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What do I even do as a digital marketing consultant?

Tim discusses digital marketing with a woman who has her back to the frame

   Consultants get a bad reputation because we're either useless (which I'm the first one to agree with in many instances) or nobody knows what we do. Throw in a generic term like "digital marketing" which is incredibly broad, and now we have confusion.

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So what exactly do I do as a digital marketing consultant?

   I mainly meet with small businesses, figure out whatever the problem is or whatever your goal is, and we either solve it or achieve it. It's that simple. Now, that definition is loaded, so I'll also highlight:

  • you tell me what you think the problem is. I'll bring insights and make sure we address root causes, but I'm not going to punish, belittle or scrutinize: it's us versus whatever you think the problem is 

  • you tell me what your goals are. This is all about you and your business, and I'm here to honour that and advance your mission 

  • we mainly do meetings, where we do some education, brainstorming, problem solving, coaching, you name it

  • I will do some work offline. Not everything can be efficiently done in a meeting, like data analysis, research, or some brainstorming or planning 

Tim working with a client on their digital marketing with their back turned, Tim laughing

Someone also recently called attention to the fact that digital marketing is extremely broad, and asked what it even means. Digital marketing is any marketing or advertising activity where a digital tool that uses electricity and the internet is the primary connector between people. Common areas of digital marketing include

Someone also recently called attention to the fact that digital marketing is extremely broad, and asked what it even means. Digital marketing is any marketing or advertising activity where a digital tool that uses electricity and the internet is the primary connector between people. Common areas of digital marketing include

  • websites and search engine optimization

  • paid ads 

  • keyword research

  • search engine marketing 

  • influencer marketing

  • text message marketing

  • social media marketing

  • messaging

  • hashtag research

  • chatbots, 

  • email marketing

  • digital automations and integrations

Examples of My Work as a Digital Marketing Consultant:

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   One client needed a marketing strategy she could apply for her whole business as she moved from a niche coaching approach to a course and retreat based business. I did some research on similar businesses to get marketing ideas, we met to discuss her goals and key outcomes, and together we designed her online messages, planned content for six months including launch, and developed a hashtag list. 

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   An arts not for profit developed new revenue sources, but needed a strategic marketing plan on how to post it on both their website and social media channels (and with only two social media platforms, it had to be clear and concise). We had a half day brainstorming session outlining user intentions on each platform, then brainstormed the words to use, and developed content from there. I turned this into an easy to read document other stakeholders started using. 

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   Another client had a successful brick and mortar business, and with an exponentially growing business needed to hire a digital marketer. I drafted and proofread the parts of the job posting and 30/60/90 day plan for the digital marketing parts. I then sat in on interviews with targeted questions to digital marketing, while watching for digital marketing fluff, or quality answers.

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   A final example of work I've done involved helping another consultant launch their business. They knew their website had to be optimized for search engines, so I met with them to learn about the business, used all my tools and secrets to get them a list of targeted keywords and suggested website layout.

Tim standing centre
Tim Campbell-Smith sitting in front of his computer

A Final Note: What's the Difference Between Me and a Digital Marketing Agency?​

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   The two biggest differences between me, a digital marketing consultant, and a digital marketing agency, are size and what kind of work gets done. 

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   Most digital marketing agencies are physically and/or logistically large: they usually have a space, staff and contractors, and many processes and workflows. That leads to the second thing: they have many people who carry out and do the work.

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   As a consultant, I'm solo: when you work with me, you work with me. No overseas contractors, no interns fumbling over communications, no convoluted chains of command. I also focus on giving you what your company needs to succeed, and you implement. Part of my work does sometimes involve finding the people to implement, but only if you don't want to do this, or do it in house.

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