Is your business considering hiring a marketing consultant? That’s a question many business owners ask themselves at some point. And in today’s changing business economy, consultants, contractors and freelancers are an ever-growing fixture. In fact, a recent report by research firm, Jobenomics, estimated that contingent workers (contractors, freelancers, temps, consultants, etc.) now make up 40% of the U.S. workforce. Some estimates are that the figure will reach 50% by 2030.

There are a number of reasons for this trend, as well as tangible benefits to your business, as you’ll learn here.

The bountiful benefits of hiring a marketing consultant

Flexibility

Typically, labor is the single largest expense in any business. At the same time, it doesn’t always make sense to hire a new employee to fulfill a need or to complete a project. And many small businesses don’t have the resources to take on a new employee for their marketing initiatives.

By hiring an independent marketing consultant or freelancer, you are able to get critical work done, while allowing for increases (and decreases) in demand for talent. You work with a consultant on an as-needed basis.

Fresh perspective

Ever hear of the phenomenon known as the curse of knowledge? It’s real and practically no business is immune to its powers. Even if your company already employs a team of marketers, they’re likely to get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae and bias that comes with working inside your four walls. It’s also why you need a fresh set of “eyes” from time to time.

Alternatively, a marketing consultant can approach a challenge from another angle and offer a prescriptive solution to your problem.

Specialized skills

If your home has a leaky pipe, would you call in your neighbor’s kid to fix it? You might, if the kid happens to be a plumber. Most likely you wouldn’t do this because the neighbor’s kid doesn’t possess the knowledge or expertise to tackle the problem.

Independent marketing consultants, contractors and freelancers are ready to start a project on day one, with no training required. And most marketing consultants have been fine tuning their craft for years. You benefit from that “been-there-done-that” expertise.

“By hiring an independent marketing consultant or freelancer, you are able to get critical work done, while allowing for increases (and decreases) in demand for talent. You work with a consultant on an as-needed basis.”

Quality of work

Because a marketing consultant runs their own business, their number one goal is happy, repeat clients. They aim to turn out great work, on time and on budget, in order to keep your business.

Efficiency (a.k.a. they can do it faster than you)

Hiring a marketing consultant with specialized skills means that they get to work fast — sometimes faster than your own in-house team. And they only bill you for the time spent doing the work.

Cost savings

Unlike the fixed labor cost that employees present to your business, marketing contractors and freelancers are a variable cost.

But aren’t most consultants really expensive, you ask? Don’t be fooled by the price tag. Even though contractors charge a higher hourly rate than what you’re paying your employees, you don’t pay for things like payroll taxes, health benefits, and retirement funds. You’re also not incurring the cost of office space, a computer, supplies and so on.

Politics, shmolitics…

Let’s be honest, office politics exist. And they’re a real pain to navigate when you’re trying to get work done.

One of the advantages of working with an independent marketing consultant is independence — and lack of office politics. They’re on your team to get work done — without any B.S., grudges or ego.

Types of work best suited for a marketing consultant or freelancer

While you can outsource practically anything these days (housework, dog walking, you name it!), marketing really is one the areas that is primed for outsourcing success. Here are few examples:

  • Developing marketing strategy
  • Competitor research
  • Branding, logos and graphic design
  • Content development (blog posts, whitepapers, e-books, sales sheets, email marketing)
  • Paid search and online advertising
  • Website design and development
  • Social media strategy and management

Can your business benefit from a marketing consultant?

Whatever the reason(s), it might make sense to hire a marketing consultant. If you want to benefit from an outside perspective, as well as the flexibility, expertise and cost savings that come with an outside marketing resource, the Lumen Marketing team would like to hear from you.

We specialize in inbound marketing, websites and creative for B2B and B2C businesses. Our strategy-first marketing programs help clients generate demand, attract better leads, engage more effectively, and increase qualified sales opportunities that lead to measurable revenue. Whether you need to augment your existing team on a single project, or you need a completely turnkey, outsourced marketing solution, Lumen Marketing can help.

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