Ultimate Guide To Hiring A Small Business Marketing Consultant

Engaging a small business marketing consultant could prove to be a pivotal investment for your company. An adept consultant brings forth novel viewpoints, specialised knowledge, and strategic counsel, all aimed at fostering the development of your business.

Firstly, however, it’s important that you find a marketing consultant that’s a good match for your business needs. Secondly, you must be realistic in your expectations and commit to collaborating with your consultant to achieve the best results.

What does a marketing consultant do?

A marketing consultant works to optimise a company’s marketing efforts, enhance its brand visibility and drive business growth. If you choose a consultant with a very specific area of expertise, like a brand strategy consultant, their service might be purely advisory. Other marketing consultants might combine advice and strategic planning with practical implementation strategies to achieve marketing objectives. They help plan, manage, and execute marketing campaigns, including creating marketing materials, developing promotional activities, and tracking the effectiveness of campaigns. They may also help with market research, competitive analysis, product and service launches, and more.

A small business marketing consultant, with generalist skills, should help ensure you are:

Offering a competitive and desirable product or service within your business context
Focused on servicing your target audience, their needs and wants
Tweaking the product or service to make it as irresistible as possible
Facilitating the buyer’s journey, making it easy and seamless
Optimising time, resources and processes

My own 28 years’ marketing and business development experience allows me to look at the whole business holistically. rather than only being able to help in one or two specific areas. This section of a client testimonial covers some of the areas I was able to help them with:

“Over the past 6 months, she has reviewed and helped us adjust our brand strategy and enhanced our concept development, including practical suggestions that help us with our product offer. Catherine has been focused at helping us analyse and strategise reaching our target customer, optimising and generating revenue and helping us to create a unique venue for private events. Her copywriting and search engine optimisation skills were put to the test for our website and her style of writing for the website and customer newsletters is engaging and completely in line with what we want for our brand. Catherine has lent her considerable knowledge and skills to our digital advertising and social media strategy efforts. She's also opened up collaborations and partnerships that we would not have explored.”

Is a small business digital marketing consultant the same thing as a small business marketing adviser?

Not exactly. Some marketing consultants might specialise in specific areas. Small business digital marketing consultants, for instance, might focus on digital marketing strategies, whilst small business marketing advisers will tend to look at overall marketing performance.

Depth and breadth of marketing experience will affect what marketing consultants can do for you. A generalist, like myself, will be able to add value to most areas of marketing. This is often what small businesses need. We can’t, however, pretend to have the depth of knowledge, in certain areas, as someone who is honing those precise marketing skills day in day out. Collaborators, however, can be brought in to help with areas we feel less experienced in.

If you’re a web-based business only and looking for the best online marketing skills out there, then maybe a digital marketing company for small businesses is what you need. If you’re a local business with a physical location, you might need a general skillset to cover other areas such as local marketing, point of sale creation, local PR etc.

Some marketing consultant services might include marketing mentoring or coaching. This is particularly helpful to small businesses who have a marketing person in place – or someone capable of executing marketing tasks – who just needs extra guidance. This is a marketing service that also works well with pre-startup clients, as it gives them lots of marketing tips on how to try and get the core business offering right from the get-go. This article covers some of the mentoring work I have carried out with the government’s Help to Grow Management Course for SMEs.

I was over the moon when my first mentee called me “a fairy godmother to small businesses” and hired me as a marketing consultant after the Help to Grow course was over.

How can a small business marketing consultant help my business?

Marketplaces are very competitive nowadays. Small businesses can use marketing to differentiate themselves and reach their target audience more effectively, thus increasing their chances of achieving growth and profitability goals. A marketing consultant will use their expertise to gain a precise understanding of your business, so that they can advise you on the right objectives, strategies and actions to work on. The strategies and actions they suggest might cover short, medium and long-term goals. I, personally, love to identify the “low hanging fruit” with clients – those immediate and sometimes quite straightforward tasks that I believe will make a difference.

Essential to any strategic move forward is the analysis and understanding of key data. That might be analysing data that you have readily available – such as sales data – as well as data you might not even be aware you have access to, like website traffic data. A marketing consultant will be able to share this with you and help you understand why some actions might prove more fruitful than others.

It’s important for both consultant and entrepreneur to keep their ears and minds open when they speak to each other. A marketing consultant needs to listen, to get under the skin of the business they’re working with, but might very well point you in a completely new direction. I received a phone call once from an entrepreneur who wanted to hire a marketing consultant in Maidstone to help him with email marketing. Once I’d had a chance to look at his websites, I pointed out that website optimisation needed to be tackled first, given how many spelling mistakes and image errors the website was riddled with. With key customer buying factors being “know, like, trust” – his website, in my opinion, was not instilling much “like” and “trust” in its current form. It makes no sense to push out to the public a product or service that has obvious underlying problems before tackling those problems. Thankfully, he listened, became a client and I was able to help him iron out some of the most obvious problems first.

