What is a Marketing Consultant?

You might be considering getting into marketing and want to know the difference between agencies and consultants.

We hear this question all the time and can understand why it’s confusing. It also makes sense to us why someone might think agencies and consultants are one and the same.

However, they are very different things.

Below, we’ll look at how both contrast with each other through the perspective of a business wishing to hire marketing professionals:

Yes, you’re going to find some similarities between the standard agencies and consultation firms/consultants.

Where agencies and consultants primarily differentiate is through their core philosophies.

Marketing consultation is – for the most part – centered around strategizing and developing plans.

Agencies are focused on the implementation and execution of that strategy. It’s often that marketing silos merge and that the entire sales funnel experiences become the main sticking point for marketing.

As such, it’s not uncommon for agencies to offer consultation services.

Nor is it unusual for consulting firms to provide agency-like services, involving implementation and execution.

Consultants work within the framework provided by a client.

Alternatively, agencies are offered the freedom to act on behalf of organizations to execute on strategies and plans.

One of the issues with an agency – that can negatively impact clients’ businesses – is that they can somewhat go rogue on a company.

Having too much creative leeway can lead to veering too far away from working within a clients’ various processes and procedures.

Conversely, consultants immerse themselves in your business and work directly with employees.

With agencies and consulting firms, team sizes can mirror one another. But consultants work towards one collective goal.

Whereas, agencies have individuals working towards their own endgame—and aren’t necessarily clued into the big picture of your organization.

Consultants are often perceived as lone wolves or freelancers—which can be true or untrue.

Firms can be one person, tiny boutiques, or an expansive operation, depending on who you’re dealing with.

A business choosing between a marketing consultant or agency might just come down to a matter of taste and what you’re looking for.

Believe it or not, a report from Business Insider shows that the agency lifestyle still bears some resemblance to the days of Emmy Award-winning Mad Men.

That means there’s still a lot of partying, drinking, and even something of a drug culture in these offices.

Sure, there might no longer be the rampant sexism displayed in the hit show. Still, that culture remains deeply ingrained in the fabric of those organizations.

Now, that’s not always a deterrent for a business. Creatives have a tendency to conjure up magic—but it can be at the cost of volatility and turbulence.

These professionals work long hours and are under tremendous pressure to deliver, and that comes with high prices.

Don’t believe us?

Visit any agency, and you’ll find a full-stocked bar and fridge with all the alcohol you can imagine.

And it’s expected that employees take part in this culture, or else they won’t fit in and might alienate themselves.

With consulting firms, as was hinted upon in the last section, clients are faced with a far more professional, level-headed culture.

The people involved aren’t in it for the fast-paced life and glamor. Their primary purpose is to give organizations the best possible return on their investment based on performance metrics.

In many situations, an agency will charge an hourly rate for services—be it for graphic design, web development, copywriting, or print campaigns.

The amount of value a business gets for what is spent isn’t really set in stone.

While companies can benefit from agencies putting their best man or woman on the job, they might be stuck with a wet-behind-the-ears rookie who takes twice as long to get the work done.

In fact, a client might not even meet the person working on their ads and other marketing collateral.

And what if the work isn’t up to your expectations? Businesses are still stuck with the bill. As well as with paying for future pitches until they land on something profitable.

Conversely, consulting firms tend to assign one person who familiarizes themselves with clients from the beginning of the work until its end.

Organizations won’t be wasting time on failed pitches or dropping vast chunks of their budget on campaigns that go nowhere.

With consulting firms, clients have peace of mind in knowing what they’re going to get. A consultant will work with you every step of the way, so there won’t be any surprises.

Agencies tend to be very conscious of their image---more than they care about a client’s goals as a business.

One example of how this manifests itself is through an obsession with winning awards.

Therefore, agencies might provide tremendous creativity and cleverness, but that doesn’t necessarily generate profits or more revenue for their clients.

In many cases, they’re worried about doing something trendy and hip, which ends up leading to a disaster.

Let’s break our narrative for a moment and assess this through the eyes of an aspiring marketing consultant. This awards-driven culture doesn’t come with much job security.

Once clients get sick of a lack of tangible results, your job might be out the window.

With consultation firms, their focus is on translating a business’s mission and vision into successful applications, images, videos, and more.

The aim of a consultant is for a business’s goals to be met in a marketing capacity. They also want to establish an engaging experience for your customers.

As a marketing consultant, your own voice or style pales in comparison to your overall vision and mission.

Winning awards come in a distant second (or third or fourth) when compared to awareness of a client’s brand and ROI.

Marketing consultants aim to blend into who their clients already are while generating tangible results.

You’ll find that marketing consultant salaries at entry-level positions start at $29,363 per year.

More experienced workers can earn around $90,000 per year.

After reading this blog, it’s fair to wonder what exactly goes into becoming a marketing consultant. Thankfully, at Systeme.io, we have the answers.

Here are the general qualifications you’ll need to find a gig at a firm:

Realistically, you can start a marketing consultant business all on your own.

Of course, to be successful, you’ll require the skills discussed above in the job description.

Then, a laptop and limited funds can get you started all on your own.

It all depends on how you scale your business. If you’re starting as a one-person operation, don’t promise the world, and focus very little on execution and more on marketing direction.

Now, this isn’t going to work if you’re doing everything with a pen and paper. It’s the year 2021, and you need the tools that’ll help you thrive.

Meaning, you should look into software that’ll help you succeed as a marketing consultant.

There is mainstream software out there like ClickFunnels that’ll definitely give you the various foundational tools to launch a business of any size.

However, it can be incredibly expensive to start with.

While the tools are useful, it’ll be challenging to see a desirable return on your investment.

With a more affordable tool such as Systeme.io, it’ll be far easier to get started.

You won’t have to take out a massive business loan to get things underway, and you’ll start seeing a return almost immediately.

That is if you run your business the right way and utilize your expertise with your inherent marketing savvy.

With this detailed breakdown of the marketing consultant industry, you have enough information to know if it’s for you.

Do you see yourself as someone with a tremendous level of required expertise? Or do you envision yourself as more of a creative?

No matter your answer, we wish you the best of luck!