As we move into the final months of the year, marketing leaders often feel a mix of excitement and pressure. It’s a time to close out campaigns, meet goals, and start planning for next year. However, the end of the year can also feel like a scramble. Tight budgets, competing priorities, and team availability often collide, making it hard to end the year on a high note.
Fortunately, marketers can make these last months smoother by being more strategic about how they allocate resources, especially when it comes to hiring external support. By leveraging freelancers strategically, you can ensure that the year ends strong. Below, we’ve outlined the key challenges marketers face during this chaotic time and solutions inspired by our clients’ real-world success stories.
Challenge #1: Budget Constraints
The Situation:
For most businesses, the fiscal year ends during these final months. By this time, many marketing teams have already spent the bulk of their budgets or those budgets may have been reduced heading into the final quarter. With limited funds left, marketers may struggle to allocate resources for crucial end-of-year initiatives, invest in additional tools, or hire team members.
According to Gartner’s CMO Survey, marketing budgets are down from 9.1% of total company revenue in 2023 to 7.7% in 2024.
The Solution:
When budgets are tight, hiring full-time staff or investing in long-term projects may not be feasible. Instead, consider bringing in a freelancer or freelance team to handle specific tasks. Platforms like Wripple allow you to quickly source specialized talent within your budget. Freelancers offer a cost-effective way to get high-quality work done without the overhead costs associated with hiring permanent staff.
Freelancers can help with tasks like campaign management, content creation, or even last-minute holiday promotions. By hiring for specific needs, you can make sure that critical projects are completed, and on budget.
Challenge #2: Resource Availability
The Situation:
As the end of the year approaches, many team members take time off for holidays or personal reasons, and others may be experiencing burnout after a long year of work. The result? Reduced team availability just when deadlines are looming.
The Solution:
To avoid resource shortages during this crucial period, start planning in late September or early October. You can hire temporary support to fill in for key team members who are out of office or to take on the overflow work to prevent your team from becoming overwhelmed.
By onboarding freelancers early, you can ensure they have enough time to understand your company’s goals and processes before diving into projects. This will help you avoid any disruption during the holiday season when many permanent staff members may be unavailable.
Challenge #3: Competing Priorities
The Situation:
End-of-year deadlines often collide with the need to plan for the next year. Marketing leaders are tasked with both completing current projects and preparing strategic initiatives for the future. Balancing these competing priorities can be a major stressor.
The Solution:
One approach is to create specialized on-demand teams focused solely on end-of-year projects. By delegating specific tasks like campaign execution, report generation, or marketing asset creation to these teams, you can free up your internal staff to focus on strategic planning for the upcoming year.
You can also consider bringing in a marketing strategist or consultant to provide a fresh perspective on next year’s planning. Outsourcing the planning process allows you to focus on immediate needs while ensuring that your long-term strategy is set.
Challenge #4: Time Sensitivity
The Situation:
End-of-year marketing campaigns are often tied to time-sensitive promotions, holiday sales, or fiscal-year-end initiatives. Any delays in execution can lead to missed opportunities, diminished ROI, or campaigns that fail to meet their full potential.
The Solution:
To meet these tight deadlines, you need to scale up quickly and bring in professionals who can hit the ground running. Hiring project managers who specialize in managing crunch periods can help keep your team organized and ensure that everyone stays on track. These experts know how to navigate end-of-year rushes and can implement systems that streamline workflows.
Additionally, on-demand marketing experts can be instrumental in executing last-minute campaigns, whether it’s launching a holiday promotion or preparing for a Q1 product launch. By outsourcing these time-sensitive projects to experienced freelancers, you can ensure that deadlines are met and opportunities are not lost.
Challenge #5: Data and Reporting
The Situation:
Finalizing year-end reports, analyzing campaign performance, and compiling data for annual reviews can eat up a significant amount of time and resources. These tasks are essential for evaluating the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, but they can also divert attention away from project completion.
The Solution:
One solution is to bring in a data analyst who can help you turn raw data into actionable insights. They can handle the heavy lifting of compiling reports and analyzing performance, freeing up your team to focus on executing campaigns and strategic planning for the upcoming year. A strong analyst can also assist in preparing for Q1, using data to inform next year’s strategy.
Another option is to consult with a martech or AI expert who can help you implement tools that automate data collection and reporting. These tools can save time, reduce manual work, and streamline your reporting processes. In the long term, automating data workflows can help reduce your need for additional personnel, lowering costs in the process.
Challenge #6: Changing Priorities
The Situation:
As the year closes out, unexpected changes in business strategy or last-minute shifts in priorities can create chaos. Marketing teams are often forced to pivot, redirecting their focus from planned projects to new initiatives that weren’t originally on the radar.
The Solution:
To adapt quickly to these changes, it’s essential to build a virtual bench of talent so you can scale up or down as needed. Having a roster of trusted freelancers available allows you to respond to changing priorities without derailing ongoing projects. Whether you need to quickly onboard extra hands for a new campaign or switch focus to a different set of goals, your virtual bench ensures flexibility.
By building relationships with a diverse pool of freelancers, you can rapidly adjust your team’s capabilities based on the business’s evolving needs.
The final months of the year can be challenging in the marketing world, but they don’t have to be chaotic. By strategically leveraging external talent, you can alleviate pressure on your internal team, meet tight deadlines, and keep campaigns running smoothly. You can also get a head start on 2025! Whether you’re facing budget constraints, resource shortages, or competing priorities, the right freelance support can make a world of difference.
Don’t wait until the last minute to address these challenges. Start planning now, build your virtual talent bench, and bring in the specialized skills you need to finish the year strong.
