The wonderful thing about the rise of vocations in Digital Marketing are the ever increasing opportunities available to a remote workforce.

Experts in Google Ads, SEO, Content Marketing, Web Design and Social Media Marketing are located around the world, and as many industries don’t require a local digital marketer, if time difference isn’t an issue, a remote team member may be the best thing that has happened to a business.

Rise of the Distributed Agency Model

Mashable was one of the first online publications to cite the rise of the Distributed Agency Model in its 2011 article of the same title. Oxford Review defines the Distributed Agency as:

“where the actions or operations of a range of different individuals often with different motivations, interests and in different places combine to create an outcome they all wanted.”

In essence, the Distributed Agency Model is one where Digital Marketers from across the country or globe unite with the goal of creating a Digital Marketing Agency that combines skills, knowledge, technology and processes to benefit the marketer and the clients. It can be more cost effective for a business, and certainly achieve better results.

Another benefit of the Distributed Agency Model is that with a remote workforce, businesses can find they get a highly skilled Digital Marketer without having to allocate resources in house, and to pay as you go.

The drawback across the globe has been the inconsistency of talent, with many businesses scarred after engaging contractors from various freelancer platforms who may have embellished their skill levels and end up costing a business time and money.

In Australia, the Distributed Agency Model hasn’t been such a success to date, this could be due to the population size (25 million in 2019), compared to countries like the United States (329 million in 2019) and India (1.37 billion in 2019) however Munn Digital is on target to change that.

Tracey Munn, Founder of Munn Digital, explains why the agency is on track to be the world’s largest Distributed Agency, and why it’s a win for the physically challenged.

“The motivation for me to start a Distributed Agency begins with my own physical challenges. I am a 48 yr old female and have lived with an autoimmune disease called Psoriatic Arthritis since I was 18 years old. 

Whilst this form of arthritis has recently made the headlines thanks to Kim Kardashian, the reality is scientists have struggled for a long time to find a cure, and unfortunately mine spread to every joint in my body very early in life. This meant I had to create a lifestyle around my physical limitations; and that’s been very hard.

I have worked all my life, and for the past 10 years honed my skills and studied profusely to be a digital allrounder.

Throughout the journey I have put my body through hell and it became evident it was time to slow down physically. My brain, however, is just as active as always. I need to work, I love to work and am passionate about Digital Marketing and my clients. 

For me, remote work is perfect. However, in my ambition to grow, and with clients in the APAC region and Middle East, I realised there must be more like me out there who want to benefit from streamlined processes and support, hence the rise of Munn Digital”.

Munn Digital recently put a call out over LinkedIn for freelancers interested in joining the agency, receiving a fantastic response.

“Expressions of interest were over 200 worldwide,”said Tracey “it’s exciting however the process is going to be highly scrupulous”.

“We are calling for experts globally, who can clearly demonstrate they are digital all rounders with Google certifications, testimonials and portfolios. This is a digital agency, not a freelancer site, with the benefit of available agents being verified demonstrated experts so that businesses don’t need to go and fact check before engaging a digital marketer”.

The combination of Digital Marketing and remote work has provided individuals with physical challenges the opportunity to showcase their skills and build a successful enterprise without walking in the front door each night exhausted, with no work life balance.

Being able to work in a warm and comfortable space, having access to video chat such as Skype or Google Hangouts, setting your workspace ergonomically, and resting when you most need it, allows someone with a physical challenge to fully engage their brain, without the stress and fatigue that accompanies a 9 to 5 lifestyle.

As Tracey can attest to after 30 years of working and now maintaining a remote work agency “ I have certainly experienced the ups and downs of business and employment, the biggest pressure was always the exhaustion and lack of understanding from bosses and colleagues, and the stress I put on myself. I have finally found my path to success thanks to the Distributed Agency Model”.

Thanks to the Rise of the Distributed Agency Model, and the continuing incline of Digital Marketing, individuals experiencing physical challenges need not be limited in their careers, and this can only be a good thing for everyone.