“It’s always good to know more than you need to know.” As a freelance contract employee, I anticipated minimal training before getting tossed into the fire of my day-to-day responsibilities. The previous quote – pulled from a sales training video – sums up the value of GoRout’s robust training program. 

From my introductory one-on-one, I knew this company was different. Despite being hired as a 15-hour-per-week freelance search engine optimization (SEO) specialist and copywriter, I felt like a valued part of the team. They were transparent about investing time and resources up front – sunk costs on their end – through a vigorous training program.

As I scrambled to set up accounts, create login information, and cover basic housekeeping items, I was reassured it was the time to troubleshoot any issues and ask questions. This was all about setting me up for long-term, sustainable success in the role and organization.

Once I dove into my checklist of materials, I understood training was more than walkthroughs on how to write, edit, and publish blog content. The GoRout training process covers a range of information – some specific to the company and other relevant to the role and industry. By the end of my training experience, I was ready to get to work as part of GoRout’s team and culture. 

In this post, I’ll provide a comprehensive firsthand experience of GoRout’s training program for freelance contract employees. I’ll break down the process into four sections: 

• Team Intros
• Job-Specific Training
• Industry Training
• Company Training 

Team Intros

“We work better when we know who we’re working with.” Another quote from one of several introductory meetings to familiarize myself with other team members and vendors. 

Shortly after my initial one-on-one I was introduced to the marketing team – the group my work most closely impacts. They’re team members I’ll be communicating with on somewhat of a regular basis in my role. Through this meeting I became part of the marketing team. I learned the roles of each team member and their expertise. 

The other introductory meet-and-greet was with the SEO vendor team. They contribute a large part of the SEO in GoRout’s content process. I was briefed on the team prior to this meeting, but it was helpful to put faces to names and interact with them in real-time. Their one piece of advice: be patient. 

Although they were pre-recorded, reviewing training videos of the sales team gave me an indirect introduction to other GoRout team members. I won’t communicate with them often – if ever – but they’re still part of the team. The videos helped to gauge what the company culture is like and how team members interact with each other. 

Job-Specific Training

The most important component of the process was my job-specific training. It was a one-on-one meeting with the member who previously handled the duties I was hired to take over. In previous freelance or contract roles, this was the only type of “training” I experienced – and it was often minimal. In just over one hour we covered every facet of my job responsibilities and the process. 

Overview of the Process

Right off the bat they provided a high-level overview of the process. GoRout works with a vendor team to create SEO blog content and gain backlinks – from topic ideation through data analysis and reporting. Learning the process helped me understand my role in the big picture. It also provided an overview of the engagement from the company’s perspective.

As I mentioned before, I learned about the vendor team before our introductory meeting. In my job-specific training, we covered an overview of the vendor team. I gained insight into each of their roles and responsibilities, with tips on how they like to work. 

Breaking Down the Phases of the Process

Once we finished high-level information, we dove deep into the process. Broken down into four phases, the training defined and described my role, the vendor’s role, and how we work together to complete each phase. From keyword research and content to copyediting, publishing, and reporting, I learned the full process in detail. 

I was hired for SEO and copywriting, but the role also includes reporting on data. Though I worked on data analysis and reporting for SEO in the past, GoRout uses a different platform and metrics. The training addressed these areas which aren’t my “strengths” – explaining in detail how to access reports, what they mean, and why they’re valuable to the company. 

Reviewing Essential Documents

The final part of job-specific training walked through important documents I’ll refer to daily. They’re essential to organizing and tracking the process, with a content plan that covers historical context and future strategy as well as reporting documents. I received a breakdown of each document and how it contributes to success in my responsibilities. 

Job-specific training isn’t limited to one session. My trainer assured me I can message him anytime I have questions and we can set up meetings whenever I need. Training support is ongoing. 

Industry Training

Another component of the program was general marketing and SEO training. Two of my tasks were to complete a content marketing course (with a certification exam) and a SEO course. These training courses provided foundational knowledge for the “why” and “how” behind my position, even if it wasn’t specific to my job function. They gave context to the overall marketing strategy at GoRout and how my role contributes. 

