What Does a Marketing Consultant Do?

Conduct Search Engine Optimization Audits

A good marketing consultant should include a search engine optimization audit in their efforts. SEO is a key element of driving traffic and lead generation. It also is crucial for reducing the impact competitors may have on a company. That SEO audit will likely involve content, page speed, and inbound links – all key elements in a successful SEO strategy.

Develop a Marketing Strategy;

The most important thing a marketing consultant does is developing the marketing strategy. Many businesses today still don’t have a clear strategy in place. To begin this process, most marketing consultants will start with a series of questions and conversations with several employees of the company. Depending on the business model and industry, the consultant will need to work closely with CEOs and marketing team but also sales and heads of almost every other department in the company that comes in contact with the product, service or communicates in any other way to external partners. The consultant will know which questions to ask and work on short and long term goals for the business.

Utilize Connections to Help With Specific Needs

A marketing consultant normally has many valuable connections within the marketing industry. They are able to identify not only what marketing strategies their clients need, but also who can help to implement these strategies. Therefore, they can connect their clients with professionals who have the qualifications and experience to fulfill the specific marketing initiatives that are needed, whether it’s blogging or paid advertising.

Take Charge of Product Launches;

Marketing consultants provide commercial and competitive intelligence in order to adapt offers in line with the market. They analyze the possibilities of marketing and launching a product and advise companies on the strategies to adopt. The marketing consultant assesses the product’s chances of success based on consumer expectations and competition and establishes a global strategy as well as a communication plan for the launch: advertising in the press and on the Internet, media plan, purchase of advertising space, quantified studies, budget, statistics, etc. They then assess the impact of the product on the general public and monitor it.

Run Social Media Profiles

A marketing consultant can run social media profiles and build an effective strategy for the brand. These digital platforms are essential in growing brand awareness, and a consultant can do just that. Through engagement, boosted posts, or giveaways, they can develop a social plan that will not only improve the look of the brand but connect with followers as well.

Train and Develop Employees

Employee training is one of a marketing consultant’s most important jobs. Apart from optimizing a business’s marketing strategy, they also have to make certain that the people in the company would be able to do the work correctly and consistently on their own. They do this by imparting their expertise, correcting work inefficiencies, and empowering employees to make good decisions. In doing so, they can ensure that the changes they implement will have a lasting effect that will deliver positive results for the long term.

Identify Missed Opportunities

Marketing consultants will identify missed opportunities and potential advertising avenues not yet capitalized upon. I’ve seen firsthand what a fresh set of eyes can provide a company. Marketing consultants have the added benefit of not only being experts on their field, they’re exposed to the practices of many other companies and know the most up-to-date, effective marketing tactics. They’re a great way to infuse your company with some fresh and current ideas, while identifying some of your long-standing oversights.

Track and Monitor Key Marketing Analytics

One of the major responsibilities of a marketing consultant is tracking and monitoring key campaign metrics to assess the effectiveness of the strategy in place. In some instances, the consultant is the one who identifies/creates the metrics that need to be measured. Tracking and monitoring of key metrics helps uncover the weak elements of the strategy. The marketing consultant will then adjust the marketing strategy as needed. The consultant may also have to train company staff on how to measure digital marketing campaigns so that they can manage and optimize the strategy once the consultant leaves.

Help Better Understand the Customer

As a marketing consultant, I consistently help businesses by pulling their view away from the trees and out of the forest, so they can better see through their customer’s eyes. Business owners tend to be so involved with the solution to their customer’s problem that they overlook the pain point’s the customer faces and thus their marketing communications are not resonating with their target audience. The customer wants to hear how the product/service is going to fix their problems (pain point), not so much about all the bells, whistles, and features (solution).

Build Revenue-Generating Flywheels

B2B marketing consultants help businesses strategize and execute upon marketing campaigns that generate revenue for the organization. They work across client departments (sales, marketing, product, etc.) to coordinate campaigns that attract leads that will ultimately turn into opportunities and a new pipeline for the organization.

As the consultant becomes more embedded into the day-to-day of the organization, you should start to see a flywheel begin to form with the increase in traffic, leads, opportunities, and new revenue earned. Consultants can also be responsible for building out reporting infrastructure that align back to the success of marketing campaigns launched throughout the consulting period – therefore giving the client a clear picture of ROI from the consultant’s fee.