How do you hire a Marketing Consultant Here are 6 things you need to know about marketing consultants

Are you looking for a marketing consultant to help you? You've come to the right place.

It is a significant investment to hire an external consultant. You are not only bringing in a new person (and an external) to your company but also knowing that major strategy changes are coming.

There are many things to remember:

• How can you tell if your company requires a marketing consultant
• What can you do to prepare?
• How can your employees and leadership team buy-in?
• How long will it take to see results?

We'll be answering all of the questions in this article. After reading this article, you will understand what a marketing consultant does and why companies hire them. There are 6 things you should know before hiring one.

Quick Take-Aways

• Marketing consultants can offer many services while others are more focused on a specific area.

• While some companies use a marketing consultant to help them with marketing problems, others hire one to help them launch new initiatives or optimize their existing marketing efforts.

• To make your marketing strategy work, you need a strong value proposition for your company and a product.

• Real results can only be achieved with marketing tactics like email marketing or content marketing.

• You need to get buy-in from the leaders of your company and the execution team to succeed as a marketing consultant.

• Marketing agencies, such as Marketing Insider Group, can manage both the strategy and execution of your content marketing strategy.

What does a marketing consultant do?

Marketing consultants are external advisors who help companies create and implement the best marketing strategies to achieve their goals.

They know how to execute a marketing strategy that works.

• Target audiences identified
• Recognizing gaps and opportunities
• Prioritizing strategies and initiatives
• Establishing KPIs and Success Metrics
• Execution plans

Marketing consultants are experts in their field. Marketing consultants can work as independent consultants or for a marketing consulting firm. Companies can choose which consultant they want to hire based on their needs and preferences.

It varies depending on the specialties. Marketing consultants might have expertise and experience in several areas. Some may be experts in only one area. Here is a list with common expertise and skills that marketing consultants offer.

img alt=”Listing of marketing consultant skills.” class=”aligncenter” height=”468″ loading=”lazy” src=”https://marketinginsidergroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Marketing-Consultant-Skills.jpg” width=”678″/>

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If a company has a specific area of marketing they wish to improve or execute, they may consider a specialist consultant. A marketing consultant that offers more generalized services is best for those looking for a complete marketing strategy.

Why does a company need a marketing consultant

It is easy to assume that any company who hires a marketing consultant must have a dire marketing strategy. However, this is not the truth.

Yes, some companies do hire a marketing consultant if their marketing performance is not good. They have every right to do this! However, it is not the only reason companies need or want one.

Many companies hire a consultant to help them improve their marketing strategy or launch a new one. A company may have a solid SEO and content marketing strategy, but they want to hire a consultant to help them launch their first email campaign.

This doesn't necessarily mean that they are in trouble, but it does indicate that they want to do the right thing the first time.

While some companies might be achieving good results, others recognize the need to get a higher ROI. Others may simply need an outsider's perspective to help improve their performance and find opportunities that they are missing. A new company might need an expert to launch its first marketing strategy.

Marketing consultants can be hired for many reasons. This does not necessarily mean that your company is in trouble. This could be a sign that you are looking to improve, optimize or launch something new.

Six things you need to know before hiring a marketing consultant

There is no magic solution

Any marketing strategy that is successful must have a compelling product and value proposition. Hiring a marketing consultant will not change the fact that there isn't enough demand for your products or services because customers don’t need them. It's a smart idea to look at other issues that could be affecting your company's growth before hiring a consultant.

Strategyzer has many great resources, such as the Value Proposition Canvas and Business Model Canvas. These tools will help you determine if your solutions resonate with your target audience and identify opportunities to pivot or improve.

Results take time

It takes time for new marketing strategies to produce results. No matter which tactics or initiatives you use, this is true. It takes approximately 8 touch-to-touch interactions with each prospect to generate a lead. This means that your email marketing campaign must be in place for a while before you see a rise in conversion rates.

Content marketing has a higher ROI than any other digital marketing strategy. It costs 62% less, and generates 3x as many leads than traditional marketing methods. It can take 6-9 months for real results to begin to show. The first few months can be quite a rollercoaster. You may experience an initial surge in growth and then a dip before you start to see consistent high performance.

Let me explain:

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Source: Image Source

It is important to understand that any marketing strategy or tactic your consultant recommends will require time to implement. It is important to provide background information and plan strategies in the beginning.

This means that you will see ROI over time if you work with a quality marketing consultant, but it is not an instant fix-all solution.

An internal champion is still needed

A marketing consultant is exactly that: a consultant. While they can help you succeed, they are not part of your internal team. They will not be there every day to ensure your plan is executed and they won't have the same knowledge about your company as you do about your customers.

You need to have an internal champion or several in order to get the best out of the work you do with a consultant. While your consultant will be your guide, you ultimately are the execution team. Before you invest, make sure it is in place.

You will need to be open to constructive feedback

Are you open to receiving honest, objective feedback on your marketing strategy and plans? You should prepare for the possibility of hiring a marketing consultant.

It is the job of a marketing consultant to optimize and improve your efforts. They must also point out what is not working and why. Along with constructive feedback, a quality marketing consultant will offer suggestions for solutions.

When you have been working hard for years, it can be difficult to receive constructive feedback. You can't improve if you don't first recognize the problems and gaps in your current strategies. Accept constructive criticism as a chance to improve and grow your business.

For success, leadership buy-in is essential

It is an investment to hire a marketing consultant. You will need more investment later. It can be larger depending on what tools, resources and tactics you have or are looking to put in later.

Financial investment requires buy-in from the company's leaders. It is best to get buy-in from your company's leadership before you hire a consultant. You don't want to hire a marketing expert only to find out later that they have not approved.

Do your research and explain why a consultant is the best choice for your marketing strategy. Then prepare your leaders for the future investments that you will likely make.

Focusing on results is the best way to do this. What will this investment do for your company? What will this do for your company? What are the specific results your leadership team can expect to see?

It is more likely that leaders will buy into information that shows tangible results.

An execution team is essential

Marketing consultants are there to help you develop strategy. They don't visit your office every day to manage execution. This responsibility will fall on your team.

Who are they? Before you hire a marketing consultant, find out if you don't already know.

Having the right people on board is key to your marketing success. You must be confident that your team can work with a consultant to create new plans. Communicate clearly and frequently about the consulting process, how each member of your team should handle it, and any new responsibilities that may arise.

Like your company leadership, if you place value on your employees and involve them in planning, you will be more likely to get buy-in from them. It's essential for your success!

Alternative options include agency services

Before you hire a marketing consultant, it is important to understand that they are not internal advisors. They don't work as an execution team and can't execute a company-wide strategy.

What if this is what you really need?

Many companies don't have the resources or the time to implement the strategy they know is best. Sometimes, their internal marketing teams lack the experience and knowledge to implement new marketing strategies or navigate new technology tools. Sometimes, it's not economically feasible to pay the entire cost of an internal marketing team. Companies need an alternative.

These cases, and many more, are the reasons why a marketing agency is the best solution.

Marketing agencies not only can help you plan your marketing strategy but also have SEO experts, graphic designers and digital marketing specialists (and many more) You can use the best human resources available to you by working with them.

Marketing agencies are as invested in your success as you are. It's their number one indicator of effectiveness. They will execute your plan and share your performance results regularly so that you can be confident in them and continue to do business with them.

Marketing Insider Group has a team that includes SEO experts and writers who can provide you with optimized content ready to publish every week for a whole year. We can help you assess your current content strategy, and create one that will get you the results you want.

Are you ready to find out more? To learn more, check out our SEO Blog Writing Service. Or schedule a quick consultation to discuss your needs.