When you are looking for a marketing consultant, it is important to understand what their key responsibilities, technical skills, and soft skills are.

A marketing consultant can play different roles within your company, depending on your needs. They may be responsible for developing marketing plans, executing campaigns, managing customer relationships, or even training your staff. So, if you’re looking for help with your marketing efforts, here are some of the skills and responsibilities you should expect from your consultant. Keep reading to find out!

What is a marketing consultant and what do they do?

A marketing consultant is a professional who helps companies and organizations to improve their current marketing strategy, develop tactics, and execute them. In other words, a consultant is there to help you market your business more effectively.

They are experts in the field of marketing and can provide valuable insights and advice for business development. Sometimes, it’s an independent consultant, while in other cases, there’s a whole marketing team working together. Typically, they work with clients on a project basis, providing them with guidance and support to help them achieve their desired results.

To get a deeper understanding of their role, check out this article.

Marketing consultant skills and background

When it comes to marketing, there are a few common skills that every successful marketing consultant should have.

First and foremost, an experienced marketing consultant should have a deep understanding of marketing principles and strategies as well as relevant marketing experience. He should also be an excellent communicator, both written and verbal, and have strong interpersonal skills. Furthermore:

• Strategic thinking: A good consultant will be able to think strategically, taking into account your business goals and objectives, and developing a plan to help you achieve them.
• Creativity: To be able to come up with fresh and innovative ideas, creative thinking is a must for a prospective marketing consultant.
• Analytical skills: A consultant needs to have excellent analytical skills to be able to understand complex data and make strategic decisions.
• Communication skills: Consultants need strong communication skills to be able to present their ideas clearly and persuasively. They should also be good listeners so that they can understand your needs and requirements.
• Organizational skills: An effective marketing consultant needs to be well-organized to be able to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Project management skills: As marketing consultants often work on a project basis, they need to have good project management skills to ensure that each project is delivered on time and within budget.
• People/Communication skills: To be able to build strong, long-term relationships with clients and team members, consultants need to have good people skills.
  
  

It’s a quite wide range of skills, which shouldn’t come as a surprise if you think about all the different roles and responsibilities a marketing consultant can have. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common ones.

Typical roles and responsibilities of a marketing consultant

As we mentioned before, the roles and responsibilities of a consultant can vary depending on their potential client’s needs. However, there are some common tasks that marketing consultants typically undertake:

• Conducting market research and analysis
• Identifying commercial opportunities and threats in the market
• Developing marketing plans and strategies
• Executing digital campaigns
• Managing customer relationships
• Measuring and reporting on the results of marketing campaigns
• Monitoring changes in the external environment and adapting marketing plans accordingly
• Providing marketing training.
  
  

Conducting market research and analysis

To help you understand your target market and develop effective marketing strategies that are tailored to them, marketing consultants will often conduct market research. This may involve conducting surveys, interviews, and focus groups.

Identifying opportunities and threats in the market

Once the market research has been conducted, consultants will analyze the data to identify any opportunities or threats that may exist.

Developing marketing plans and strategies

Based on their findings, consultants will develop customized marketing plans and strategies that are designed to achieve your marketing goals.

Executing marketing campaigns

Once the marketing plan is in place, the marketing consultant will help you to implement it. This may involve developing and managing marketing campaigns, as well as overseeing the day-to-day running of the marketing activities, or training your staff on how to execute them effectively.

Managing customer relationships

Good customer relationship management is essential for any business. Marketing consultants can help you to develop strategies to improve your relationships with current and potential customers.

Measuring and reporting on the results of marketing campaigns

To ensure that marketing activities are achieving the desired results, consultants will often track and measure key metrics. They will then provide you with reports on the progress of the campaign and make recommendations for improvements.

Monitoring changes in the external environment and adapting marketing plans accordingly

The marketing environment is constantly changing, and marketing consultants need to be aware of these changes. They should also be able to adapt your marketing plans accordingly to ensure that they are still effective.

Providing marketing training

Many marketing consultants also offer training services. This may involve teaching your staff how to use specific marketing tools or providing them with general marketing training.

As you can see, these types of digital marketing experts can provide your business with a wide range of services. They can help you to understand your target customers, develop marketing plans and strategies, execute marketing campaigns, manage customer relationships, measure and report on campaign results, and monitor changes in the external environment.

However, if you are thinking of hiring a marketing consultant, be sure to discuss your specific needs with them first and here you’ll find some tips on how to do so.

Types of marketing consultants

Another thing to keep in mind before hiring a marketing consultant is that there are different types of consultants, each with their own areas of marketing expertise. For example, some of them may specialize in online marketing, while others may focus on more traditional marketing techniques.

