No one denies the importance of marketing, in general. The question is, do you need a Marketing Consultant? Well, due to the complexities of digital alone, hiring a Marketing Consultant is a brilliant choice. Then there are things like strategy and issues of competition. Still, this type of cooperation needs to be right for you and contracting a marketing expert can be a big step.
There are numerous benefits to hiring a top-tier marketing advisor, especially if you find the right one. On the flip side, there are also some drawbacks. This article explores all the pros and cons of hiring a consultant for your business. At the end of this read, we will analyse why a Marketing Consultant is a great choice.
The Advantages of Hiring a Marketing Consultant
1. Add a Professional to Your Team
By hiring a professional Marketing Consultant, you can benefit from having an experienced member on your team. In this way, you bring in someone who is an expert in their field and has the best strategic mind to help your company.
Of course, most top-tier consultants have extended skill sets and can help you solve more than one marketing issue. However, if you had a particular challenge, the right Marketing Consultant would bring deep experience in that area. For instance, if you need someone to optimise your SEO strategy, all you have to do is hire a specialised Digital Marketing Consultant.
2. Save Money Without Compromising on Work Ethics and Quality
That being said, outsourcing is a fantastic alternative to traditional hiring. Instead of adding a senior member to your permanent in-house marketing team, you can employ a professional Marketing Consultant for a fraction of the cost.
This is a great way to save money and time without compromising work ethics and quality. Likewise, you can adjust your project’s time frame and budget to benefit from the cost savings. And a Marketing Consultant will work on your projects with just as much passion and professionalism.
Their excellent reputation from previous projects should give you confidence. A great Marketing Consultant has numerous positive reviews for you to check on their website or LinkedIn profile, etc because work quality is their number one priority.
3. Quick and Flexible Hiring Process
Another advantage of hiring a Marketing Consultant for your projects is that the hiring process is easy and quick. You won’t have to deal with time-consuming logistics or complicated hiring procedures. Accordingly, for urgent marketing projects, there is simply no better hiring model.
Hiring a Marketing Consultant also gives you flexibility. For example, after a big project, you are not locked into permanent employees. Most senior consultants will work with specific timeframes and deadlines, then their contract is done and you move on. This can be a huge cost saver. Depending on what industry you’re in, up to 45% of your revenue will go to payroll. But in this case, no need to adjust your goals or objectives, your Marketing Consultant will work quickly and efficiently, saving time and money in the process.
4. Lessen your Burden
If you need to implement a marketing plan but don’t have the time to commit, outsourcing to an external expert is a brilliant alternative. In fact, all experienced consultants recognise that their client’s time is limited and valuable, which is the main reason they are vital for your success. Outsourcing allows you to focus on the things you do best.
A Marketing Consultant can manage your marketing projects for you. This is very important, as an expert will relieve some of the pressure on you. Plus the internal team will have strong guidance and a senior person to learn from in the process.
There are numerous benefits to your team working with a marketing mentor, from building their confidence to developing competencies, a Marketing Consultant can be invaluable for less-experienced marketers and leave a long-lasting legacy.
5. A Marketing Consultant Will Offer a Fresh, New Perspective
Last but not least, if you need a keen eye and a fresh perspective on your marketing, a professional Marketing Consultant is an excellent choice. Top-tier consultants will understand your goals and needs, and then create strategies to achieve them. Plus, they are full of innovative, different ideas that you may never have thought of.
The Disadvantages of Hiring a Marketing Consultant
As with all important business decisions, you need to consider the downside of hiring a Marketing Consultant too. Engaging an advisor to scale your business can have its drawbacks. Nevertheless, most of these disadvantages have reliable and easy solutions.
1. Discovery Phase and Familiarity with Your Industry
Even if the consultant you decide to hire is an expert in their field, they may be unfamiliar with your specific field or industry. In most cases, Marketing Consultants need a discovery period to get familiar with all the particular details of your company.
Of course, a smart thing to do is to check a consultant’s previous practical experience. They may have had a previous client from your industry, or even a competitor, which would be a bonus. Still, all you have to do is provide the background they need. You should help your advisor understand your industry, markets and business processes.
2. Cost
As previously mentioned, hiring a Marketing Consultant can save you money. However, it is an investment. This cost won’t approach the expenses of hiring a full-time senior marketer but for some businesses, the cost can be prohibitive. Just keep in mind they bring a high degree of expertise, and their input is designed to provide a return on investment.
3. Communication Issues
Most professional consultants don’t operate from your office. For this reason, you have to contact them via phone, email, video conferencing, etc. This can cause specific communication challenges.
Nevertheless, during the last few years, there has been an uptake in working from home, so most businesses are getting used to communicating remotely.
Let’s have a look at some categories of online tools that can help with communication barriers:
- Video Conferencing platforms (i.e., Zoom, Skype)
- Online Messaging Team Platforms (i.e., Slack, Microsoft Teams)
- Project Collaboration Tools (i.e., Trello, Asana)
- Work and Time Management tools (i.e., Scoro, Timecamp)
The Bottom Line
A Marketing Consultant can be truly beneficial for your business. In fact, hiring an advisor is a great way to quickly and efficiently add an experienced member to your team while saving money and time.
On the flip side, nothing is perfect and this article has explored some disadvantages of outsourcing. The unfamiliarity with your industry and remote communication may be the main drawbacks. However, there are numerous reliable solutions to work around such issues.
For this reason, we concluded that hiring a Marketing Consultant is a fantastic choice for your business. Follow the tips in this article to ensure a successful collaboration.