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If you’re going to be advising a client on their brand strategy and core messaging, make sure your own presentation to them is clear, well structured and has a strong brand identity. How else do you expect them to buy into you?
How Should Marketing Consultants Market Themselves?
Make some promises
Don’t be one of those marketing consultants who say “we can’t promise you anything”. If you’re asking your client to start investing in your services thousands of pounds, you’ll need to indicate some KPIs (key performance indicators) to measure the success of your work.
Otherwise you are likely to end up in a quarrel with your client over the results. Lean on your past experience, present case studies and outcomes of your previous work. Be accurate with statistics. If you lack the relevant experience, research the work of others to understand how other campaigns succeeded in a similar industry.
Be specific
Breakdown the marketing strategy designed to improve your client’s business. Using generic terms such as “SEO audit” isn’t helpful to your client. In order to trust you, they must be able to grasp the basics of the steps, ideally described in layman terms.
Your client needs to be clear on what they will get at the end of the project, be it a new website, improved following on social media or increased traffic to their site. You can’t take their money and then shrug your shoulders with “let’s hope for the best” comment.
Research your client
Too many times in the rush to pitch, marketing consultants don’t do their homework and it is very disappointing for a client to sit through a meeting where they have to spend the first half an hour talking about the basics of their business.
You should be playing your client’s business back to them, telling them your view on every aspect, throwing in little tips on how to improve their brand image, messaging or marketing efforts. Showing a lack of understanding of the client’s business, their industry or competition is a sure way to lose the prospect.
Avoid using acronyms and jargon
Nothing worse for a client than having to constantly ask what this or that means. Don’t presume your client knows anything about your industry so don’t put them on the back foot by using abbreviations that only mean something to you. That goes for your written presentation too. You will quickly lose the client’s attention if they have to google every second word.
Get yourself insured
Business is very personal and your clients will expect you to take it as seriously as they do. Therefore getting decent insurance for marketing agencies is important for two reasons. Firstly, being insured shows that you’re professional. Secondly, the relationship with your client can sour for a number of reasons and they may end up blaming you for their failure or for an adverse effect of the marketing campaign.
Conclusion
You are in the business of communication therefore your own approach must be tip top. Sort out your own brand, make sure it’s strong, clear and identifiable among all the other pitches. Choose a unique tone of voice that aligns with your clientele. Ensure all your communication channels are brand aligned, meaning you are using the right colour scheme, font and signatures in emails, social media and other messaging. Your own brand should be an inspiration to your clients.
