Marketing is a crucial aspect of any business and plays a vital role in determining its success. It involves promoting a product or service to potential customers and creating awareness about the brand. Should you choose to hire a marketing consultant, they will help your business attract new customers, retain existing ones, and increase sales and revenue.

According to a marketing report by Hubspot, businesses that prioritize content marketing have a 13X positive ROI compared to those that don’t. Furthermore, only 27% of businesses’ marketing teams report that they are effectively tracking their marketing metrics.

In today’s highly competitive market, having a solid marketing strategy is crucial for a business to succeed. A well-crafted marketing plan can help a business to achieve its goals, reach its target audience, and establish a strong brand identity. This is why it may be best to hire a marketing consultant. 

A marketing consultant is a professional who provides expert advice and guidance to businesses on their marketing strategy based on past experience and results from real businesses in different industries. When you choose to hire a marketing consultant, you should expect an individual that will help your business identify its target audience, determine its marketing goals, and develop a comprehensive plan to reach those goals.

As for the skills to look out for, these include: 

  • Online marketing: A marketing consultant should have a deep understanding of online marketing techniques such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, email marketing, and more. They should also be knowledgeable about the latest trends and technologies in online marketing to ensure that their clients’ campaigns are up-to-date and effective.
  • Social media marketing: Social media has become an increasingly important marketing channel for businesses of all sizes. Hence, should you hire a marketing consultant, they should have experience in developing and executing social media campaigns that drive engagement, build brand awareness, and increase sales. They should also deeply understand the various social media platforms and how to use them to reach the target audience.
  • Copywriting: This is the process of writing text for advertising or other forms of marketing communication. The role of copywriting is to create compelling and persuasive messages that engage the target audience and encourage them to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. If you hire a marketing consultant with excellent copywriting skills, they should craft copy that appeals to the target audience, their needs, and their motivations.
  • Public relations: Public relations is an important aspect of marketing that involves managing a company’s reputation and relationship with its stakeholders. A marketing consultant should have experience in developing and executing public relations campaigns that help to build and maintain a positive reputation for the business.
  • Direct response marketing: This type of marketing is designed to elicit an immediate response from the target audience, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. A marketing consultant should have experience in developing and executing direct response campaigns that drive results and generate leads for the business.

In the next section, we will look at the role of a CMO consultant in a business and what you should expect when you hire one. 

The Role of a Fractional CMO Consultant in Driving Marketing Performance

The acronym CMO stands for Chief Marketing Officer. With this in mind, a fractional CMO consultant is an experienced marketing professional who provides strategic guidance and support to businesses. 

The role of a fractional CMO is to help businesses develop and execute marketing strategies that achieve their goals, such as increasing sales, building brand awareness, and generating leads.

A fractional CMO consultant brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table, having worked with various businesses and industries. They have a deep understanding of marketing concepts and best practices, as well as the latest trends and technologies in marketing. This knowledge allows them to provide customized, data-driven solutions that help businesses achieve their marketing objectives.

One thing worth mentioning, if you want to hire a marketing consultant, is the difference between a marketing consultant and a fractional CMO. While both roles involve providing marketing support to businesses, there are some key differences between the two.

A marketing consultant is a professional who provides marketing guidance and support to businesses. They may specialize in one or more areas of marketing, such as online marketing, social media marketing, or copywriting. 

However, if you hire a marketing consultant, they will have a more hands-off approach. This means that they will be working from outside your organization, providing you or a chosen marketing staff member with results and recommendations.

On the other hand, a fractional CMO consultant is a more senior-level marketing professional who provides strategic guidance to businesses. The role of a CMO consultant is to serve as a virtual Chief Marketing Officer, providing leadership and direction for the marketing function. 

Fractional CMOs typically have a broad range of marketing experience and expertise and work closely with businesses to develop and execute comprehensive marketing strategies. Unlike a marketing consultant, a fractional CMO has a more hands-on approach, as they work from within your organization and with your team. 

Thus, a CMO consultant helps drive performance by acting as a: 

  • Growth Driver: The primary role of a CMO consultant is to drive growth for the business. They do this by developing and executing marketing strategies that increase sales, generate leads, and build brand awareness. CMO consultants bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table, and they use this knowledge to help businesses identify new growth opportunities and develop effective marketing plans to capitalize on these opportunities.
  • Innovation Catalyst: A fractional CMO consultant also acts as an innovation catalyst, helping businesses stay ahead of the curve regarding marketing trends and technologies. They bring a fresh perspective to the table and are always looking for new and innovative ways to help businesses achieve their marketing goals. Whether exploring new channels, experimenting with new tactics, or introducing new technologies, a fractional CMO helps businesses stay ahead of the curve in marketing innovation.
  • Brand Story Teller: A strong brand story is crucial for businesses, as it helps to differentiate them from their competitors and build emotional connections with their target audience. Thus, a CMO consultant is crucial in helping businesses develop and tell their brand story. They work with businesses to understand their unique value proposition and help them craft compelling messaging that captures the essence of their brand and resonates with their target audience.
  • Capability Builder: Finally, a CMO consultant acts as a capability builder, helping businesses build the internal marketing skills and capabilities they need to succeed. 

