5 Compelling Reasons to Hire a Digital Marketing Consultant

Not long ago, I ran into a local business executive at a social event. After chatting for a moment, the inevitable question about what I do for a living was posed. Keeping it short and sweet, I said, “I’m a freelance marketing consultant.” “Oh, what a coincidence,” they replied with a somewhat apologetic smile, “We could have used you a few weeks ago!” Instantly, my curiosity was piqued, and I pressed on, “Oh really, TELL me all about it.” 

So, as the story goes, their company (the "Company"), which sells very specialized marketing services, was frustrated with its then-current (but outdated) website and hired a friend-of-a-friend’s web developer to do a complete refresh. To that point, virtually all client acquisition had been through word-of-mouth, and the company was looking to leverage digital channels to grow its base. With the website undergoing final touches, there was excitement for the approaching re-launch.

Happy that they had identified and taken initial steps toward their new-found goals (but bummed at the missed opportunity for a potential conversion of my own–so close!), the conversation turned back to social topics, and I didn't give the story another thought. That is, until a month or so later when, out of the blue, my curiosity again got the better of me. I just HAD to see that website!

Recalling only the company’s services and the executive's name, I went to Google and found their homepage link with little (but not zero) trouble. And after scrolling around for a few minutes, it was clear that the site had been recently refreshed, which surprised me. Between the search results and web content, it was apparent that much more work was left to be done! Here are a few observations.

Bear with me on this one. The company held a top-10 Google search results position, typically equating to a marketing jackpot for most businesses! But here’s the rub. The high ranking looked less to do with a well-planned SEO strategy and more with the company’s name matching perfectly with an obvious industry keyword phrase! And if the latter, they could be facing a challenge for a few reasons.

Foremost, the #1 spot on the Google SERP (search engine results page) was held by a competitor (unrelated name) that essentially “owned” the company name (aka the keyword phrase) and cunningly matched the phrase to its description title! So, if someone had searched for the company by name, their likely impulse would be to click on the first instance of it in the SERP and then spend several minutes unsuspectingly engaging with the competitor’s content. Plenty of time to lose prospects!

Furthermore, and probably the most consequential, a high SERP ranking can lead to a false sense of achievement. As surprising as it may seem, many (if not most) companies do not adequately understand how SEO works. So, to some marketing departments, reporting a page-one SERP listing, regardless of the basis, can translate to “Mission Accomplished!” and provide cover to move on. Unfortunately, that justification can have disastrous and persisting consequences!

As for the company’s web elements and site layout, it was immediately apparent that attention to the “Inbound” methodology had yet to materialize. The available content was well written, but its overarching breadth seemed little more than, “This is who we are, what we do, and how we do it, so give us a call.” In other words, without the right content, there's no reason for visitors to stick around. So, they "bounce" instead!

In stark contrast, that "sneaky" competitor's site offered an abundance of relevant (and undoubtedly authority-ladened) collateral, such as newsletters, case studies, educational articles, and industry white papers to engage the audience, help understand and address their concerns, and walk them through their “journey” to a desired CTA (call to action)! 

So that’s the story in a nutshell. What started as a curiosity-driven “peek” became a "blind" case study illustrating what can occur when a company turns solely to a web designer to grow its client base via organic search traffic! Yes, a web designer can prove invaluable to digital strategy execution. But when it comes to understanding and defining a client’s goals and delivering a top-to-bottom strategy playbook to meet them, you'll be glad you called a digital marketing consultant!

Wait, Did You Say Digital Marketing Consultant?

"The world of digital marketing is constantly evolving...As the demand for new technologies and better digital experiences rises, how businesses market to customers will determine whether searchers turn into buyers."

