What’s a Digital Consultant and Why Does My Company Need One?

Digital consulting includes advice and guidance on things like SEO, website design, and social media.

09:41 29 April 2022

Technology is growing exponentially every day, making it hard for the average business owner to keep up. This is more than true if you're a business owner struggling to make your business a success online. Knowing where to start with digital marketing can certainly be a challenge. Fortunately, professional digital consultants can help business owners navigate the sea of digital marketing options.

 

Today, an effective digital marketing plan can help you to reach your growth and revenue goals. With their comprehensive knowledge, a digital consultant can set you and your business on the fast track to success. And the good news is, you don't have to be a mega-corporation to hire one. Even small, local businesses can afford a digital marketing consultant.

 

From what they do and why it might be important to hire one, the folks at Digital Authority Partners have provided the following on what you need to know about digital consultants. Hiring a qualified consultant can make a game-changing difference in your online business.

 

Digital Consulting Defined

 Digital consulting includes advice and guidance on things like SEO, website design, and social media. Primarily, digital consulting focuses on ways to use the internet to efficiently and effectively market your products and services online.

 

Above all, a digital consultant can help you understand how online advertising works and create a marketing plan tailored to your business.

 

They might advise you to redesign your website to be more search engine and user friendly. They can also offer guidance on building a great social media campaign, email marketing, and optimizing content for keywords.

 

Digital consultants are immersed in tech and love to help businesses meet their online marketing goals. Most digital consultants work freelance, but you can also hire one from an agency; in fact, hiring a digital consulting agency can give you a wider pool of talent.

 

Most digital consultants have a bachelor’s degree, and some have a master’s degree. Also, most have degrees in business, marketing, or communications. But some also have degrees in economics or computer science.

 

However, while college degrees are valuable, so is real-world experience. The best digital consultants have years of experience working in marketing and other aspects of the business. Some very accomplished digital consultants do not have a degree at all, but a lot of real-world experience and online training to build their skills.

 

Some popular certifications for digital marketing consultants include Google Data Analytics, digital marketing, blockchain technology, web design, coding, SEO, and social media.

 

Digital Consultants Need These Skills

Digital consultants must have many different skills to do their work. Above all, they need highly-tuned analytical skills since they'll spend much of their time analyzing your website and marketing data. The detailed marketing plans and strategies they come up with are based on hard facts and numbers. These are not just opinions; what they do is based on your website and marketing data.

 

However, some digital consultants specialize in certain fields, while others might offer a more comprehensive service. The areas that digital consultants focus on include:

 

• Developing digital strategies
• Digital Marketing
• Content Development
• Sales funnels
• Video marketing
• Search engine optimization
• Social media
• Project management
• Web design and user interface

 

Once again, most digital consultants do a little bit of everything. They need to in order to take a look at the big picture. Designing a plan to drive the ideal customers to your website can have a lot of different moving parts.

 

However, digital consultants are not simply coming up with ways to drive traffic. They are finding ways to drive qualified traffic; that means, people who actually want what you have to offer will be able to find you online.

 

Also, it's important to remember they only provide recommendations. For example, if they determine your website needs to be redesigned, you'll need to do that yourself or hire a web designer. The consultant might supervise the work, but you'll need to implement the marketing plan yourself.

 

How Much Does a Digital Consultant Cost?

Digital consultants can work on an hourly basis, on retainer, or a project-by-project basis. On average, digital consultants charge between $40 to $50 an hour. Most business owners hire consultants on a project-by-project basis or on a retainer.

 

Also, how much a digital consultant charges depends on where they live; those hired from California, New York, or Washington tend to charge the most. However, just because a consultant lives in a major city doesn't make them better than one who lives in a small town.

 

The cost of hiring a consultant is offset by the cost-effective marketing solutions they can provide and the ensuing profits. If you're at a dead end with your online marketing efforts, hiring a digital consultant can be well worth the investment. It's simply a business expense that enhances your overall revenue.

 

Why You Need a Digital Consultant

A digital consultant can be a game-changer for your company and its online marketing. Today, the most impactful marketing strategies occur online. This includes top-ranking websites, social media campaigns, pay-per-click ads, and email marketing. These are the areas in which digital consultants can help your business excel.

 

Digital marketing consultants can look at the big picture and design a comprehensive online marketing plan tailored to your business. It ties everything together into a unified marketing strategy that engages consumers and drives revenue.

 

If you want to grow your business online, hiring a digital consultant is more than worth it. They'll find the best ways to engage your customers and improve your organic web traffic.

 

Digital consultants can help both small, local businesses and global megacorporations. They'll analyze your existing online marketing and find ways to make it better. Once they build an online marketing strategy, they can also oversee its implementation.

 

There are a wide range of advantages of hiring a digital consultant. They can help you to improve your website's design, improve its content, and plan PPC and social media marketing strategies. Ultimately, these efforts will increase web traffic and sales, helping your business to increase its market share and revenue.