What does a digital marketing consultant actually do?
Digital marketing is an umbrella phrase that refers to various internet marketing techniques.
Web design and development, geofencing, search engine optimization (also known as SEO), and paid media like Google Adwords, Facebook/Instagram advertising, and (YouTube) video advertising are examples.
Businesses may use digital marketing to target their clients and prospects better by using various internet channels. It combines all of the most up-to-date tools, technology, and trends. It uses them to assist businesses of all sizes in reaching out to their clients and prospects efficiently.
Each channel caters to a specific demographic and provides various targeting options.
Facebook advertising, for example, allows you to target people based on their demographics, psychographics, and internet browsing habits. Essentially, it works well to raise awareness, interest, and even demand for a product or service. These steps describe an A.I.D.A. funnel.
On the other hand, Google AdWords may be used to locate potential clients looking to buy RIGHT NOW based on their search queries (search and shopping advertising) or raise awareness and interest (display and video ads).
Due to new technology, people are now spending more time online than ever.
The average person now spends twice as much time online as they did 12 years ago, implying that people’s shopping habits have evolved. Offline advertising is no longer as successful as it once was, so digital marketing has become a popular choice among many businesses.
Connecting with your audience at the correct time and place – in today’s world, that means online – is essential.
“About a quarter of U.S. adults say they are ‘almost constantly’ online,” according to Andrew Perrin and Jingjing of The Pew Research Center.
Overall, 77% of Americans go online on a daily basis. That figure includes the 26% who go online almost constantly, as well as 43% who say they go online several times a day and 8% who go online about once a day. Some 11% go online several times a week or less often, while 11% of adults say they do not use the internet at all. (Pew Research)
The demand for digital marketing consultants is at an all-time high as more firms seek out successful online positioning. Consultants who are competent and experienced in various online tactics, from social media to display advertising, are in high demand.
Online consultants are in high demand because they assist businesses in bridging the gap between the offline and online worlds by advising them on how to effectively sell their products, services, and brands.
That’s the fundamentals of digital marketing, but there’s a lot more to it. Do you want to learn more about what a digital marketing consultant does? If you answered yes, keep reading to learn everything you need to know.
What does a digital marketing consultant do?
A digital marketing consultant is a highly-skilled professional with specialized training in online marketing who understands how to target customers most effectively to achieve the company’s desired outcomes.
A common misunderstanding about what a marketing consultant performs is that they handle all aspects of advertising, but this is not the case.
If you already have ideas, you should hire an advertising agency to help you make them a reality.
A marketing consultant’s job is to help organizations of all sizes, from startups to major enterprises, figure out how to best engage current and potential customers. They look at the company’s present business model to see the market potential and then develop a plan to help the brand reach its objectives. They may also be able to assist software firms in promoting affiliate programs.
What a marketing consultant concentrates on is determined by the company and its requirements.
Some of the more common roles might be:
- Find fresh ways for the company to interact with existing clients while also attracting new ones.
- Evaluate existing marketing, such as social media, SEO, and email marketing, and utilize the results to develop more successful strategies.
- Improve your company’s branding to make it more appealing to current and potential clients.
- Improve customer engagement and communication. Social media campaigns, which may include a variety of social media channels, are a fantastic tool for this. (both paid and unpaid)
- Coordinate content platforms, such as a blog and landing pages on a website, using SEO to ensure that all content is search engine friendly and that the pages and site rank highly in Google and other search engines.
- Manage email marketing, social media, mobile, and local marketing initiatives.
- Use analytics to track your progress and ensure you get the best outcomes possible. This would include Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Heat Map user tracking and recording at a bare minimum.
A marketing consultant’s job varies since they provide assistance in various marketing and business fields. They advise, plan, and research to guarantee that a company uses internet marketing to reach its best customers/leads on the appropriate platforms.
The qualities you want in an online marketing consultant.
There are specific qualities that a digital marketing consultant must possess to be effective, just as there are in any other profession. They must grasp why the internet is such an important tool and how to properly utilize it to promote a company.
It’s about understanding how each social media platform and digital channel interact with one another and how these relationships can be utilized to sell a company successfully. With that in mind, what specific abilities do you need to be a great consultant?
Evaluating data and applying analytics to determine how effectively a company’s marketing is working and providing actionable recommendations are crucial. Combining technical and creative problem-solving abilities is essential to make this simpler.
It’s also critical that digital marketing consultants have a clear vision of their goals. This entails understanding how to create attainable objectives and how to assess progress in achieving them. Businesses are constantly seeking ways to improve, which is why it’s critical to be able to set realistic objectives.
If a consultant sets unreasonable targets, they will not be able to achieve them, leaving their clients disappointed with their service. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals is critical in this situation.
The first thing a marketing consultant must realize is that strategy and tactics are not the same things.
A strategy is a plan of action for achieving a particular objective. In contrast, a tactic is a specific action carried out as part of the strategy.
Understanding this is essential if you want to be an effective marketing consultant.
If you give someone a coloring book, they can color within the lines (tactics).
However, it’s a complete disaster without lines (the strategy).
A digital marketing consultant’s job is gathering data, organizing it, extracting insights, and making suggestions for the organization that balance each area of marketing and prioritize the most critical components.
Finally, a marketing consultant must possess leadership qualities and perform professionally to be effective. When a marketing consultant is employed, the organization wants them to approach their task confidently and professionally. No one wants to deal with a marketing consultant who doesn’t approach their work with confidence and professionalism since this indicates a lack of understanding and experience.
Who would benefit from the services of a digital marketing consultant, and why?
There’s no denying that digital marketing consultants may be pretty beneficial to some businesses, but how do you determine when you need them and why?
Let’s start with who requires a consultant’s assistance. The people who need the help of digital marketing consultants are business owners, as we’ve already said. Digital marketing consultants can assist businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. It’s simply a matter of determining the best approach and methods for each company’s needs.
Businesses that might benefit from working with a consultant are those that…
- Want to broaden their consumer base.
- Goals for internet marketing must be solid and well-defined.
- Want a solid marketing plan that incorporates both short- and long-term objectives.
- Need help measuring key analytics to improve odds of success.
- Want to strengthen current client and prospect relationships.
- Want to grow into new markets to connect with new clients.
- Want to see how their competitors market themselves online and how it compares to their own positioning.
Businesses may use the assistance of a digital marketing consultant to develop their business and enter new markets, increasing their success and income. Working with a digital consultant may help organizations that don’t have the skills or experience to handle their own digital marketing requirements to ensure that they have a good plan in place with attainable goals and will aid their progress toward accomplishing their long-term objectives.
In today’s technology-driven world, the internet is a critical marketing tool. Businesses need to grasp how a digital marketing consultant can help them reach their objectives and take their company where they want it to go.
To wrap it all up…
That wraps up our overview of what a digital marketing consultant does and how they may assist firms in achieving their objectives.
Online marketing has become a critical tool for organizations in today’s internet-obsessed society, so marketing consultants have never been more urgent. Marketing consulting is immensely important since many business owners do not know how to successfully deal with their digital marketing needs on their own.
Digital marketing allows businesses to engage more effectively with existing customers while also making it easier to reach out to new potential customers, making it a popular marketing choice for businesses of all sizes.
Finally, a digital marketing consultant devotes a significant amount of time to honing their profession so that you may focus on what you enjoy and excel at.