What are the skills I need to be a marketing consultant?

Many marketers think that the only path to success is to work full-time. They don’t know that they have another option: become a marketing consultant.

There is a growing need for digital marketers with so many career options . The market for independent consultants has been growing, largely because some companies don’t want to invest heavily in large advertising or marketing firms and instead prefer to hire a single expert to train their internal team.

The industry has a value of $250 billion , with hotspots like the UK and U.S. The job growth rate in management consulting and analyst roles is projected to be 14 percent by 2022, which is higher than other projections.

Self-employment may not be for everyone. Every job has its pros and cons. Find out if becoming a marketing advisor is the right career for you by reading on.

What is a marketing consultant?

Marketing consultants’ jobs vary depending on their company or project, but they typically advise companies about the best ways to engage customers and convert them.

Marketing consultants offer a wide range of services, including:

• Evaluation of current marketing efforts, and suggestions for improvement
• Helping devise, plan and implement digital marketing campaigns across all channels
• Train other marketers in best marketing practices and technologies
• Offer new ways to reach and convert consumers or solutions for workflows
• Analytical tools to track the success of marketing campaigns

A digital marketing consultant is able to provide unbiased solutions and advice that will help a brand achieve success in its marketing. This role requires a high level of expertise in digital marketing. It also includes the ability to provide advice on key areas like paid media, analytics, optimization and social media strategy.

According to Research by Credo the average digital marketer earns $147.67 an hour, with rates increasing based on the years of experience.

Reputation Building

If you don’t know how to build trust, you will have a hard time getting the clients that you want. A excellent LinkedIn profile, which includes testimonials and recommendations on your website, can help you build trust. Three things are needed for a client to trust you. They need the assurance that you deliver, the belief that your fee is worth it, and the guarantee that they will receive a prompt and clear response when they contact you.

Understand how marketing influences brands

In order to increase their customer base, and maximize profits, many companies are looking to create a brand that is trusted by customers. Some marketing consultants make the mistake to focus solely on revenue, without considering brand perception. A half-price sale might temporarily increase sales and profit margins for a client. If the client has invested years in developing a luxury image, this could damage the brand’s long-term growth.

Free E-Book: Kickstarting your Digital Marketing Career

Become Indispensable

Finding work as a consultant can be challenging. You will need to invest a lot time in building your brand, and gaining referrals. Persist and you’ll start seeing repeat clients and referrals. Repeat clients are a sign of reliability and success. You become a hard-to-replace person when you learn as much as you can about the company and industry of your clients. Once you’ve acquired expertise, it is irreplaceable.

Consider auditing your skill set to see what you are interested in, what knowledge you have, and what you can do to improve, especially with digital transform across industry. Use that information to find clients who are interested in your skill set.

Learn, Learn & Keep Learning

The best marketing consultants continue to learn even after they have earned a certification. They continue to learn and improve their skills in order to keep their clients up-to-date on the latest technologies and marketing practices. It’s vital to stay up to date with changes in the marketing industry to provide clients with the best possible advice.

How to Set the Right Price For Your Services

You should always do your research before deciding on a price. What is a simple formula to set a price for individuals?

Start at the bottom of your income statements and work your way up until you reach your top line. The fees you plan to charge. Profit + Overhead = Daily Fee revenue. If you want to earn an annual salary $150,000, and you work 260 days a year (365, minus the Sundays, Saturdays, Holidays and two weeks of vacation), then you will need to make $577 per day.

You need to know your overhead costs once you have determined what you want to achieve in terms of income. Overheads are recurring costs associated with operating your business. These include fuel, phone bills and internet fees. Divide the total amount of your overhead expenses by the number working days in a year. This would amount to $39 per day if you work 260 days.

If you plug these numbers back into the formula you will get $616 per day or $77/hour. for an eight-hour day. Changes can be made as needed.

See what digital marketers earn by checking out our salary guides for digital marketing.

Conduct thorough research on each client

There are a few steps you can take before you start a project for a new client to make sure you have done your due diligence.

1. Set up Google Alerts to keep your client informed of the latest developments in relation to keywords. This infographic will show you how to do keyword research.

2. Know the basic financial information about your client. Included in these numbers are the total revenue, gross profits, and market capitalization.

3. Familiarize yourselves with the CEO and the members of the senior leadership team. If you’re stuck, use LinkedIn to find as many names as possible.

4. Find out who the clients’ competitors are. Research the top 5-10 competitors of your client, including their relative size, products and services they offer, and strengths and weaknesses. This information should be reviewed periodically to ensure it is up-to-date.

Do not be afraid to ask good questions

You’re doing well if you feel at times like Sherlock Holmes when you are a consultant! You can better understand your client’s requirements and expectations by asking questions. Asking for clarification is always preferable to completing the project incorrectly.

Free E-Book: Kickstarting your Digital Marketing Career

Create Online Promotional Channels

You still need to market your business, even if you get repeat customers and referrals. Create a website that features your portfolio, provides information about your company and experience.

Choose the social media platforms that will best represent your business. LinkedIn is essential for consultants, but you might also choose to highlight your visual work on Instagram and select the most appropriate times to post to TikTok in addition to keeping up with contacts on Twitter and promoting yourself as an expert.

Consider blogging as a way to express your opinion or consider becoming a guest blogger for a popular site. Conferencing is a great way to network and share your ideas. Both methods will give you an enormous amount of credibility, and you can use audio and video clips on your website. Keep it simple. Focus on the industry and not your own services.

Keep up to date with the latest marketing practices and you can work for yourself. Browse our list of digital marketing courses and find the right fit for you.

Digital Marketing Certification: Become an in-demand consultant

A digital marketing certification will help you to improve your skills in digital marketing and progress your career. DMI’s professional diploma in digital marketing starts with the basics of digital marketing before diving into more advanced areas like PPC and email marketing. Start your career today!