How to Decide if You Need a Strategic Marketing Consultant

Strategic Marketing Consultants can do a lot of things for your marketing team but above all, they need to help you set goals that align to your business objectives and then help you make sure that your marketing campaigns are hitting their targets so those goals are met.

What to expect from a strategic marketing consultant partnership

No two strategic marketing consultants are alike. But there are certain things you should expect from any partnership.

You should expect clear deliverables, an expertise fit for your needs, and a true partner you can enjoy working with, who delivers real results.

What deliverables should I expect?

The sky is the limit! But common deliverables that businesses need strategic marketing consultants to create are:

• Go-to-market strategy

• Product launch strategy

• 5-year Marketing Strategy

• SEO Strategy

• Social Media Strategy

• PR Strategy

• Digital Marketing Strategy

• Competitive Marketing Analysis

• Market Research

• Customer Research

• Brand Storytelling

• Lead Generation Strategy

• Customer Retention Strategy

• Content Marketing Strategy

• and many, many more!

Above all, they need to be reporting results and recommendations on a regular basis.

A strategy can only work if there is a system of accountability and an action plan to put it in motion. Be sure to ask your consultant what's included in their strategies, who is responsible for implementing recommendations, and how the consultant fits in with measuring the results.

How much does a strategic marketing consultant cost?

Consultants might charge an hourly rate but more often, they'll charge you by project.

It's far more helpful to have a budget in your mind, with specific deliverables, and begin the conversation by asking what they recommend (and what it will cost) based on what you're wanting.

For hourly rates of strategic marketing consultants...

That said, if you do some light Googling, you'll find that marketing consultants can charge anywhere from $50 to $200 to $500 an hour.

Do not, do not, do not go for the $50/hr marketing consultant if you want a good strategy that will work for you. This person is either severely undercharging their worth, or they're charging that for a reason. Keep in mind that anyone who's self-employed is paying their own taxes, health insurance, business costs, and a million other things so a $50 rate is really like an in-house hourly rate of $20 or so. In other words, an entry-level position. You want someone who's able to give you all the time you need and deliver the high-quality results you deserve.

It's so much more affordable to go with a higher hourly rate, for fewer hours, and be confident that you're going to get high-quality work.

Look at the experience of the individual you're considering to see if they're charging an appropriate rate for their number of years AND the depth of their expertise.

For project-based strategic marketing projects...

Project-based pricing is almost always the best bang for your buck. You have a clear budget, clear deliverables, and know that you're not going to have to pay anything extra unless you request it.

This is especially useful for when you're needing a consultant to:

• Develop a marketing strategy (long-term or short-term)

• Create a marketing plan for a specific channel (i.e. Instagram)

• Give you ongoing reports and recommendations

Many strategic marketing engagements with clear expectations can be completed for $10,000 or less and give you an enormous return on your investment.

One thing to keep in mind: make sure you do understand any potential additional fees if you do go outside of the scope of work.

Who should hire a strategic marketing consultant?

Strategic Marketing Consultants are right for any business, of any size, at any time.

Which, admittedly, isn't the most helpful answer.

Instead, ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I facing a new stage of growth?

• Do I feel confident in executing my marketing campaigns?

• Am I feeling overwhelmed with setting marketing goals?

• Do I have clarity on what marketing campaigns to execute next?

• Do I have time to set the strategy, make the plan, and do the execution?

• Does my team feel confident in their marketing analytics skills?

• Do I have a reporting system in place to communicate with both my team and the leadership?

Any good consultant is there to help you navigate change. They should feel like a true partner and give you actionable and measurable steps that help you plan for this new chapter and implement it successfully.

Is a strategic marketing consultant right for you?

Sometimes you need a strategic partner who can help you see the forest for the trees, as the saying kind of goes.

And sometimes you need an extra set of hands.

Before you dive into hiring freelancers or a consultant, take a second to look at what type of marketing partnership is going to best serve you and your business. And of course, factor in your trifecta of available resources: skills, time, and budget.

