Being a group of marketing consultants, we spend our days in meetings with CEOs, CMOs, marketing managers, folks with brilliant business ideas, and more. We discuss marketing strategies, budgets and brand opportunities but, that's not all we do.
Marketing consultants offer much more and are often a valuable resource for business owners and executives looking for guidance.
Here's 5 unique (and non-traditional) ways to work with a marketing consultant:
1. VENDOR AND CONTRACTOR ADVOCACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
If you've hired a contactor or vendor to handle your digital ads, SEO strategy, social media marketing, etc., consider hiring a marketing consultant to sit in on meetings. Chances are if you're a small business in this situation, you've found yourself following the vendor's lead when they say, "you'll need to increase your budget by X to accomplish Z".
How can you be sure you actually need to increase your budget and the vendor or contractor isn't trying to plump up their monthly retainer? That's where your marketing consultant comes in. A consultant will sit in on calls, and well, call them out on their BS if needed. The consultant is your advocate in this situation and it's their job to make sure you're spending exactly what you should be and not only that, but getting the best ROI.
They'll ask for specific data and analytics - not just the metrics the vendor and contractor want you to see. A marketing consultant will hold them accountable to that, and much more.
2. INTERVIEWING POTENTIAL CMOS AND MARKETING DIRECTORS
Have you ever tried hiring for a role you know nothing about? When hiring for executive roles like Marketing Directors and Chief Marketing Officers, you want to ensure you're going deeper than surface level questions. This is a big role and they have some big shoes to fill. They need to hit the ground running when they arrive, so you need to be sure they know their stuff and they're actually good at what they do.
Marketing consultants jump in during the interview process and go deeper than the surface level questions.
Instead of: "What marketing KPIs do you prioritize?"
We'll ask: "Tell us what you like and don't like about the new GA4 (Google Analytics 4) vs UA (Universal Analytics)."
Instead of: "What percent of your seven-figure marketing budget would you spend on digital ads?"
We'll ask: "Given a seven-figure marketing budget, what percent would you spend on digital marketing and how would you divide that percent up among Google search and Google display ads?"
3. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETER MENTORING
Marketing consultants work with Social Media Marketers to inspire and motivate. If your SMM is handling social media on a daily basis, its easy to get in a rut. All day, every day, they're consuming and creating content. They can't get away from it and sometimes it can cause them to feel so uninspired and drained.
We know, because we've been there - we're there every day. We've been managing social channels since 2009 when businesses decided they needed to have a presence. We have to say, this role in the marketing department is one of the most grueling - outside of the Events Manager. That person is amazing - amiright?
Your SMM will need to be energized once in awhile. That's where your marketing consultant steps in. Not only is it a great way to re-inspire the team, it's a moral and culture booster to boot. Any time you can invest in your team, is a win in that regard.
A marketing consultant will spend time strategizing as a team with your SMM. Being a team is key here. It's less, you've-been-slacking-lately-so-we're-hiring-a-marketing-consultant-to-work-with-you and more we-know-how-tiring-this-role-can-be-and-we'd-like-to-invest-in-some-help-for-you. A consultant and your SMM will work on generating ideas, coming up with sustainable ways to pump out content regularly and review major trends happening.
Did you know Facebook and Instagram are drastically reducing business page reach lately? Yeah, we've felt the change and chances are your SMM has too. They could use some inspiration and a marketing consultant can offer just that.
4. AS A BRAND GOALIE
Picture it. You're rebranding, you've got a killer brand team working on your new logo and brand board. They've given you some amazing choices but you can't seem to decide which one to go with.
You need a brand goalie. Someone that will block you from choosing a brand that won't fit with your overall marketing strategy. Enter the marketing consultant.
Brand designers have a creative mind and we're so thankful for that. They give us the best color choices, the best composition, the best font pairings, etc. But some, not all - some, don't take other things into consideration like versatility, brand perception, longevity, etc. A marketing consultant will offer advice on which of option to choose based on your strategy and marketing plan.
I promise, they'll think of things you've never thought of. Like, how that logo will translate to an embroidered logo on your staff's shirts or which logo will be best on a billboard driving by at 70MPH. It pays to have a marketing consultant give you some feedback before you make your final brand decision.
5. A RESOURCE FOR CONNECTIONS
Spend a couple hours with a marketing consultant asking them who the best vendors are for swag, signage, graphic design, social media, etc. They have spent years finding only the best of the best in the business. Trust their opinions and their referrals - they come to you after a lot of sweat and tears.
They'll also tell you where to get the best coffee and which coffee shop is the appropriate temperature to work in all day. You wouldn't believe how many coffee shops are FREEZING! We're looking at you Starbucks.
Since we're here and if you're wondering, we recommend Congamond Coffee in Southwick, MA. A super cute and quaint coffee shop, once a general store, is near Congamond Lake and located right on the bike trail.
See? We get excited about this stuff.
As you know, marketing consultants play a huge role in your budgeting and marketing strategy, but they can help in so many areas. From hiring staff, to motivating your team, to running defense against a possible re-brand mistake.
We're here for ya!