stay home more often, which can be a bit too comfortable, may demotivate the worker, and increase sedentary behavior. However, all of these drawbacks are contingent on the volition of the worker and are easily remedied by having a strong enterprising attitude.
All of the benefits of remote work improve the quality of life for professionals in some way. The biggest boon for your average digital marketing specialist is the ability to save tons of time on commuting to the office every day. It is not uncommon for workers in big cities like Los Angeles to commute one hour to and from their workplace, which burns a lot of precious time as well as gas, more often than not.
Time is arguably the most precious resource to anyone, as it’s unrecoverable; we will never be able to relive the current moment. By engaging in remote work, employees in digital marketing can finish whatever work they have at the moment and spend the remaining time they have either doing something else that’s productive to them or for their own leisurely ventures. No one would argue this is far more beneficial to society and the individuals than daily tedious commutes or lounging about in the office because you’ve completed your prescribed duties for the day and have nothing to do, so you’re just taking up space until your shift is over.
The freedoms and opportunities that remote work opens up for digital marketers
Entrepreneurs should be drawn to the world of digital marketing for good reason; the biggest of which being freedom. While fiscal earnings depend entirely on the financial savvy of the business owner, the ability to work at one’s own beck and call is completely priceless.
Whilst working in a typical nine to five office environment for five days a week, there’s very little opportunity for workers to be mobile; this issue ranges from not being able to attend a close friend or family member’s wedding in a different state due to your work schedule not aligning with the time of the event and being unable to take the time off because your team absolutely needs you, to simply not having the time to enjoy your life and travel somewhere you’ve always wanted.
Granted, just about every job allows workers to have some reasonable amount of vacation time, but this tends to be a couple weeks, maybe three weeks at best of vacation time. This is simply not enough time to smell the roses and settle in, as I’m sure many can relate to the feeling of going on the one vacation in the year and feeling pressured to do as much as you can in a matter of a week before you must head home due to the expenses and time pressure.
Remote work allows you to go on vacation about any time of the year you please, so long as you can get your work done or keep your online business running. You can travel to your family’s ancestral home and remain there for two weeks in order to take the time to reconnect with your loved ones from the past, as opposed to only having a few days to do so and possibly missing the chance to see some of your friends due to time constraints.
The demographic that stands to reap the most benefits from the freedom of remote work is avid enjoyers of traveling. While I do not personally travel or enjoy it very much, I’ve had the pleasure of acquainting with many entrepreneurs in various online businesses who grow to love their jobs simply due to the fact that they can do it anywhere they want; allegedly, if you’re doing work, there will be aspects you do not enjoy. However, what’s it matter if you’re doing the menial labor such as answering repetitive emails when you’re doing it underneath a palm tree enjoying the luscious California beaches or atop a hillborne cottage overlooking a vast savannah basking in the sun?
Mental health benefits of remote work, conclusion
The last point about remote work and digital marketing I’d like to make is that it’s a good way to improve your mental health. This is a benefit that is once again priceless as we constantly live inside our heads, thus it should be a priority to keep that place as pristine as possible. The lack of pressure to run to the office, the somber hour-long drive home and the ever so fleeting respite of the weekend only to repeat it all over again are all aspects of the nine to five that are absolutely taxing to the mind. Even if you aren’t traveling, the ability to work at home where you’re comfortable and can move at your own pace does wonders for your mental health.
by Chris Tran, AmericaEquals Digital Marketing Intern
Photo Credit: Nelly Antoniadou