Introduction

Prior to the pandemic many businesses were busy and run off their feet fighting fires, focusing on operational, day to day issues to keep their customers happy. Lack of internal resources made it difficult to take time out to prepare for the medium to longer term and lay the groundwork for continuing success.

This was a busy time for me.

Fast forward several months and the landscape has changed but the requirement to bring in experience from outside the business has not diminished. In fact, in many cases, the need has increased as the business environment has gone through seismic change, companies work at reduced capacity or have lost some of their workforce and expertise.

I've been around for a while, I'm reasonably well known in my niche and my clients are very good at referring me on to companies they work with who need marketing help and support. But if you’ve never dealt with a marketing consultant and you’re making your decision based on what you find out online, how do you choose the one that’s right for you and your business, how do you know they can deliver what they say?

There are areas where you can look to find information that will help narrow down your options and help you decide, I've highlighted them below.

Enjoy the read.

Andrew Leon Walker

5 Key Questions To Consider Before Retaining A Digital Marketing Consultant

To help you make the right call I’ve put together 5 key questions to consider to help you make an informed choice to pick the right digital marketing consultant for your business.

1.    Are you looking for a marketing agency or a marketing consultancy?

Before you start your search, you need to have a clear idea of the skills and experience you want to bring into your business.

What’s the difference between and agency and a consultancy?

To answer that question let’s take a look at how the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), define marketing:

“Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably”

You’ll note it doesn’t say anything about websites or design.

A marketing consultant is generally a qualified and experienced marketer who works at a strategic level to manage and deliver a range of activities to achieve a set of goals and objectives.

Marketing Consultants are mainly brought into a business on a project basis to support areas where resource or skills are in short supply or they may be retained on a regular basis to provide advice, recommendations or to achieve a specific set of agreed deliverables.

They don’t always deliver the tactics themselves (some like me can and do) but may manage others to do so.

Marketing agencies may handle all of the marketing activities on your behalf, including the creative elements. However, many marketing agencies only provide creative services e.g. website builds and graphic design and these are more tactical elements within the marketing mix.

You could consider a digital marketing consultant as your ​​​Virtual Marketing Director taking responsibility for marketing leadership, direction, implementation and delivery without having to recruit any (expensive) staff. It's their role to take all of the relevant digital marketing channels available and make them work well together to achieve your ultimate aim, which for most businesses tends to be sales growth.

Another point worth noting is that a marketing consultant may work with you or your team, transferring their knowledge into the business, improving your own skills and experience and your digital marketing know how.

2. Do they have the practical experience you need?

When it comes to digital marketing there are plenty of people out there who may understand the technology and be able to press the right buttons or show you the HOW but it’s important that any marketing consultant you choose also understands the WHY.

Digital marketing is not about the technology.

An experienced digital marketing consultant needs a set of skills and specific expertise and can quickly set about achieving the desired outcome by hitting the ground running.

Having extensive practical experience across a wide range of industries or market sectors is a definite plus as exposure to new ideas and technologies outside of your own market sector can be a major benefit to your company.

It’s not all about the marketing communications or creative aspects of marketing either. Practical experience of researching new market opportunities, launching new products or services and managing campaigns nationally and internationally are key skills that your business may need to succeed. But these activities don’t come around that often. Bringing in a professional who has that experience under their belt will help ensure nothing is missed and success is more likely

As well as their specific skill set, consultants also run their own business so they understand all of the issues you may face in your business regarding, cash flow, managing employees, deadlines and dealing with or managing third parties.

3.    Do they really understand digital marketing?

Digital marketing continues to evolve and the key to success is to get found online, chosen over the competition and to keep your customers coming back for more.

The smart approach is to use Inbound Marketing techniques to attract an audience through the creation and promotion of quality, relevant content.

This means marketing consultants need to have a good understanding of each of the key building blocks of digital marketing, namely:

• Website management
• Content marketing
• Social media marketing
• SEO/PPC
• Email marketing
• Google Analytics

Each of these activities delivered in a silo are primarily marketing tactics. Your digital marketing consultant also needs to have an in-depth understanding of marketing strategy and planning and how and where each of the above tactical activities fit together, working towards a common aim and where they will really impact your business and your profit margins.

Most businesses that employ a consultant are looking for a marketer with a wide range of skills and experience who can take a holistic, big-picture view of marketing at a strategic level.

How Can You Confirm Their Skillset and Experience?

