Become a Marketing Consultant: Step-by-step Guide
Originally published at Become a Marketing Consultant
Many people have a desire to found a startup and begin their own business. But what is a business without marketing? Without an attentively analyzed and developed marketing plan business growth decreases and sometimes even stops. Probably, there is no business that can survive without marketing support. This is the reason that any business tends to have a marketing plan. Yet, not every entrepreneur manages to do it on their own. That is why today businesses make use of services offered by marketing consultants.
So, along with the time the demand for marketing consulting services among the pool of business owners increases. Accordingly, many specialists in the sphere started to think about working as online marketing consultants. If you also have the required knowledge in this field then you should not waste your time but follow the below-mentioned guide and use your knowledge effectively.
Step #1 Choose Your Niche
If you want to be an expert then you cannot be one in every aspect. Digital marketing consultancy is a wide industry that covers a lot of directions. You should choose one or several of them in which you are experienced. The most popular and required fields especially in B2C marketing are:
- Website Optimization (SEO)
- Social Media Marketing (SMM)
- Influencer Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Video Marketing
- Public Relations (PR)
- Branding
- Mobile Marketing, and so on.
You should make a decision on one of these spheres and start your activity as a digital marketing consultant in that specific field. The more you know about every field of digital marketing the more required you may become in the market. As it is essential to keep the connection between the above-mentioned spheres, it is better to have at least minimal knowledge of each direction. Therefore, you are highly recommended to focus on one specific branch.
Step #2 Get the Right Qualification
Businesses tend to focus on certified marketing consultants. Once you make a decision to offer your services as a marketing coach, then make research and find out what qualifications the target audience requires. Digital marketing is an easy industry to integrate into. Everybody may become one in this wide field but not everybody is going to be successful. I’m sure you are one of the luckiest marketers.
It will be required to be certified in the specialty in order to prove you stand out among the thousands of representatives. You may have quality knowledge, but when you are not certified many people may just miss the opportunity to make use of your services.
Make sure to learn all the required qualifications related to digital marketing. You may even find everything available online. In this regard, digital marketing is full of official sources like Google, Facebook, Hubspot, LinkedIn, Youtube, etc. Here you may learn courses, pass tests, and get certified by the official source.
Step #3 Identify Your Target Audience
This is a very important point. First of all, you need to choose whether you prefer the B2B or B2C marketplace. Once you have the answer to this question you will know your target audience and may go on shaping the image of your buyer persona.
The niche you have already chosen in the first stage also helps you at this point. For instance, let’s imagine you are experienced in content marketing and some companies and organizations are focused on video marketing. So, you leave them out from the members of your potential customers.
The next aspect is to consider those industries you will be willing to work in. For instance, you may like to work with cafes and restaurants but you don’t like to work with hotels. This niche will also be taken into account in order to choose the right audience group. Now, let me list some points to consider while making a decision in this stage:
1. Choose those industries you like to work with.
2. Consider the marketing knowledge of potential customers: beginners or people with some level of knowledge.
3. Type of marketplace.
4. Identify your strengths as a marketing specialist and think about who needs them more.
5. Count the length of time you may spend on this work.
All of these points will help you to analyze the matter and make the right decision.
Step #4 Build a Personal Website
These days, there is no business that reaches its highest point of possible growth and success without a credible website. Today the specialist even present their marketing consultant contracts and plans on their online platforms.
People and businesses look for marketing companies and freelance marketing consulting services on online platforms. If you have a professional and good looking website, you will attract a lot of potential customers.
In this regard, you may also rely on professional website builders. Uteach website builder may be a good choice for you. Thanks to it, you get an attractive online platform within minimal time and effort. This platform becomes the online face of your business. So, make sure you trust the right company or platform.
If you like to get familiar with the features Uteach offers
Besides, having a personal platform you may go on trying much more features of it and even extend your career path. Let’s go on and shape a clear image of what I’m speaking about.
Step #5 Present Engaging Content that Evokes Credibility
Your website should present you and the services you offer in the best possible way. It should be informative, useful, as well as creative, attractive, and trustworthy. Visiting your web page, the users should immediately feel they can trust you.
All the textual and visual content presented on your platform should be proof you know what you are talking about, you are a master in the field. The most common and easiest way to do this is to operate a blog. This is not a problem, especially for marketing specialists.
