What A Marketing Consultant Does and Why You Need One

Are you thinking about expanding your marketing efforts and bringing in a professional to help make sense of what you should be doing to make your business thrive and succeed? Let's take a look at what we feel is the most important marketing person to add to your team.

So you have finally launched your business. You are getting into a good rhythm with managing the daily needs of your business and have possibly even expanded your team by hiring some staff. You have successfully gained some customers/clients but now you sense things are starting to slow down and you don't see much return on investment from the various marketing tactics you have tried but you don't know why. If this sounds like you then you are in the right place and I have just the solution for you.

You need a marketing consultant!

What Is A Marketing Consultant?

Let's begin by looking at what a marketing consultant is. A marketing consultant is a business professional that has obtained either a college degree in a marketing-related field or has successfully earned a marketing certificate from a marketing institute. Online courses have proven to be a very reliable and useful way to obtain the education necessary and are a totally acceptable method of gaining marketing knowledge and wisdom. Consultants are often times self-employed and work on a contract basis or they work for a consulting practice alongside other marketing experts. They are brought on by an organization to help improve a company’s marketing. They create and implement marketing strategies. These strategies tend to be centered on customers by focusing on the services and products the company offers.

What Does A Marketing Consultant Do?

Secondly, let's take a look at what it is a marketing consultant does, and then we will get into why you really need one on your team.

A consultant helps create a detailed marketing plan, determines the marketing message, and identifies the appropriate marketing mix. They are also responsible for implementing the marketing plan, monitoring results as well as adjusting where needed.

The role that a marketing consultant plays varies greatly depending on the company and the projects they have. Each company has its own unique business goals to reach and challenges to face. The consultant's role will be to first identify what the goals are and where challenges exist. Then they will research, strategize, and implement tactics designed to achieve business goals.

How hands-on the marketing consultant is will vary. Some consultants are just advisers that help business owners understand what to do and how to do it. Some consultants will not only advise but implement tactics in order to achieve goals. It is good to be clear when hiring a marketing consultant how hands-on they will be.

Why You Should Hire A Marketing Consultant

There are several reasons to hire a marketing consultant and today we wanted to highlight the top 5 reasons business owners make the decision to hire a consultant.

1. Your Marketing Efforts Are Not Performing Maybe you are not getting the exposure, engagement, and lead generation you are reaching for. A good marketing consultant will help to pinpoint areas of breakdown in your marketing efforts and create workable solutions to overcome these issues.
2. You Are Not Able to Hire a Full-Time Marketing Staff Having the overhead to add on a full-time staff member to manage your marketing may not be something you have on hand. A Marketing Consultant's fee will many times be a much smaller investment and should produce a return that covers their costs after a few months of steady partnership.
3. You See the Benefit of an Outsider Perspective You are an awesome business owner and you are amazing at what you do. However, you are not a marketing expert and you acknowledge that. You see the value of having expert advice on things that are not your area of specialty but still have an impact on your overall business strategy.
4. Your Business Needs a More Specialized Marketing Skill Not all marketing is alike. There are some unique business areas that call for a specific type of marketing help. This means much of the general marketing advice you will find online may not apply to your business. Having a marketing consultant that specializes in your business industry will be key to understanding your marketing efforts.
5. You are Not Able to Afford a Full Ad Agency You may be all on board with having a marketing team, just can't afford everything at once. Having a full Ad Agency on hand may be a nice goal to strive for, but out of reach at the moment. So I suggest starting with having a marketing consultant. They will be able to guide you along the way and get your marketing pointed in the right direction.

How to Select A Marketing Consultant

When hiring a marketing consultant, decide what your marketing goals are. Then you can pinpoint someone who has experience and skills in that area. During your discovery call with the consultant, ask them about their experience, see if they have worked with organizations similar to yours. Bringing in a consultant with experience directly in your industry is not a must, though it can help. You also want to ensure that you like this person. You will be working closely with your marketing consultant on a regular basis, so it is very helpful for that person to be someone you like to engage with and work well with.
If you like what you read here and want to take the next step towards adding a marketing consultant to your team we would be happy to talk with you. Our Certified Digital Marketing Professional would be happy to meet with you, to learn about your business and to get started with improving your marketing efforts today. Schedule a Free Consultation now to get started.