The Fantasy: Your marketing budget is packed to the brim with money to help build your dream marketing team. You hire nothing short of the best and life is good.

The Reality: Your staff is overworked, your budgets tight and you complete about half of the projects on your to-do list.

This reality is what many marketing mangers and small businesses face on a daily basis. Even so, youre still expected to consistently produce better results and the bar keeps on rising while you keep losing resources. Its situations like these that call for the outsourced consultants and freelancers of the world to help turn your fantasy marketing team into a reality.

What can you outsource?

You can outsource just about anything. With the layoffs and budget cuts that plague marketing departments and agencies, there are a ton of freelancers out there ready and willing to take on your projects. Everyone from designers, to copywriters, to project mangers can be brought in to help with any number of marketing communications tasks. Many times, you can find a team of freelancers that regularly work together. Look for freelancers by doing a Web search, browsing the yellow pages or by referrals from colleagues.

Wanted: good copywriting and design

If marketing communications were a building, copywriting and graphic design would be the support beams. Without these critical components, you really dont have a chance of communicating your message, making a sale or building your brand. Some of the best marketing communications pieces can come from a copywriter/design team, and most freelance copywriters and designers have a colleague they will refer to you.

A good copywriter/designer team should be able to understand your project quickly and get to work on it right away. In addition, they should be willing to work with you, your staff and any other creative partners you need involved in the project. However, dont assume that any freelancer will be able to effectively work with your staff - make sure they have the people skills to do so by interviewing them and checking their references. Often in the freelance industry, you can run across so called hermits that enjoy working by themselves and dont do well working with others. Not good if your project requires a lot of teamwork.

Thinking outside the box (or outside of your office)

One of the biggest benefits of working with a freelancer is getting their perspective on your projects. If they are a seasoned pro, they are used to giving advice to clients and should be more than happy to do so. Since you are so close with your industry and work with the same colleagues every day, your perspective can become skewed. Many insiders adopt their companys perspective rather than their customers. A good freelancer can help you avoid this by asking questions and suggesting ideas that you might not have thought about.

No more drained resources

Your full-time employees generally have a full-time workload. Even if you have writers and designers on staff, adding more duties to their already overflowing to-do lists can cause burnout and make your department fall behind on important projects. Bringing in a freelancer can help even things out and give your staff some breathing room.

A dedicated worker whenever you need them and never when you dont

When you hire a full-time employee, it is a big investment. A salary, training, insurance and office supplies are all part of the costs. When you hire a freelancer you pay them only for the project and nothing else. Its like having a full-time professional on call 365 days a year.

Youve made the decision, now its time to hire

When hiring freelancers, dont just look for the best price and quickest turnaround times, look for someone that will be there for the long term and will become more of a partner to your company. Follow these steps and you should be on the right track to building your dream marketing team:

1. First, you need to find a freelancer. Some of the best work will come from referrals - ask colleagues and other creative partners for referrals. You can also do a Web search, browse the yellow pages and check with local business organizations such as the chamber of commerce.

2. Interview the freelancer and view samples of their work. This will help you determine if they do quality work, and if they will fit in with your company and projects.

3. Request references from previous clients. When checking the references, try and get a feel for their timeliness, teamwork and professionalism.

4. Develop a contract or a letter of agreement that details the scope of the project, due dates and payment terms. This will help keep everyone on the same page, and protect both you and the freelancer.

Most companies are looking for ways to reduce costs and keep their staff happy, while building their brand and increasing sales. Hiring a freelancer to help out with your marketing workload can help to accomplish this. You'll put your company on the right track to success and put you on the right track to having your dream marketing team. So what are you waiting for? Start building your dream marketing team with freelancers today.