Most marketers believe that the only way to meet success in the workforce is to climb the corporate ladder as a full-time employee. What they don’t know is that they may have a new choice: to become a self-employed marketing consultant.
The demand for independent marketing consultants is partly attributed to the fact that some companies are unable to invest in expensive major publicity or advertising firms or even a senior marketing manager within their business.
These leads companies to invest in specialized expertise that can support them and potentially train their own internal team.
Read on to find out more about being a marketing consultant and see if it’s something you could see yourself doing.
What you need as a Marketing Consultant
The marketing needs and services varies from client to project, but often involves the marketing consultant finding the best way to reach the company’s customers. A marketing consultant can study current selling conditions and make recommendations for improvement, plan, and introduce social media or other advertising programs.
They advise their clients on best practices and suggest new content, workflows, or methods reach out to customers. They would then chart the success of marketing campaigns using empirical approaches.
Now that you know what skills you need, there are a range of actions you can take on your way to becoming a fully fledged marketing consultant.
Establish Trustworthiness:
You’re never going to get the customers you desire or any of them at all if you can’t create and win trust. You’ll need approvals and forum recommendations that will allow you to develop this trust.
Broadly speaking, there are three key things that a prospective client will want to know before they trust you:
- Confidence that you will deliver.
- The assurance that the value you deliver will be worth more than what you cost them.
- The promise that you will have a clear and quick response when they call you.
Getting a client’s strategy right:
Many businesses are very interested in building a strong brand that customers value as they see this as essential to growing their net profits long-term. Marketing consultants need to ensure the right strategy is employed that focuses on maximizing revenue whilst having a clear brand strategy.
For example, a half-price promotion that quickly boosts product sales and increases a client’s revenue isn’t going to have a positive effect long term if the company has spent years developing a luxurious identity.It may in fact lead to a negative effect on the brand and impede long-term growth.
Education:
Marketing consultants will establish immediate credibility with potential clients if they have a degree in communications and/or relevant certifications. The best ones are always improving and developing their skills so that they can keep up-to-date and provide their clients with the very latest in marketing.
The field of marketing and what’s expected of a marketing consultant is constantly changing and it’s important to keep up with the demand.
Promoting yourself as a Marketing Consultant:
Establishing trust is one thing, but you’ll also need to sell yourself! Start selling yourself as a marketing consultant by ensuring you communicate the following key things:
- A broad portfolio that demonstrates experience with a range of marketing strategies.
- Several years of success as a full-time professional marketer.
- Expertise in a particular area or experience in a wide variety of industries.
- Good expertise in copywriting and communication.
- How your skills can make a vast improvement to the client’s business.
- Strong ability in the latest software and digital marketing tools.
Want some further inspiration? Check out this great example of an Auckland marketing consultant.