When choosing a consultant, it’s important to select one that has the specific skills and knowledge that you need. Some of the most common types of marketing consultants include:

• Digital marketing consultant: As the name suggests, these consultants specialize in digital marketing. They can help you to develop and implement an effective digital marketing strategy or campaign that will reach your target audience through various digital channels – from email marketing to social media platforms.
• Traditional marketing consultants: These consultants focus on more traditional forms of marketing such as print advertising, television commercials, and direct mail.
• Product marketing consultant: These consultants specialize in marketing specific products or product lines. They can help you to develop marketing plans and strategies that are designed to increase sales of your products.
• Brand marketing consultant: These consultants focus on developing and managing an organization’s brand. They can help you to create a strong and recognizable brand that will resonate with your target customers.
• Inbound and content marketing consultant: These consultants specialize in inbound marketing and content marketing. They can help you to create and implement effective content marketing campaigns that will attract your target customers and convert them into prospective customers.
• Search engine marketing consultant: These consultants specialize in search engine marketing (SEM). They can help you to create and implement effective SEM campaigns that will improve your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
• Marketing communications consultant: These consultants focus on developing and managing an organization’s marketing communications. They can help you to create effective marketing materials, such as brochures, website content, social media content, or other forms of promotional materials.
• Social media marketing consultant: These consultants specialize in social media marketing. They can help you to create and implement effective social media campaigns that will reach your target customers through various digital platforms.

 

With the right consultant on your team, you can take your marketing to the next level and reach your target audience more effectively. Be sure to choose a consultant that has the skills and knowledge that you need to achieve your desired results.

We encourage you to find out more about the services and work we offer here, at LFDM, and if you need any kind of help or further assistance – feel free to reach out.

FAQs

What are some benefits of working with a marketing consultant?

There are many benefits to working with a marketing professional. Some of the most common include:

• Having an expert on your team who can provide valuable insights and recommendations.
• Gaining access to a wider range of skills and knowledge than you may have in-house.
• Being able to tap into a consultant’s network of contacts and resources and more!

Find out more benefits of working with a marketing consultant here.

Who does a marketing consultant work with?

A marketing consultant typically works with a company’s advertising or marketing department. They may also work with other departments, such as sales, public relations, and product development.

What is the difference between full-time and part-timers?

Full-time marketing consultants generally work with one company, handling all aspects of the organization’s marketing. This can include developing marketing plans, managing advertising campaigns, conducting market research, and overseeing public relations efforts. Part-time consultants usually work with multiple clients simultaneously and may only handle specific aspects of a client’s marketing strategy.

What are the benefits of a brand strategy?

A brand strategy can help you:

• Develop a clear and differentiated position in the market
• Attract and retain the right customers
• Increase awareness of your brand
• Generate leads and sales
• Build loyalty and customer advocacy
• Improve employee engagement
• Increase efficiency and effectiveness of marketing efforts
• Reduce marketing costs.
  
  

What Is competitive analysis?

Competitive analysis is the process of identifying your competitors and evaluating their strategies to determine their strengths and weaknesses in relation to your own business. Competitive analysis can help you:

• Understand the competitive landscape
• Identify business opportunities and threats
• Develop a competitive advantage
• Make informed decisions about marketing mix, pricing, distribution, etc.
  
  

What is an inbound marketing consultant?

An inbound marketing consultant is a professional who helps businesses attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers through inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is a holistic, data-driven approach that aligns with the way people buy today.

Inbound consultants work with businesses to create and implement inbound marketing plans that drive results. They are experts in the inbound methodology and have a deep understanding of the buyer’s journey and they can help businesses with all aspects of their inbound marketing, from strategy to execution. They can also provide guidance on tactics, such as content marketing, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), social media, lead generation, and lead nurturing.

What is a marketing consultant degree?

There is no one specific marketing consultant academic degree. A bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field is typically required. Many consultants also have a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) with a concentration in marketing.

How much does a marketing consultant make?

According to Glassdoor, the average annual salary for marketing consultants in the US is $66,000 per year. However, the top 5 percent of earners make over $100,000, while the bottom 20 percent of earners make less than $40,000 per year.

When do you need a marketing consultant?

If you are not seeing the results you want from your marketing efforts, or if you are not sure how to get started with marketing, then you may need a marketing consultant. A marketing consultant can help you develop a comprehensive marketing strategy and plan that will achieve your desired results. Generally speaking, you might want to hire a marketing professional when you need:

• Assistance in business growth
• Fresh perspective
• Guidance on digital advertising.