What should I look for in a small business marketing consultant?

You might be looking to hire a small business marketing consultant because your internal team do not have the right skills in some key marketing areas. You might want a fresh perspective from an independent marketing professional who can spot new opportunities and find solutions to your business challenges. Your sales might be stagnant and you might just be looking for a business growth marketing consultant. Whatever the reason, the most important thing to keep in mind is that whoever you choose should be able to help you with the areas you are specifically interested in or the problems you are looking to overcome. If you’re not entirely sure what you might need help with, it might be wise to look for a generalist vs. a specialist who who can look at everything and help you to narrow down some key, critical areas to prioritise.

You’ll need to think about whether you need help with just the advisory side of things – or also the hands-on activation of marketing ideas and campaigns. Finding an advisor who has a track record in small business marketing consulting is a good idea, as the type of marketing done for established, big businesses is a little different and on a different scale.

I’m lucky that during my career, I’ve been able to learn best practice from one of the biggest multinationals in the world, Nestlé – as well as critical, on the ground skills from marketing for SMEs and startups. This experience across different sectors, company sizes and disciplines has given me an exciting set of skills to draw from.

What can I expect from a digital marketing consultant for small business?

In today’s digital age, you might be seeking a competitive edge for your online activities, and that’s where a digital marketing consultant can help. Dependent on their areas of expertise, they might be able to help you develop a comprehensive content strategy to engage and convert your target audience, using SEO optimization to ensure your business ranks well on search engines, driving organic website traffic. By leveraging online advertising they can also expand your reach to target potential customers effectively.

A digital marketing consultant should also be able to help you with social media optimization. Not every consultant will have expertise in every social media platform, so you’ll need to identify which platforms are most important to you and ensure your consultant can help with those.

Newsletter marketing is another digital marketing area that is important to consider. It is a powerful way to create a loyal customer base and to facilitate meaningful interactions with customers and potential customers on an ongoing basis.

Finally, a digital marketing consultant should also delve into website analytics to track and measure the performance of your online efforts, providing valuable insights for informed decision-making.

Can a social media manager or a search engine optimization manager provide small business marketing consulting services?

If someone is labelling themselves as a social media manager or a search engine optimization manager, it is most likely because that is their key area of expertise. This does not necessarily mean that they can advise or help with all areas of marketing. Dependent on experience, they might not be able to provide small business marketing consulting services across the board. They might know everything there is to know about social media marketing or SEO Marketing for instance, but nothing about marketing strategy, brand strategy or brand collaborations. This means that if you need someone to dig deeper into what is working and not working for your business, across all areas of marketing, you might need someone with broader experience.

Ultimately, unless you can be 100% certain that that is the best strategy for your business and that those are the precise skills you need, it might be prudent to chat with a consultant who is a little more impartial. Marketing specialists with specific skills will naturally focus on those specific areas of marketing. They might not have the experience to ask wider questions, look at everything holistically and choose what is best for the business overall.

How much is a marketing consultant?

The cost of hiring a small business marketing consultant can vary due to several factors and can range anywhere from £30/h to £300/h. The more experience the marketing expert has the higher their fees are likely to be. That’s because their knowledge enables them to quickly spot opportunities, anticipate potential challenges and come up with effective strategies.

If you’re seeking a comprehensive service that covers everything from market research, development and implementation of marketing strategy, the cost could be higher than just hiring for a specific task.

Is it better to hire a freelance marketing consultant or a marketing agency?

You might also experience a difference in fees between a freelance marketing consultant and marketing consultant companies or even, larger marketing agencies. An agency with a physical office will have overheads to pay, such as rent and utilities. The bigger and more glamorous the agency location, the more money they will need to recoup from clients to ensure profitability. They might have a larger, fixed team available though, which could add extra manpower and expertise, potentially with a larger price tag. An independent marketing consultant, on the other hand, could possibly be working from home and have more flexibility on price. Furthermore, instead of working with a fixed team, with fixed talents, they could bring bespoke, collaborating experts on board to help remotely.

Do I have to choose a marketing consultant near me? Is location important?

A lot of the work that a marketing consultant does can be done remotely, so it’s not 100% essential for you to only pick from that marketing consultants london list you’ve just pulled off Google, if that’s where you’re based. However, if you need in-person meetings or for someone to do local in-person marketing, then you will need to choose someone who isn’t too far away. The most important factor to consider when choosing a marketing consultant is whether they have the right expertise, a proven track record and can deliver results.

A marketing consultant with either very specific industry experience, or valuable cross-sector or international experience, will bring a lot of new, innovative, creative ideas to the table vs. someone who might have acquired limited experience in your local area.

To put things into perspective, my own clients have been located all over the UK. One of my longest standing clients is a restaurant in London. Others, currently using my small business marketing services, are based in Kent, Lancaster or online. They are as diverse as a hair salon, a Vegan café, a Fintech business and a fruit packing facility.

What do I need to do after hiring a marketing consultant?

