What Skills are Needed to be a Marketing Consultant?

“Marketing Consultant…because freakin’ awesome is not an official job title”

Becoming a marketing consultant isn’t a thought people wake up to and jump into.  A combination of experience and tactical thinking is necessary to be successful in this position.

A marketing consultant’s main goal is to understand a company’s competitive landscape, strategize on ways to effectively and efficiently impact its target, and analyze the return on investment.  Often, a marketing consultant collaborates with various departments to bridge the gap and bring synergy to the main focus, revenue goals.  They may even work with the marketing department to analyze vendor contracts and deliverables.

If a marketing consultant has “sold what they now buy and recommend” they have the advantage of knowing ways to improve vendor partnerships and potentially reduce costs.  As a marketing consultant, your goals should be to provide value to an organization, utilizing skills such as:

• Analytical ability
• Market research
• Market strategy and implementation
• Social media best practices
• Creative thinking
• Communication skills (for all areas of advertising)
• Website best practices

A valuable marketing consultant is knowledgeable about the latest technology and tools to help your business grow.  They are a creative thinker who develops unique campaigns to engage, educate, and entertain your potential target.  They understand a company’s product or service and develop ideas that lead a prospect through the sales funnel.  Lastly, a marketing consultant should earn trust to lead their client outside of their comfort zone to try new marketing tactics that could earn outstanding results.