                                                                                       (Source: Forbes - 7 Digital Concepts that Will Matter In 2023)

Before we get ahead of ourselves, some of you may not be all that familiar with digital marketing consultants.  And that's understandable. It seems that virtually every day, there are new marketing services, roles, and titles popping up, and it's hard to keep pace! So, just to be sure, here's a brief overview:

A digital marketing consultant is a professional who advises businesses and organizations on effective strategies to enhance their online presence and reach their target audience. And more specifically, their cutting-edge expertise enables them to:

• Identify and establish relevant and attainable marketing (and business) goals, and
• Develop, implement, and monitor online marketing strategies to achieve and sustain those goals

To help deliver optimized marketing results (such as increased brand visibility, organic traffic, conversions, and ultimately revenue), a digital marketing consultant provides services such as:

• Auditing and evaluation of existing web structure, content, and user experience
• Target audience assessment and refinement (i.e., buyer personas)
• Strategic channel planning and implementation
• SEO development and oversight, including on-page, technical and link-building strategies, and
• Social media, content marketing, PPC advertising, and email campaign strategies

Now that we've covered that, you may think, "I'm pretty sure we have people in-house that do all that, so why would we need a consultant?" Well, while your team may comprise several distinct roles, you may be surprised at how "siloed" those roles may be! In reality, many marketing departments are too busy and singularly focused to step back to an integrated strategy level and harmonize those silos toward a specific goal.

Need more convincing? Well, for anyone seeking to boost their company's digital business, here are five key reasons to consider hiring a digital marketing consultant!

Five Reasons to Hire a Digital Marketing Consultant

1. Expertise & Industry Knowledge

Let's face it; digital marketing methodologies are continuously evolving and nearly impossible to stay on top of. Digital marketing consultants are up on the latest trends, best practices, and industry-specific insights. They can provide valuable guidance on selecting the most appropriate channels, targeting specific audiences, and optimizing campaigns for maximum impact. And they leverage their expertise to develop strategies tailored to your business goals and help ensure your company’s resources are efficiently allocated.

2. Strategic Planning & Campaign Execution

Developing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy requires careful planning and execution. A digital marketing consultant can thoroughly and objectively analyze all relevant aspects of your business, target audience, and competitors to identify critical opportunities and challenges. They can then craft an integrated strategy around content marketing, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), paid advertising, email marketing, and other relevant channels. Moreover, they possess the skills to execute these strategies effectively and consistently, ensuring optimal campaign performance for the long haul.

3. Optimum Return on Investment (ROI)

Those in the trenches know well that digital marketing campaigns take time, effort, and financial resources. A digital marketing consultant can help you allocate your budget wisely to maximize the ROI of precious marketing dollars. By strategically selecting, monitoring, and analyzing KPI metrics, they can create data-driven solutions that optimize campaigns in real time, identify areas of improvement, and maximize conversions. And, with conversion rate optimization (CRO) and user experience (UX) goals met, your company can achieve an overall level of campaign effectiveness that translates to increased revenue.

4. Scalability & Flexibility

A digital marketing consultant knows every business has unique needs and goals and can adapt strategies to accommodate different budgets, objectives, and timelines. Whether a small startup or an established enterprise, they can provide scalable solutions that align with your business requirements. And they can assist during periods of growth or transition to better ensure a smooth integration of new marketing technologies and strategies.

5. Time & Resource Optimization

If you've ever managed a digital marketing campaign, you know how extensive the time and resources needed can be. By hiring a digital marketing consultant, your internal team can be freed up to focus more on core business operations. Consultants bring a fresh perspective, specialized skills, and industry connections that can save your team time and effort. And on top of that, they can provide valuable training and knowledge transfer that enables team members to enhance their digital marketing capabilities for long-term success.

The Bottom Line

Every day, more and more companies are realizing how important a digital marketing consultant is in this competitive digital landscape. Their unbiased expertise, strategic planning, and execution capabilities can elevate brand visibility, attract and retain customers, and drive sustained business growth. By leveraging their industry knowledge, optimizing campaigns for maximum ROI, and freeing up internal resources, they can position your company to consistently achieve its marketing (and business) goals and gain a competitive edge.

And that's a win for everyone!