In the business world, marketing is essential for business growth. Whether you are starting your own company or have been in the business for a while, you recognize that marketing is vital to understanding your customers' needs and how to fulfill them. But sometimes, things don't go smoothly in your campaigns, and that is okay.
Most marketing campaigns are done through trial and error. You will run ads until you find your audience and then make content specifically for that audience. Having a marketing consultant by your side is helpful. They will guide you through the process of the marketing funnel stages and tap into your company's hidden potential and improve your business model.
The downside of marketing consultants is the cost. Depending on their experience, they can charge thousands of dollars for a few campaigns. Sure, you will have the results you want, but the price is relatively high.
But there is another solution.
Marketing virtual assistants can also help you and charge up to $600 a month to get the same results as a marketing consultant does. Before explaining the benefits of a virtual marketer, let's take a look at what precisely a marketing consultant does.
Marketing Consultant
According to The Balance, a marketing consultant is an outside advisor who works with companies to create and implement marketing strategies. With their help, you can make a marketing plan, figure out your company's fundamental problem for marketing and find the best type of advertising to reach your target audience.
Hiring a marketing consultant can also help you establish a brand identity and build a loyal customer base. Definitely a great asset to have in your company. Consultants are employees on a contract who work for a company for a limited amount of time. For example, they could work for a few months to create brand awareness or work on specific campaigns such as social media growth or increase a company's conversion rate. In the list below, you can find a few examples of what a marketing consultant does.
Analyzing audiences to determine how to target them
Addressing public relations
Creating advertising campaigns
Searching for opportunities to connect with new consumers
Encouraging customer engagement
Managing Social Media accounts
Managing a website and blog
Tracking metrics of a specific campaign and analyzing results
Optimizing company's SEO
Marketing consultants also have technical and soft skills to help your company generate a higher revenue per month. We can divide these skills into many subcategories depending on what your business needs. Below you can find a list of some of the specific tasks a marketing consultant can have.
Copywriting
Branding
Social media
SEO
Online marketing
Local marketing
Print or TV advertising
Public Relations
As your company grows, you will need different skills to fulfill the expertise your current employees do not possess. Marketing consultants also have soft skills such as critical thinking and empathy. These skills can help them understand your business's strategy and apply it to the right audience in a creative manner.
Having a combination of technical skills and soft skills will ensure high revenue.
Before you get convinced about hiring a marketing consultant, you must look at their costs. As with most outsourced work, you won't have to pay for benefits and other legal transactions for a marketer's service. But, the more experienced they are, the higher is going to be their rate.
According to studies, low experienced marketers can charge up to $24000 a year if they work exclusively for a company. Which is not that expensive, but for experienced marketers, that rate could go up to $100,000 a year.
On the other hand, if you hire them by project, marketers can charge up to $8000 per campaign, depending on the duration and the marketing goal you want to achieve. Considering a campaign is usually around two to three months, that is around $2600 a month, which is quite high for outsourcing your marketing needs.
Virtual Marketing Assistants
Also known as virtual marketers, virtual marketing assistants can help you with the same tasks a marketing consultant does for a fraction of the price. These virtual assistants are experts in marketing and possess the skill and creativity to help your company achieve its marketing goals. Let's take a look at those skills.
Communication
As remote workers, they have well-developed communication skills. They can communicate their ideas efficiently to a team and use this skill to provide a clear message when creating a marketing campaign your audience will understand and feel identified with.
Teamwork
Teamwork is one of the most valued aspects of a virtual marketer. They are capable of taking ideas from multiple sources, finding a way to complement each other, and applying them to your company's business strategies. Creating campaigns that incorporate different team preferences can be challenging, but virtual marketers are up to the challenge.
Adaptability
Virtual marketers are some of the most adaptable employees in the world. They are used to working with several companies at once and understand the needs of the different audiences these companies have. Virtual marketing assistants are accustomed to working under pressure and can retrace their steps to find simple errors which they can fix within the hour.
Creativity
Virtual marketers are creative in their approach to marketing and can help you create campaigns that get your targeted audience's attention. They will think outside the box, coming up with distinct ideas that will get your product noticed. Creativity is also helpful in finding practical solutions to problems like a low conversion rate or a high cost per click.
Organization
Virtual marketers have a knack for organization and have no problem managing your campaigns, meeting deadlines, and adhering to strict schedules. They also excel at delegating tasks and enforcing deadlines, which means they are perfect for managing any project. If needed, they can also help you organize your business plan to acquire more clients even when their job is over.
Low Cost
The best was saved for last. Virtual marketing assistants only charge for their actual work. You can pay them by the number of hours they work, as they are excellent at keeping track of time through their organizational skills. You don't have to worry about benefits, legal or medical fees.
Virtual marketers also have the option to work for a virtual agency, which can be even cheaper than hiring a marketing consultant. Virtual agencies offer monthly and yearly plans, including client portals, account access, and 24/7 assistance—all for an average of $800 a month.
Virtual Marketers as a Marketing Consultant
Marketing is a 24/7 industry, and it is constantly evolving. Whether you choose a marketing consultant or a virtual marketer, they will help you be updated on the latest trends and tools to help you reach your potential clients. From phone apps to social media management tools, there are lots of ways these professionals can appeal to the latest generation of digital natives.
Virtual marketers work closely with various businesses and offer their expertise to create brand awareness or promote a single product or service. Moreover, they are team players who know how to navigate the many different business environments and people they meet.
So, if you want a little more bang for your buck, choosing a virtual marketing assistant over a marketing consultant is the way to go.