After hiring a marketing consultant, communication and the sharing of data is key. A marketing consultant needs to listen to everything the small business owner has to share – and ask probing questions to get under the skin of the business. Similarly, a small business owner needs to be open to a different point of view and, potentially, some hard truths about their business. Only through open and honest discussion can both parties put everything on the table and collaborate on finding some real solutions to some of the business’ problems.

These are 7 things to maybe bear in mind:

The more data you share the better. This goes from anything from sales data to social media and Google logins.
A small business marketing consultant is not a magician. If your concept is flawed, it will be a hard product or service to market for anyone. More time might be needed to go back to basics to finetune the problem you’re solving, the audience you’re serving and the competitive strength of what you’re offering.
Results are not immediate. See the point above. However, if you do have a near perfect business model, choose the right marketing expert, have the right budgets and just need a few standard campaigns, things might be a little easier.
Changing your mind about priorities might delay results. Time is money. I had a client recently who insisted that she wanted me to help her market her numerous events. I eventually managed to push through the idea that the core business, her “bread and butter”, needed more of my (limited) time given that events were one-offs, not always successful and needed a lot of time for promotion.
You need to allow time to execute what is being recommended to you. There will be things that your freelance marketing manager will be able to do and other things that they recommend that you do. The faster you are able to execute on these tasks, the faster you will see potential results for these marketing opportunities. You also need to be open about trying things out. There’s a certain amount of trying and testing in business – and then leaning into what works.
Trust that whoever is giving you marketing advice is doing what’s best for you, BUT you can ask questions and challenge (in a nice way!). We’re all human. Work is subjective. Your chosen marketing professional might have proposed something that is not quite right in your opinion. In this instance, it’s worth having a friendly conversation and sharing those thoughts. A second example might be that the person you’ve hired for their marketing services might be doing something you don’t quite understand. I, personally, like to think that I work with a high level of integrity and believe in making everything crystal clear for my clients. Other consultants, however, might work differently. I always encourage entrepreneurs to ask questions and get to the bottom of things that they’re not sure about. Ultimately, it’s your business and you need to understand how everything works even at a basic level.
Mutual respect is essential. I recently experienced something that I have fortunately not experienced before. One of my clients did not like some of the (honest) customer feedback he had asked me to collect, or the suggestions I put forward for improvements. In his communication to me, he used a couple of words that showed his frustration (having spent an enormous amount of money on a concept that is obviously not quite right yet). This did not sit well with me, especially as I pride myself on always doing what’s best for the client. In the past, he has often made a point of thanking me for being patient with him. Patience, however, does at some point wear thin.

One of my longest-standing clients wrote a review saying, “as well as being the consummate professional, she has become our trusted partner, whom I will recommend to others.” That client has referred me to another client. This is the type of client relationship I have fortunately largely been lucky to have.

What are some concrete examples of the results I can achieve with a marketing consultant to small businesses?

A marketing consultant to small businesses can help you achieve an array of results depending on your company’s goals and objectives. Here are some examples:

Increased Brand Awareness: By using social media campaigns, content marketing, PR and other promotional activities, a consultant can help you increase your brand awareness. Example: I helped my Lancaster hair salon client get featured on Heart FM and in leading local media thanks to an innovative PR campaign during the Barbie film launch. You can refer to the case study here.
More targeted traffic and leads: A marketing specialist can attract more qualified leads to your business through SEO marketing, search engine advertising or through email marketing. Example: I was able to increase the traffic on my London restaurant client’s website by +664% through SEO marketing. You can refer to the case study for SEO work here.
Higher conversion rates: Through website optimisation and marketing funnels, a consultant can help to turn more of the leads into customers thus increasing your sales and overall revenue for your small business.
Enhanced online presence: Using digital marketing and social media marketing a consultant can make it easier for potential customers to find and engage with your business. Example: I achieved a +3790% increase in Instagram accounts reached for a small service-based business in London and +7900% in account engagement from one month to the next. Increases were also seen across Facebook. This drove much more traffic through to the website. See the case study for social media optimisation here.
Improved customer satisfaction: By using personalised communication and targeted messaging, a marketing consultant can help enhance the overall satisfaction for your business.
Competitive advantage: A consultant can help you differentiate your business from your competitors by working on your USP (unique selling point) or POD (point of difference). These strategies can help you gain a competitive advantage.
Optimised use of marketing systems. There are lots of online marketing tools that clients are often subscribed to, but don’t know how to fully optimise. These are often booking engines with additional marketing potential. A professional marketer should be able to look at all of the marketing systems you are involved with and see where they can add value.

To find out a little more about the 28 years’ of experience that have led to me becoming a small business marketing consultant, please feel free to take a look at my About Me page and LinkedIn profile.

I would love to help you. If you’re a startup or small business owner and you need help with marketing, please e-mail me at info@smallbusinessmarketingconsultant.co.uk or get in touch via my website contact page.

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