Bonafide Marketing Genius

How to Find an Online Marketing Consultant

As the name suggests, an online marketing consultant is a type of professional who provides various services to online marketers. Typically, they provide services such as marketing strategy, analytics, website design, and engineering. More and more companies are realizing the benefits that come with having an online marketing expert on their team, which is why the demand for online marketing consultants is on the rise. If you’re looking to hire an online marketing consultant to enhance your business’s growth, continue reading.

The Demand For Online Marketing Consultants

The demand for online marketing consultants is on the rise as companies try to solve their marketing problems. Sometimes a business struggles to understand the importance of marketing, let alone know how to go about it. Having a certified professional on their team can really help businesses understand the ins and outs of marketing, especially since a business analyst can help them design a strategy and map out a plan to achieve their marketing goals. According to HubSpot Blogs’ research, 74% of companies struggle with creating a cohesive marketing strategy, and only 13% have a strategy in place.

If you’re looking to hire an online marketing consultant, the demand seems to be there. Out of the 626 companies that they surveyed, 72% reported that they knew of someone who they considered to be a marketing expert, and 59% said that marketing was either a major challenge or a significant hurdle in the adoption of new products or services.

The Top Marketers’ Tools

If you’re looking to hire an online marketing consultant, you’ll need to decide which one you should purchase. Below are some of the most popular tools that top marketers use to get the job done.

  • HubSpot: This is a collaborative software used for inbound marketing. It was specifically designed for marketing teams and helps them manage virtually every aspect of their marketing strategy including leads, contacts, and campaigns.
  • Optimize CMS: This is a software solution that helps marketers get more out of their content by analyzing keywords, performing A/B testing, checking SEO, and more.
  • Pricing Analytics: This is a tool that helps you analyze your product or service pricing, examining both the volume and patterns of purchases, and providing you with a clear picture of your pricing structure’s impact on your bottom line.
  • Google Analytics: This is a free tool bundled with the Google Suite, and it’s one of the most popular and well-known website analytics tools around. It allows you to track visitor behaviors, giving you a clear understanding of how clients are interacting with your website.
  • Hootsuite: This is a well-known social media management tool that allows you to schedule posts in advance and get them out to your chosen audience. Plus, you can connect with influencers and grow your reach across platforms.
  • Buffer: This is a tool for scheduling and publishing content to social media platforms. It’s especially handy for busy marketers who need to keep on top of all the newest trends and platforms.
  • Twitter Analytics: This is a tool that allows you to track the performance of your tweets, set goals for your social media content, and examine the results of your efforts.

Marketing Specialties

While the specific services that online marketing consultants offer may vary, most of them focus on a handful of specialties. Below we’ve listed some of the more popular ones.

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): This is the process of improving the “search engine rankings” of a website. SEO involves using various techniques to increase the amount of visitors your website receives when people search for keywords or phrases that are relevant to your product or service.
  • Content Strategy: This is the process of planning, creating, and analyzing content for both internal and external audiences. Essentially, a content strategist creates content that is both informative and engaging.
  • Email Marketing: This is the process of sending promotional material (such as newsletters) to existing or potential customers through email.
  • Display Advertising: This is the process of placing ads on websites and social media platforms (such as Facebook) to promote your products and services.
  • Inbound Marketing: This is a collaborative approach to marketing that focuses on engaging and motivating people to behave in a desired way.
  • Performance Marketing: This is the process of measuring the performance of your marketing activity, including sales, leads, and website traffic, against set performance objectives.
  • Social Media Marketing (SMM): This is the process of gaining exposure and interacting with potential customers through social media platforms.
  • Video Marketing: This is the process of using video content to attract, engage and convert potential customers into paying customers.

Required Education

Like any other professional, you’ll need to make sure that you’re hiring the right person. If you’re interested in an online marketing consultant and they don’t have the required education, don’t hesitate to pass on them. Below we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 bachelor’s degrees that you should have, and frankly, you don’t need to have all of them to be an effective marketer.

  • Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
  • Bachelor of Arts in Interactive Marketing
  • Bachelor of Business Administration
  • Bachelor of Science in Marketing
  • Bachelor of Science in Marketing
  • Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
  • Bachelor of Science in Advertising
  • Bachelor of Science in E-commerce
  • Bachelor of Science in Organizational Development
  • Bachelor of Science in Communications
  • Bachelor of Science in Sport Management
  • Bachelor of Science in Psychology

What are the essentials for an effective marketer?

In order to be an effective marketer, you will need to have the following skills:

  • Creativity
  • A thirst for knowledge
  • An analytical mind
  • A sense of balance
  • Humility
  • Passion
  • A support system
  • And…a good sense of humor
  • If you’re looking for someone to take your marketing to the next level, or simply looking for someone to help out with your existing marketing activity, then you might want to consider an online marketing consultant.