You may write articles on interesting topics and provide the required information for the potential audience. Let them shape a general opinion about the field so that they understand the importance of marketing for their business success. Accordingly, the chance that they will make use of your services increases. Besides, the blog will also increase your website’s visibility in organic search results.
Along with the blog, many marketing consultants come up with video content as well. They present short videos where they speak about some tips, techniques, or methods of using marketing. These videos as well as blog posts are recommended to share on social media channels, inform and attract people. In this way, you gain attention and guide the attracted audience to more useful content such as online courses. Accordingly, you build an audience and keep them informed about any news and updates.
Step #6 Create Online Courses
The online course you present may become a useful piece for any marketer who wants to go deeper into the marketing industry and get the most possible especially from an expert like you. This may even become a type of online teaching platform. You record videos on required topics in your niche, explain points and give the learners an opportunity to acquire quality knowledge.
Creating online courses is not such a difficult process as you may think. It is easy when you have the quality knowledge and skills, and also your platform to sell online courses from your own website. You spend your time and energy once to record video courses on topics that are in demand. Then the potential learners may easily buy these courses throughout the time. This will become a kind of additional passive income.
Step #7 Organize Webinars
You should also organize webinars and discuss interesting topics related to your niche. These webinars may be offered both for potential clients who need marketing consultations for their businesses as well as for learners who want to become consultants. In the first case, your target audience includes businesses that need to realize the importance of marketing. The second point is about engaging people who may become marketers.
Organize private webinars for businesses that already use your services. You may also organize open webinar discussions and answer people’s questions. Another option is to create webinars for future marketers. These webinars may also be paid organized through your educational website.
Once you see there is a considerable amount of potential learners, you may even start online classes. People who like to take part will have the schedule of these classes to book a seat on your website. Besides, you may also create the class, present its details and invite the students who you think may be interested in it. These people will automatically get email invitations as well as reminders about the upcoming classes.
Step #8 Market Your Consulting Services
Make sure people are aware of your valuable services. Create a marketing plan and reach as many people as possible. Be active in various forums, groups, and any discussion in the niche. Let people know about your knowledge, skills, and potential. In this case, they will use these services, recommend them to others, and tend to be like you.
Share all the video content and blog articles in every place possible. Answer questions, express your point of view, and be active in such places. Once a person makes use of your services and finds them useful, this will become proof of your quality knowledge.
At first, you may start with sharing introductory courses. Business owners, as well as learners, may become interested in your services. Once you gather loyal followers who are engaged with your services, then you may go on and present advanced courses for businesses in different industries. Of course, people will pay to have these courses.
Why Become an Online Marketing Consultant?
You have valuable knowledge of marketing, don’t you? So, why don’t you want to make use of this knowledge and let it work for you? Even if you have a job, you may manage to work on it as well. Additional income is never more.
Besides, in this way, you found your own small business. It is your website. We have already learned the advantages you get with such a platform, but believe me, they are even more.
Digital marketing consulting services are very required in the market. Even small business owners themselves tend to buy online courses in this industry and learn about growing their business for its full potential.
And finally, this is fun. You like your specialty, you are a master in the field. So, why don’t you want to do your favorite thing? Share your skills and talent with others, help them to learn this creative aspect of the current life from the right perspective.
Start Your Digital Marketing Consulting Business Right Now
As you are already familiar with the basic steps to become a marketing consultant, it’s your time to take action. Once you have already chosen your specific niche, get the certification in that field, then you may think about the website development. I have already mentioned, you may create a good looking and functional website with the help of Uteach. Thanks to its advanced features, this website builder helps you to make many functions come true. For instance, you get a chance to:
- Create and publish online courses (both paid and free)
- Conduct live lessons
- Come up with webinars
- Operate a blog
- Present a portfolio
- Organize quizzes
- Even give certificates
- Present any form of content, and so on
Creating a website with Uteach is very easy and fast. You will get the domain name you have always dreamed about and organize the process according to your preferences. Do not postpone for tomorrow what you need to do today.
Become one of the experts that drive businesses forward! Our platform helps you to realize all the actions in one place and satisfy the end-users, achieve your dream, and growing both your and others’ businesses. There is no risk or duty. Try it free for today!
