If you want to grow your business, then having people specialized in digital marketing can be a great asset.
A reliable marketing consultant is able to help you find the right marketing approach, establish a proper marketing strategy and prevent any mishaps that can arise.
However, finding a reliable marketing consultant can be very challenging, especially with so many options out there.
How can you choose a great consultant?
Here are some tips and tricks to focus on!
Check their previous experience
When you already have a few marketing consultants in your list, a good way to narrow down the right options is via checking their experience.
What you want to do is to take your time and see what kind of results these consultants brought for their clients.
Any successful marketing consultant will share their list of clients and that will give you a good idea of what you can expect.
Generally, experienced professionals have a higher fee, but then again, you’re getting your money’s worth.
Which is why working with a vetted professional that has lots of experience is extremely important.
Do they stay up to date with the latest digital marketing trends?
Staying updated with the latest trends is a must in the world of digital marketing.
A reliable marketing consultant will always know what’s trending, what works and which is the ideal marketing strategy at this time.
You can have a good understanding of that that person can provide simply by talking with them and asking them for some assistance.
If the consultant understands the industry, knows the latest happenings and can adapt to the latest trends, then that’s a person you should consider working with.
Create a list with your expectations and things to achieve
Once you have that list, share it with every marketing consultant that you are considering at this time.
Ask their assistance and see if they can establish a marketing strategy for you. A reliable consultant will always establish a framework to help you achieve your goals, and then they fill in the blanks with all the necessary steps.
You always expect the best consultant to fulfill your expectations, and doing that can make a huge difference.
Pick a budget
Every marketing consultant has their own price based on their experience, knowledge, how they approach every project, etc. As you can imagine, a dependable, reliable professional commends more money.
As a result, you want to define your budget from the start, as it will make it easier for you to narrow down what pricepoint you are comfortable with. Then you will find it a lot simpler to pick from the options available around that pricepoint.
As always, you don’t want to go with the cheapest options. If something seems too good to be true, then that’s most likely the case. What you want is to focus on bringing you the ultimate value and experience.
Upgrading the budget is the right approach, since it will give you access to a much better consultant, an upgraded marketing strategy and a higher chance of success overall.
Is the marketing consultant specialized in a certain field?
It’s always a good idea to ask the marketing consultant and see if they are specialized in a certain industry for example. Specialization comes with a premium fee most of the time, but it might provide you with the right benefits and results.
Which is why we recommend asking and figuring out if the consultant can target specific things related to your industry. That might give you the upper hand as you try to surpass your competitors.
Does the marketing consultant provide any guarantees?
You do want to have some sort of guarantee when you work with any professional. Since the world of digital marketing is constantly shifting and changing, it can be hard for a consultant to offer any guarantee. That being said, the right consultant will always work with you to offer great results and the right value for money.
Which is why it’s crucial to ensure that the consultant you want to hire will do their best to provide extraordinary results. Checking their track record helps, and if they are known to go overboard to help you achieve certain KPIs or goals you have in mind.
Does the marketing consultant work alone? Do they outsource the work?
Nowadays you can find digital marketing professionals that do everything in-house, but some of them outsource too.
Which brings the question, does the marketing consultant you want to hire outsource the work or not? Ideally, you want to work with someone that does the work themselves. This way you know their track record and understand what you can expect.
Outsourcing is a wild card, sometimes it can be great, other times it can be terrible. That’s why working with a person that does all the work themselves is the right way to go.
How is their communication?
Let’s face it, communication is key when it comes to any marketing consultant.
You want to ensure that the consultant you hire stays in touch and offers all the information and assistance you need. Some consultants will just work on their own and present the marketing strategy when it’s finished.
However, for the most part it’s a good idea to be a part of the process. That’s why adequate, constant communication is something you should value and take into consideration.
Check the way they present themselves online
It’s a good idea to check the website of a marketing consultant so you can see how they present themselves.
Are they addressing your key issues?
Is their copy and marketing style high quality, personal and it generates engagement?
These are things that matter quite a bit, since they show you just how much value you can get from working with them.
If their copy is great and it draws you in, then most likely their approach and marketing strategy will work for your customers too.
Visit their LinkedIn profile
Another thing you can do when trying to find a marketing consultant is to visit their LinkedIn profile. A reliable professional should always have a presence on this site. Here is my Linkedin Profile for you to see.
Not only that, but this is a great place where you can check recommendations and also see what previous clients/peers have to say about the consultant.
You always want to have as much info as possible about a consultant before you take any decision, and this helps quite a bit.
Do they work on their own or for an agency?
Sometimes, a marketing consultant that works for an agency can bring in extra manpower if your project is complex.
However, if he works alone, that means he will take more time to fulfill your task. In this case, it all comes down to personal preference.
We think that working with a single marketing consultant is better since you can harness their expertise, sometimes bringing in other people might end up affecting the end result.
Conclusion
As you can see, finding a great marketing consultant involves a lot of time and effort.
However, the right consultant will help establish the best marketing strategy, while optimizing and enhancing your business style.
We recommend taking your time, using these tips and tricks, and you will have no problem finding the right person.
Create a list with the consultants that are promising, and then do a deep dive into their portfolio, social and online presence, pricing and other relevant information.
Once you do that, it becomes a lot easier to narrow down the right marketing consultant that will help take your digital marketing campaign to the next level!