To learn more about any or all of these solutions, contact your Wripple Client Lead, or
request a demo.As we move into the final months of the year, marketing leaders often feel a mix of excitement and pressure. It’s a time to close out campaigns, meet goals, and start planning for next year. However, the end of the year can also feel like a scramble. Tight budgets, competing priorities, and team availability often collide, making it hard to end the year on a high note.
Fortunately, marketers can make these last months smoother by being more strategic about how they allocate resources, especially when it comes to hiring external support. By leveraging freelancers strategically, you can ensure that the year ends strong. Below, we’ve outlined the key challenges marketers face during this chaotic time and solutions inspired by our clients’ real-world success stories.
Challenge #1: Budget Constraints
The Situation:
For most businesses, the fiscal year ends during these final months. By this time, many marketing teams have already spent the bulk of their budgets or those budgets may have been reduced heading into the final quarter. With limited funds left, marketers may struggle to allocate resources for crucial end-of-year initiatives, invest in additional tools, or hire team members.
According to Gartner’s CMO Survey, marketing budgets are down from 9.1% of total company revenue in 2023 to 7.7% in 2024.
The Solution:
When budgets are tight, hiring full-time staff or investing in long-term projects may not be feasible. Instead, consider bringing in a freelancer or freelance team to handle specific tasks. Platforms like Wripple allow you to quickly source specialized talent within your budget. Freelancers offer a cost-effective way to get high-quality work done without the overhead costs associated with hiring permanent staff.
Freelancers can help with tasks like campaign management, content creation, or even last-minute holiday promotions. By hiring for specific needs, you can make sure that critical projects are completed, and on budget.
Challenge #2: Resource Availability
The Situation:
As the end of the year approaches, many team members take time off for holidays or personal reasons, and others may be experiencing burnout after a long year of work. The result? Reduced team availability just when deadlines are looming.
The Solution:
To avoid resource shortages during this crucial period, start planning in late September or early October. You can hire temporary support to fill in for key team members who are out of office or to take on the overflow work to prevent your team from becoming overwhelmed.
By onboarding freelancers early, you can ensure they have enough time to understand your company’s goals and processes before diving into projects. This will help you avoid any disruption during the holiday season when many permanent staff members may be unavailable.
Challenge #3: Competing Priorities
The Situation:
End-of-year deadlines often collide with the need to plan for the next year. Marketing leaders are tasked with both completing current projects and preparing strategic initiatives for the future. Balancing these competing priorities can be a major stressor.
The Solution:
One approach is to create specialized on-demand teams focused solely on end-of-year projects. By delegating specific tasks like campaign execution, report generation, or marketing asset creation to these teams, you can free up your internal staff to focus on strategic planning for the upcoming year.
You can also consider bringing in a marketing strategist or consultant to provide a fresh perspective on next year’s planning. Outsourcing the planning process allows you to focus on immediate needs while ensuring that your long-term strategy is set.
Challenge #4: Time Sensitivity
The Situation:
End-of-year marketing campaigns are often tied to time-sensitive promotions, holiday sales, or fiscal-year-end initiatives. Any delays in execution can lead to missed opportunities, diminished ROI, or campaigns that fail to meet their full potential.
The Solution:
To meet these tight deadlines, you need to scale up quickly and bring in professionals who can hit the ground running. Hiring project managers who specialize in managing crunch periods can help keep your team organized and ensure that everyone stays on track. These experts know how to navigate end-of-year rushes and can implement systems that streamline workflows.
Additionally, on-demand marketing experts can be instrumental in executing last-minute campaigns, whether it’s launching a holiday promotion or preparing for a Q1 product launch. By outsourcing these time-sensitive projects to experienced freelancers, you can ensure that deadlines are met and opportunities are not lost.
Challenge #5: Data and Reporting
The Situation:
Finalizing year-end reports, analyzing campaign performance, and compiling data for annual reviews can eat up a significant amount of time and resources. These tasks are essential for evaluating the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, but they can also divert attention away from project completion.
The Solution:
One solution is to bring in a data analyst who can help you turn raw data into actionable insights. They can handle the heavy lifting of compiling reports and analyzing performance, freeing up your team to focus on executing campaigns and strategic planning for the upcoming year. A strong analyst can also assist in preparing for Q1, using data to inform next year’s strategy.
Another option is to consult with a martech or AI expert who can help you implement tools that automate data collection and reporting. These tools can save time, reduce manual work, and streamline your reporting processes. In the long term, automating data workflows can help reduce your need for additional personnel, lowering costs in the process.
Challenge #6: Changing Priorities
The Situation:
As the year closes out, unexpected changes in business strategy or last-minute shifts in priorities can create chaos. Marketing teams are often forced to pivot, redirecting their focus from planned projects to new initiatives that weren’t originally on the radar.
The Solution:
To adapt quickly to these changes, it’s essential to build a virtual bench of talent so you can scale up or down as needed. Having a roster of trusted freelancers available allows you to respond to changing priorities without derailing ongoing projects. Whether you need to quickly onboard extra hands for a new campaign or switch focus to a different set of goals, your virtual bench ensures flexibility.
By building relationships with a diverse pool of freelancers, you can rapidly adjust your team’s capabilities based on the business’s evolving needs.
The final months of the year can be challenging in the marketing world, but they don’t have to be chaotic. By strategically leveraging external talent, you can alleviate pressure on your internal team, meet tight deadlines, and keep campaigns running smoothly. You can also get a head start on 2025! Whether you’re facing budget constraints, resource shortages, or competing priorities, the right freelance support can make a world of difference.
Don’t wait until the last minute to address these challenges. Start planning now, build your virtual talent bench, and bring in the specialized skills you need to finish the year strong.
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