Strategic Marketing Consultant vs Marketing Freelancer

A marketing freelancer is a specialist of their part of marketing. Maybe they're a top-notch copywriter, a snazzy graphic designer, or a whiz with the websites.

They're perfect for teams who are short on time or need to fill a skillset gap and don't want to hire internally. Often, web developers are freelancers for this reason.

Marketing freelancers are best for teams that have a specific project and know exactly what to do. They just need an extra set of (expert) hands to do it.

The key to success with freelancers is having a clear set of expectations and project scope. There are long-term freelancers who may work on a retainer model and can help be a flexible addition to your team.

Marketing freelancers are not best for teams who are figuring out a new growth strategy, need help with the overall vision, and for teams who need director-level support with planning and implementation.

Curious about whether (and who) to hire or outsource? Check out our blog How to Build Your Marketing Dream Team.

Strategic Marketing Consultant vs Marketing Agency

Marketing agencies are great! They often come with strategic consultants. They're perfect for teams who need a lot of skills and a lot of hands, and don't mind paying a good amount for it.

Marketing agencies are best for teams with a healthy budget who need expertise and labor to execute big campaigns or launch a specific type of marketing specialty.

There are many different types of marketing agencies. Many specialize in something, like social media marketing, or ad campaigns. Like Mad Men.

Marketing agencies are not best for teams without tens of thousands of dollars to spend monthly.

The other thing to know when exploring marketing agencies is that there's a huge range in terms of team size, budget, specialties, and experience.

When you're vetting a marketing agency, be sure to ask questions like:

• What's your pricing model?

• What are your deliverables?

• How do you interact with your clients?

• What parts of the marketing process does your team own vs mine?

• What are the expectations you have a successful partnership?

• What are your contract terms?

Strategic marketing consultants, on the other hand, are often more flexible and come in for a short time, smaller budget, and still give you the strategic direction you need.

What kind of strategic marketing consultant should I hire?

Here's the most important thing: you need to find the right type of consultant for you.

• Where are the marketing gaps that I need filled?

• Do I need a consultant who specializes in my industry?

• What type(s) of marketing projects do I need help with?

• Who will be executing the recommendations? Me? A team? Other contractors?

• How long do I want this engagement to last?

Start by researching a few options and look at what services they offer, what their background is in, and if they bring any industry expertise.

Then reach out to schedule an introductory call to get a feel for what they can do and how they interact with you.

Equally important to the "resume" checklist is making sure you find someone you feel comfortable talking with, brainstorming with, and giving feedback to. Strategic consultants should never show up thinking they know it all. They should be listeners first and then apply their own expertise to your unique business needs and goals.

The more specific you can be about what your needs and expectations are, the better you'll be able to vet who's a good fit and who's not.

Good consultants will tell you if they're not a match and probably be able to refer you to someone who is.

What are the most important criteria to decide on a strategic marketing consultant?

There is only one thing that really matters: can they drive results?

Get clear about what results you're looking for and then make sure the partner you're considering can develop an action plan that gets you there.

When you're talking about someone helping you develop a strategy, they need to be able to quicky understand your business' competitive landscape, your unique value proposition(s), and develop a realistic plan that brings this big vision down to tangible, measurable steps.

They need to be fluent in marketing analytics AND be exceptional strategic storytellers. They should be able to take your data, understand what needs to change (or not) in your marketing campaigns, and be able to translate all of that to both your marketing team (who are experts already in marketing) and your leadership team (who are not).

Strategic Marketing Consultants can be the perfect partner to power-up your marketing.

Finding the right partner, regardless of whether you're a solo venture or have a team of 100, can be the difference between "business as usual" and growing far beyond your wildest dreams.

Does Blue Spec Marketing offer strategic marketing consulting?

Yes we do!

Check out our Mighty Marketing Service. It's designed specifically for teams who don't want the commitment of a giant marketing agency but are still ready for that strategic-level direction and want a flexible partner who can deliver an action plan along with that strategy. Central to how we structure our consulting is our Mighty Marketing Report, which nonprofits and global manufacturers have used alike to get clarity on their marketing results, gain confidence about their next steps, and have a partner to guide them through it all.