Definition: A marketing consultant is a very skilled professional who understands analysis, what motivates consumers and how to put marketing strategies in place to improve business.
There are many that confuse advertising/marketing agencies and marketing consultants, assuming marketing consultants do the same thing, but not tied to an agency. However, in truth the two are very different although they perform complementary functions.
For example, if you know your message to advertise, you might hire an advertising agency to create advertising materials, as they have creative teams who will help deliver the message in a fresh and engaging way through a variety of marketing channels.
In contrast, a marketing consultant is the person who helps a business decide how to best engage existing clients, determine who else might be attracted to try the product or service and how to expand the customer base, by looking at the existing business model, considers the market potential and develops a strategy to achieve larger goals. In addition, marketing consultants usually have associates on hand who can provide other marketing services ensuring synergistic approach for the business.
SO, WHAT WOULD YOU HIRE A MARKETING CONSULTANT TO DO?
Some examples:
• Identify new opportunities to engage with existing and new clients
• Evaluate existing marketing materials, social media and advertising, determining how well these target customers and generate sales
• Shape company branding, the identity of a company and how well it resonates with the desired lifestyle demographic (is it professional? unique? recognisable?)
• Manage the brand if something happens to damage a company’s reputation – a form of damage control
• Get former customers to return more often by introducing new products or service opportunities
• Improve customer engagement through social media, creating the opportunity for interactive relationship to be nurtured and maintained
• Coordinate content on website, in blogs and on landing pages, writing content mindful of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) keywords to generate organic search engine rankings on Google, etc.
• Manage email and social media marketing campaigns, online advertising, mobile and local marketing
• Manage marketing related activities, such as print, events and short-term projects
As you can see the roles of marketing consultants are quite diverse, and an experienced one will be well worth the cost of assessing and improving marketing for your business.
IF YOU THINK A MARKETING CONSULTANT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOUR BUSINESS? I’M HERE TO HELP.
Find out more about APS, our services, and projects we’ve worked on, and why APS should your chosen marketing consultant. Contact Andy Sarson on 07773 366393 or send me an email – andy.sarson@apsmarketingservices.co.uk – and we can setup a time for a FREE initial consultation (up to 60 minutes) … and I’ll buy the coffee!