Digital marketing is a complex revenue-generating activity for growth-oriented businesses; however, there is often an oversimplification of what it actually entails.
"I just want SEO" or "I just want my business at the top of Google" are common demands, frequently made with limited understanding of the mechanisms behind these activities and goals. In turn, this creates a misconception about the value that marketing consultancy can add, especially if you have an in-house marketing resource already. You just need someone to do all that boring techy stuff that generates leads and conversions, right? Surely, you don't need to pay too much for a service like that.
To understand what a digital marketing consultant can bring to the table, let's first define what a digital marketing consultant is and what they do...
What is a digital marketing consultant?
Digital marketing consultants are tech-savvy, early adopters who understand buyer behaviour and can formulate and implement robust marketing strategies using the tools, platforms and methodologies that specific target audiences respond to. They invest time and effort in understanding and learning how to extract maximum value from the best-in-class marketing technologies and implement the most effective and result-yielding strategies.
Why your business needs a digital marketing consultant
Optimisation of existing strategies
Your business may already have a strategy in place, but the return on investment (ROI) and growth are marginal. For many companies, this can serve as confirmation that marketing is a frivolous, subjective activity and that in future, budget allocation should be limited. This can be a significantly detrimental decision for your business since you're probably missing out on a tonne of opportunities that are simply not yet visible to you.
Digital marketing consultants are pathway finders. They'll start by conducting a comprehensive audit of all your digital efforts and content assets. This process can often reveal bottlenecks or misalignment between your strategy and buyer personas. This assessment of your company's current position will allow the marketing consultant to suggest the most suitable and effective solution to whatever is constraining your current marketing strategy. Sometimes, the remedy is surprisingly quick and cost-effective.
So, would you rather spend a little more money on a professional assessment of your marketing strategy –– one that could unlock its potential –– or would you prefer to scrap the whole thing and waste the time, energy and resources you've already invested in your marketing strategy?
Expert advice on your marketing investment
Perhaps you already have a vision, a campaign or a direction you'd like to pursue with your marketing. You know you need specific tools and strategies, but you're not entirely sure whether these will integrate well with your business and deliver the desired results.
A digital marketing consultant will consider the needs of your business and the value that can be derived from certain tools and methodologies. They will make suggestions based on your goals, industry, and buyer persona. This, in turn, ensures that you make more confident investments and strategic decisions.
Objective perspective
Many organisations want to implement inbound marketing. They even think they're doing it successfully. But, a quick look at the content they produce may reveal a different story. This can happen easily, particularly if your business has been doing things a certain way for a long time. It can also be challenging to raise conversations internally and try to get individuals on your team to get behind the concept of inbound wholeheartedly.
This is where a digital marketing consultant can come in and provide an objective overview of your team's performance and how effective they are at aligning with and implementing inbound principles. In addition, a marketing consultant will be able to review the data your marketing campaigns have generated and analyse the results based on their comprehensive understanding of marketing data. They'll then apply the experience they've accumulated working with many companies with similar challenges and goals to yours. As a result, you get out-of-the-box thinking and a fresh approach that you may not have been able to come up with on your own.
A Digital Marketing Consultant as a real support
A digital marketing consultant may offer a broad range of services. They may look at your entire marketing strategy, or help you with content, funnel building and website optimisation. They'll take the time to understand your company's particular goals and offer practical suggestions that fit in with your specific buyer's journey.
Sure, you can keep hammering away at marketing on your own, but wouldn't you rather enhance what you're doing and get results faster? You may be super creative or eager to try out and implement strategies that you see competitors using. Your marketing consultant can help to validate whether those ideas will be successful for your business and help you tailor them in a way that focuses your attention and ensures you get measurable results.
If you're curious to see what a digital marketing consultant can do for your business, your digital strategy is a good place to start. Click here to see what BEE's team of digital marketing experts can help you with.
