Why Hire a Digital Marketing Consultant?
- 🚀 Digital marketing is crucial for growing businesses.
- 👨💼 Reasons to hire a digital marketing consultant: lack of internal resources/skills, need for outside perspective, prefer project-based approach.
- 👩💼 What a digital marketing consultant can do: create functional websites with optimized SEO, focus on long-term growth, develop inbound marketing strategy, optimize web design and drive traffic, access better marketing tools, train team on digital marketing skills, analyze metrics, guide through strategic changes for business growth.
- 💼 In a nutshell, digital marketing consultants are necessary for implementing appropriate online marketing strategies and achieving commercial growth.
When is the Right Time to Hire a Marketing Consultant?
- Consider hiring a marketing consultant if your business is ready to be challenged and make changes to grow. 🤝
- If you’re generating leads but not closing deals or struggling to attract the right customers, it’s a sign to hire a consultant. 💼
- A good consultant can bring exceptional ROI boosts that justify the cost of their services. 💰
- If your business is down due to the economy, inappropriate pricing, or ineffective marketing strategies, a consultant can help get it back on track. 📉
- Marketing strategies can always be optimised, and consultants can provide an objective third-party perspective to strengthen and correct them. 🎯
- A marketing consultant can help navigate complex office dynamics and create a consensus-based on the business’s best interests. 🤝
- If you’re consistently overwhelmed and pressed for time, a consultant can save time and achieve more in a specified time frame. ⏰
- A consultant can guide you in modernising your marketing methods and creating a more polished corporate identity across all appropriate platforms. 💻
- Carry out a cost-benefit analysis to understand the gains and costs of hiring a consultant before making a decision. 📊
What Makes a Good Marketing Consultant?
- Marketing consultants are independent advisors hired by businesses to develop and implement marketing strategies that meet their specific needs. 🤝
- They can assist in drawing up detailed marketing plans, determining corporate identities and marketing messages, and using the right combination of marketing strategies to target willing audiences. 🎯
- A good marketing consultant should have a balanced mix of soft and technical skills, including skills in communications, marketing, economics, business, and corporate psychology. 🤔
- They should also have expertise in other areas of marketing such as social media, digital marketing, copywriting, TV advertising, non-profit marketing, direct response marketing, and public relations. 📈
- A trustworthy consultant is always willing to go the extra mile, and they will listen attentively to their clients’ issues, requirements, and goals. 🤝
- They should be excellent written and spoken communicators who meticulously document their work and work towards a single, unified vision with their clients. 💬
- A good marketing consultant should respect their clients’ business, time, and point of view, always delivering tangible results within a pre-specified period. 🙌
What is the Difference Between a Marketing Consultant and a Marketing Agency?
- Marketing agencies specialize in advertising and PR, while marketing consultants offer coaching-centric and innovative approaches.
- Agencies have scalability advantages due to their size, while consultants may be limited in availability.
- Agencies have more combined experience and expertise, while consultants may be highly specialized in certain fields.
- Consultants offer unique perspectives and ideas, while agencies provide a marketing think-tank with multiple perspectives.
- Consultants complete projects and offer recommendations, while agencies implement and tweak strategies for the best ROI.
- Consultants provide opportunities for education and up-skilling, while agencies offer professional development and workshops for employees.
- Consultants offer a personalized approach, while agencies use pre-set systems and processes for consistent results.
- Ultimately, it depends on the client’s priorities and business needs to choose the best marketing option.
How Much Does a Marketing Consultant Cost?
- Hiring a marketing consultant can take your business’s advertising protocols to a new level.
- The cost structure of marketing consultants varies from flat fees and lump sums to daily or hourly rates and results-based rates.
- Consultants should be transparent and up-front about fees and any additional costs.
- In a discovery phase, the client and consultant should talk in-depth about requirements and budget.
- Flat fees and lump sums require paying once upfront, while daily and hourly rates are based on the number of hours or days spent on the project.
- Results-based rates are becoming popular as they offer a fair deal to clients.
- To calculate consulting fees, regardless of the payment structure, convert it into an hourly rate.
- Consultants’ benchmark fees depend on their level of experience in their field, duration and size of the project, and other factors.
- Obtaining value from your consultant is more important than finding the cheapest option.
- Try out their services before hiring them, keep clear goals, and assess their expertise.