At Strategic Pete, we believe that empowering our clients to succeed in marketing long after we’re gone is what sets us apart from other marketing agencies. Our unique approach not only provides expert marketing support but also teaches your marketing team the strategies, tactics, and systems they need to succeed on their own. 

When you work with Strategic Pete, you’ll receive hands-on training and guidance, so you can feel confident in executing successful marketing campaigns even after our engagement has ended. Furthermore, you not only get the expertise of a fractional CMO, but you also get an effective marketing team to speed up your business’ success.

Contact us here if you would like to empower your marketing team with effective marketing systems and strategies.

8 Tips for Maximizing Your Marketing Budget with the Right Marketing Consultant Services Agency

Maximizing a marketing budget can be a complex and challenging task for businesses of all sizes. With so many options for promoting products and services, it can be challenging to determine the most effective methods to reach target audiences. 

Choosing the best marketing consultant services agency can go a long way in ensuring that your business makes the most of its marketing budget. Others may instead opt to hire a marketing consultant. In this section, we will look at how to maximize your marketing budget when using the right marketing consultant services. 

It is worth noting that some of the tips offered here can also be used by marketing contractors. These tips for maximizing your marketing budget include: 

1. Measuring Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) by source

Doing so allows a business to understand which marketing channels and tactics are driving the most valuable customers. This information is crucial in deciding where to allocate the marketing budget. 

By calculating CLTV, a business can determine the total value a customer brings over their lifetime and use this information to prioritize and allocate budget to the channels that drive the highest CLTV. 

Having a CMO consultant that can measure CLTV helps the business maximize the return on investment of its marketing efforts and ensure that it is making the most of its budget.

2. Implementing SEO into content marketing

By optimizing content for search engines, a business can increase its visibility and attract more traffic to its website. If done correctly with the help of a fractional CMO, this can lead to more conversions and, ultimately, increased sales. 

Implementing SEO into content marketing helps a business maximize its marketing budget by targeting the right audience and increasing its reach without relying on paid advertising. Additionally, SEO is a long-term strategy that can provide sustained results, allowing the business to maximize its marketing budget over the long term.

3. Focusing on the quality of content instead of the quantity of content

As much as “content is king,” quality is more important than quantity when it comes to content marketing. High-quality, engaging, and relevant content will help a business attract and retain customers while also generating more leads and conversions. 

However, producing a large amount of low-quality content will not have the same impact and may even harm the business’s reputation. 

4. Thinking with long-term results in mind

Those who play the long game ultimately win in the marketing space. This means that the business should not focus solely on short-term gains but on building a strong brand and reputation that will yield long-term results. 

By thinking long-term, a business can organize its marketing budget to provide sustained results and maximize the return on investment.

5. Expanding the top of the business’ marketing funnel

The top of the marketing funnel refers to the initial stage of the customer journey, where a potential customer is made aware of the business and its offerings. Expanding the top of the funnel involves reaching a wider audience and attracting more potential customers. 

This can be done by creating and distributing high-quality content, leveraging influencer marketing, or engaging in targeted advertising campaigns. By doing so, a business can maximize its marketing budget by attracting more potential customers and increasing its reach.

6. Optimizing content for conversions

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the process of improving the performance of a website or landing page to convert more visitors into customers. Doing so can help a business maximize its marketing budget by ensuring that its content effectively drives leads and sales. 

CRO involves testing and analyzing different website elements, such as headlines, images, and call-to-actions, to determine what works best and make the necessary changes to improve performance.

7. Leveraging PR efforts

Public Relations (PR) refers to the practice of managing and shaping the reputation and image of a company, individual, or organization. It involves strategic communication to build and maintain strong relationships between an entity and its stakeholders, such as customers, employees, partners, media, and the wider public.

By leveraging PR efforts, a business can secure media coverage, increase visibility, and improve its reputation.

8. Engaging in strategic partnerships

Strategic partnerships can be an effective way to maximize a business’s marketing budget. They can take many forms, including joint promotions, co-branded events, or cross-promotion initiatives. By partnering with complementary businesses, a business can tap into new markets, reach new audiences, and increase its visibility.

The Future of Marketing: Hire a Marketing Consultant or Hire a Fractional CMO

The future of marketing is being shaped by the integration of virtual reality (VR), smart technology, and a more informed audience. These advancements are changing how businesses interact with customers and are creating new opportunities for brands to engage and connect with their target audience.

Thus, should you be having trouble choosing whether to hire a marketing consultant or a fractional CMO for your company, always consider their experience first. Then, consider whether you want someone who will simply offer you advice or someone who will be hands-on working with your team to ensure your marketing success. 

A fractional CMO may be your best option if you are looking for the latter. 

For more on recent trends in digital marketing, read our blog and talk to us if you are considering hiring a fractional CMO.