Content Marketing Course and Certification Exam 

GoRout hired me as a SEO specialist and Copywriter, but the content marketing course provided new information about the process. I learned so much about content marketing. I was familiar with some of the topics, but much of the content was fresh and informative. 

The course emphasized the power of storytelling as a business. It taught me about forming a content creation framework – from ideating content to setting a timeline and creating a workflow. There was an emphasis on the strategy behind content marketing as a whole – not just SEO or copywriting. I was introduced to broader content marketing concepts like repurposing content, pillar pages and topic clusters, guest blogging, and promoting content. 

Some of the content touched on topics that impact my job directly. One section focused on creating quality blog content – very relevant to my role and success. I pride myself on my writing, but it never hurts to get a refresher on the basics. Two of the areas I found most valuable were the importance of structure and format in blog content, and methods for creating an engaging title. 

Following up on job-specific training, the content marketing course reviewed measuring and analyzing the success of content. This included key metrics to track, tracking conversions and  attribution models, and communicating goals to teammates and leadership. All of this information will be useful in the coming days and weeks as I get into the flow of my day-to-day responsibilities. 

As an added bonus, the course concluded with a one-hour exam. Upon completion, I received an official content marketing certification. 

SEO Training Course 

Even though I have years of experience in SEO, the training course was a nice refresher and covered additional components of SEO I haven’t worked with as often. It provided an overview of SEO from the ground up, starting at keyword research from scratch. 

My specialty is content-focused and the SEO training course expanded beyond that. I found the sections on backlinking outreach and technical SEO especially beneficial. 

My role at GoRout is SEO specialist and the training course helped prepare me for success in the position. 

Company Training

The final component of my training was company-wide training videos. This portion involved training on parts of the company I won’t be involved in. Though they don’t directly relate to my job, the videos helped me gain context about the company, team, product functionality, and other processes that SEO and content play a role in. 

A lot of the sales-related content wasn’t relevant to my position, but provided context about the product and process of winning new customers. It also covered cross-team collaboration basics like setting up and operating an efficient calendar. 

The videos introduced GoRout’s CRM – a platform that I’ll use for reporting. Though much of the information covered doesn’t apply to me, I was introduced to other functionalities and verbiage specific to the platform. Some of the sales specific language is relevant to how I’ll report on our content marketing efforts. Terms like total deal amount, open deal amount, closed won, and closed lost. 

In sales training videos, I found information that – while not directly relevant to me – can be helpful in the way I approach my work. In a Football New Hire Training, one quote stood out: “Coaches don’t want to deal with suits, they want to deal with coaches.” That mentality applies to the audience I’m publishing content for. Readers don’t want to deal with marketers, advertisers, and sales pitches –  they want sound information from a quality, authoritative source they can trust. 

Reviewing sales pitches and product demos provided a more in-depth understanding of GoRout’s product offering. They gave me a better idea of the pain points coaches face, common areas of pushback, and other useful information. 

Final Reflections on GoRout’s Training for Contractors

In a span of one week and about twenty hours, I absorbed an abundance of information. From GoRout’s company-wide training to job-specific guidelines and best practices, I came out confident and prepared to jump into the work. 

Along the way, I gained random nuggets of knowledge I wouldn’t previously have sought out, though useful in this setting. In one of the sales-related training videos, I learned you can click the scroll wheel in the center of your mouse to open a link in a new tab (or command + click if you’re using a mouseless mac). 

As I take on the day-to-day responsibilities as SEO specialist and copywriter, my official “training” process comes to an end. My learning, and guidance from team members, remains ongoing. I’ll work closely with the teammate who previously held my role to make sure I’m confident putting my training to practice on the job. He’s assured me his inbox is open at any time. 

I’m ready to represent GoRout as a part of the team. The training process reassured that. I’m not just a random contractor thrown to the sharks with no guidance. It’s clear that GoRout values me as an important component of the organization. And it makes sense – they invested time and resources up front, preparing me for success and ensuring they get the most out of their investment in the long run. 

Whether you’re a full-time employee or a freelance contractor, GoRout’s robust training program supplies you with a wealth of knowledge and support. By completion, you’ll be a valued part of the team and set up for sustained success in your position.