How FieldNest Hired a Freelancer for Social Media Marketing That Brought in New Leads Fast

FieldNest Finds the Right Social Media Match with ZapMyWork

Running a small agricultural supply business in a competitive region wasn’t getting any easier for FieldNest, a company dedicated to providing eco-friendly tools, organic seeds, compostable packaging, and accessories tailored for urban gardeners and local farms. Their mission had always been rooted in sustainability and community support, but in recent years, simply offering quality products wasn’t enough.

Larger retailers had started pushing into the same niche with flashy ad campaigns and influencer partnerships, making it tougher for FieldNest to maintain visibility—even among their most loal customers. Word-of-mouth and in-person events had helped in the past, but with shifting consumer habits and more people relying on online platforms to discover products, the team at FieldNest realized they were falling behind digitally.

They had invested in a clean, functional website that handled orders well. Their customer base appreciated the products and the personalized service, but there was one area where the company consistently struggled: social media.

Their Facebook page hadn’t been updated regularly in months, and Instagram was more of a digital scrapbook than a marketing tool. “Basically dormant,” one team member admitted. They were posting once every few weeks, often without much planning, and their posts didn’t seem to reach beyond a handful of existing followers. Engagement was almost nonexistent—no new followers, very few likes, and even fewer comments.

This wasn’t just about numbers; it was about presence. Their audience—home gardeners, micro-farmers, and eco-conscious consumers—was spending time on social platforms daily. If FieldNest wanted to stay relevant and build lasting relationships with this group, something had to change.

Hiring a full-time marketer wasn’t in the cards. They didn’t have the budget or the need for a permanent team member just for social media. What they needed was someone who could jump in quickly, understand their brand, and help them show up in a way that felt consistent and meaningful.

That’s when they discovered ZapMyWork.com—a freelance services marketplace that offered exactly the kind of flexible talent solution they were looking for. Within a few days, they were able to post a job, browse qualified freelancers, and connect with someone who truly understood the social media needs of small, purpose-driven businesses.

What FieldNest Was Looking For in a Freelancer

FieldNest didn’t just need someone to “make their feed look good.” They were searching for a freelance social media marketer who could take a strategic, thoughtful approach—someone who would understand their brand, their customers, and their goals.

Here’s what they had in mind from the start:

• Consistent Content Posting (3–4 Times Per Week)
  FieldNest knew consistency was key. They didn’t want to flood their followers with daily content, but they also didn’t want to go silent for days at a time. Posting three to four times a week struck the right balance—frequent enough to stay top-of-mind, without overwhelming anyone. Each post needed to feel intentional and on-brand, whether it was a photo of their newest seed bundle or a simple gardening tip.

• Platform Management (Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest)
  While Instagram was their primary focus, they also wanted to maintain a presence on Facebook and tap into Pinterest’s visual appeal. Managing all three platforms meant creating content that was adapted—not just copied—for each audience and format. They needed someone who could juggle those nuances without dropping the ball.

• Audience Research
  FieldNest wanted more than just pretty posts. They needed insights into who their followers were, what kind of content they responded to, and what questions or pain points they had when it came to urban gardening. The right freelancer would take the time to understand this and use that knowledge to shape content that felt relevant, timely, and useful.

• Hashtag Strategy
  Hashtags might seem like small details, but FieldNest had learned that the right ones could make a big difference in reach. They needed someone who could dig into the data, find the best-performing hashtags for their niche, and rotate them regularly to avoid falling into the algorithm's blind spots.

• Post Scheduling
  They didn’t want to think about when to post or worry about missing prime engagement hours. The freelancer needed to schedule posts ahead of time, using data to guide when their audience was most active—ensuring the brand showed up in feeds when it mattered most.

• Creative Visuals with a Natural, Earthy Tone
  FieldNest’s products were rooted in nature, and their visual identity needed to reflect that. Think soft greens, natural textures, warm lighting, and real-life moments from gardens and growing spaces. Overly polished or commercial graphics wouldn’t work. The freelancer had to be skilled at creating visuals that felt warm, grounded, and authentic to the brand.

• Analytics Reporting Every Two Weeks
  The FieldNest team wanted to know what was working and what wasn’t. They didn’t need a 20-page report—just a clean, simple summary every two weeks showing follower growth, post engagement, traffic to the website, and a few notes on trends and next steps. Clear, actionable insights were the goal.

At the heart of it, FieldNest wasn’t just looking for a freelancer to fill a social media calendar. They wanted a creative partner—someone who could use social media as a tool to spark real conversations, encourage shares, and drive genuine interest in their products.

Likes were nice, but what really mattered was meaningful engagement:

• Comments from followers sharing their gardening successes

• Saves of helpful planting tips

• Clicks on posts that led to the online store

• DMs asking questions about when to sow certain seeds

They wanted their social presence to feel like a natural extension of their brand—a place where customers could learn, connect, and feel inspired.

Finding the Right Fit on ZapMyWork

Through ZapMyWork, FieldNest came across Jamie, a freelance social media marketer who immediately stood out. Jamie’s profile reflected years of hands-on work with eco-conscious brands and small, values-driven businesses. There was a clear pattern in the work: clean visuals, thoughtful storytelling, and consistent community engagement.

What really caught FieldNest’s attention, though, was a case study Jamie had shared—a collaboration with a neighborhood community garden. In less than 12 months, Jamie had helped take their Instagram following from just under 500 to more than 5,000. But it wasn’t just about numbers. The engagement was real—comment threads filled with gardening questions, tagged photos from volunteers, and DMs from people wanting to donate or visit. It was exactly the kind of presence FieldNest wanted to build for their own audience.

After reaching out via ZapMyWork’s built-in messaging tool, the FieldNest team and Jamie quickly got into a back-and-forth exchange. They discussed goals, tone of voice, posting frequency, and Jamie asked smart questions that showed they were listening—not just pitching a generic service. By the end of that conversation, it was a no-brainer. FieldNest was ready to move forward.

Jamie offered a flexible, month-to-month social media package tailored for small businesses like theirs. It included several components that made the process feel organized, collaborative, and manageable for a lean team like FieldNest's.

Jamie’s Monthly Social Media Package

Here’s what was included, and how it helped turn things around:

Content Calendar Creation

Each month kicked off with a planning session. Jamie shared a visual calendar that mapped out every post—whether it was a behind-the-scenes photo from the warehouse, a planting tip timed with the season, or a spotlight on a customer’s garden.

This calendar didn’t just make life easier; it gave the FieldNest team a chance to weigh in, suggest promotions, or sync posts with product restocks and limited releases. No more last-minute scrambling to figure out what to post—it was all laid out ahead of time.

Custom Visuals & Captions

Jamie didn’t rely on stock photos or recycled content. Every post featured original visuals—flat lays of seed packets on burlap, real customer photos shared with permission, or short video clips showing planting how-tos.

To keep things casual and on-brand, the captions were friendly and conversational, sprinkled with emojis, hashtags, and calls to action that felt natural. Think:
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