On the assumption that you haven’t met the consultant or they’ve not been referred by a trusted colleague, there are 2 key areas that provide information on whether a consultant has the skills and experience necessary to meet your needs that you can tap into before you decide to meet up:

1.     Their website

2.     Their LinkedIn profile

4.    Does their website confirm how they can help?

It’s very easy for anyone to say they can do things and many businesses do. A number of creative agencies offer consultancy to boost their list of services, but many actually outsource this task. I get around 20% of my business from supporting creative marketing agencies with strategic marketing services.

It’s important to read the copy on their website carefully to ensure it matches what you need. Marketers have different areas of expertise and tend to focus on those even when discussing other services.

Good web copy should be focused on you, the customer and demonstrate how the consultant can help. It should explain that they understand the issues you face and how they can address your challenges. It should also highlight the benefits you will gain from retaining their services.

You may need to filter out the fluff.

Is the list of services available appropriate for your needs?

Looking at the list of services and the mix of skills on offer will give you an idea of where their expertise lies. I offer a range of specific services that focus on strategic planning, generating leads, expanding market opportunities and outsourced marketing services. However, I provide my clients with the option of deciding whether:

• They want me to advise and guide them
• They want me to show them what to do and how to do it
• They want me to do it for them

Others may choose to specialise in fields with a narrow marketing focus such as PPC or SEO. That doesn’t make one better than the other, it depends on what you’re looking for.

Most businesses I work with are looking for a wider knowledge base that can pull together a larger selection of marketing methods and channels to reach the right audience.

Read the case studies and testimonials carefully.

Read any case studies to see what service was delivered. I’ve clicked on many case study snippets with the headline “Strategic Marketing” to find that what was actually provided was in fact a new web build or a creative re-brand rather than the creation and implementation of a strategic marketing plan.

An absence of case studies could be a warning sign.

Is there a mix of testimonials from businesses in your market sector and do they support multiple services or concentrate on one area?

Your consultant should have no difficulty getting a testimonial from a satisfied client and that client should be happy to provide his name and company rather than a snippet from “a customer in the technology sector”.

Visit their blog.

A blog is a great tool for businesses to show off their expertise and knowledge. If your consultant doesn’t have a blog that’s another warning sign. Read any posts published to get a feel of what they offer and how they can help.

If available, sign up for their newsletter to find out what copy they provide and how relevant it is to your needs.

5.    Does their LinkedIn profile match up?

LinkedIn is a social media platform targeted at B2B professionals. Any consultant worth their salt will be active on LinkedIn and have a compelling up-to-date profile touting how they can help.

Key areas in their LinkedIn profile to check out include:

The About section

This is where LinkedIn allow the user to explain what they do and how they can help. Read the copy and make sure it ties up with what’s being said on the website.

The Featured section

This is an area where the user can upload any media such as eBooks, blogs, video etc. It can provide more in-depth information on what they do and who they do it for.

The Experience section

This is basically a list of current and previous job roles with an explanation of achievements under each role. A good consultant will be able to provide an insight into what they did and how they helped.

If someone is claiming to have years of experience on their website but their experience section highlights, they worked in a totally different role in a different industry 9 months ago then alarm bells should start ringing.

The Education/Licenses and Certifications section

The digital marketing world is evolving quickly so it’s important to know that your consultant keeps their skills fresh and up to date.

Digital marketing consultants need to continually educate themselves by reading the latest blogs, viewing the latest webinars and attending relevant training courses. And all in their own time, so you don’t have to.

These sections show the level of education your consultant has along with any recent training courses or certifications they have achieved and uploaded. 

The Recommendations section

Check out the number or recommendations received (and also provided to others) but more importantly who they have received them from. This will provide an indicator as to the level of seniority of their roles and experience.

Other factors to consider

Sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees, it’s easy to get so close to a problem that it seems to be invisible. A marketing consultant coming into the business with no baggage or previous history provides a fresh take on any issues.

Bringing in someone with new skills that are currently lacking within the business provides an opportunity to transfer this knowledge to key people within the business.

Any digital marketing consultant you retain may spend a reasonable amount of time in your company so it’s important that you get along and that there is a shared chemistry between you both.

Therefore, it’s important that you have an opportunity to get together and get to know each other prior to any commitment.

If you can't meet up then talk to them via telephone or online via Skype, Zoom or Google Meet to find out whether you think you could do businesses with them.
Good luck.

Andrew Leon Walker

Follow me on LinkedIn​