Large marketing agencies have, for years, dominated the media and advertising spaces. However, businesses are increasingly relying upon a friendlier and more adaptive alternative – marketing consultants. Offering a far more modern approach to advertising and brand management, the popularity of marketing consultants has soared as businesses begin to realise the benefits and flexibility offered as compared to traditional marketing agencies.
Businesses have traditionally relied upon agents for large once off project. Yet they place little emphasis on the relationship between client and agency. For boutique consultancy firms, this relationship is paramount, and is guided by client and their needs – rather than dictated by the agency’s creative or business direction, which may not be aligned with the client’s own business focus. It’s these values of tailoring to individuals that sets consultants apart from agents and therefore why consultants are relied upon to manage long-term projects which require continuous attention and fine adjustments over time. Consultants hence have a strength in ongoing project management and are able to revise project objectives to remain consistent with your business’s overall ambitions. Running hand-in-hand with this, marketing strategy and planning is similarly within consultants’ proficiencies.
While marketing agents work separately from their clients, consultants will work as if part of your team from day one – simply off-premises. Consultants will keep in touch with you, and likewise are only a phone call away. This allows you to easily draw upon a group of professionals’ collective experiences and expertise. Additional external staff or contractors are not required for day-to-day work, meaning your intellectual property and private data remains secure and is handled by only those you trust.
The marketing agent is dead, long live the marketing consultant
The agency structure was born in an antiquated era, and has since had little adaption to the modern ways of business, leadership, or management. The consultancy model brings the best of agencies into the modern world, offering advantages such as generally flatter team structures. This allows each team member to become familiar with your business and its needs, and so, even if someone is not directly working on your project, they can make valuable contributions drawing upon industry insight. In the world This differs vastly from the world of agencies, where your marketing tasks may be handed-off to low-level agents or interns. Due to the loyalty consultants develop to both their clients and in-house team, there’s a much (much!) higher staff retention rate, so you can relax knowing your dedicated consultant will be committed to achieving your business’s objectives.
While consultants will generally monitor your marketing activities, provide insight into best practices, and undertake proposed activities, as a member of your team, you ultimately have control of where the consultant’s focus is placed. This allows for the consultant to develop a deep and holistic understanding of your business, its values and brand story, and your passion while developing a start-to-finish marketing plan. Conversely, marketing agents attend to only tasks immediately at hand. Consultants love crafting a bespoke brand strategy, as we get the opportunity to see it through to execution – and ensure it’s implemented properly! There’s no miscommunication between those developing your strategic plan and then those who implement it while running day-to-day operations. The consultancy structure cuts out inefficient time wastage and enables swiftly implement marketing proposals, allowing you and your business to rapidly react to market changes or the unpredictable world in which we live.
Marketing agency vs consultant – what’s in a word?
Unlike agencies, who often specialise in only one narrow field, the consultancy firm structure allows for the collective development of expertise across the entire marketing spectrum. This means we continually undertake both formal and self-directed professional development, to ensure our skill sets are always up to date. Part of this involves investigating new marketing opportunities and technologies, and then integrating them where appropriate to ensure your business maximises its marketing endeavours in a brand-appropriate way. Having enjoyed success across various marketing disciplines, consultants are able to adapt to shifts in your business’s strategy or capitalise on unexpected successes. Choosing to work with marketing consultants over marketing agents affords your business the highest degree of responsiveness to market conditions and events. You can trust consultants to keep your business’s finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving world of online marketing, and ahead of your competition.
At Purple Giraffe, we are proud to be marketing consultants. We’re likewise thrilled with the quality of services we are able to offer to clients. We genuinely care about the people and businesses we work with, and enjoy fulfilling relationships with them as we help achieve their goals. We have consultants each specialising in different components of the overall marketing mix, allowing you to access the skills you need on demand. Traditional marketing activities, digital advertising, social media management, public relations, event management, graphic design – the list goes on! Our goal is not to acquire as much work as possible. Our goal is to produce a high-quality service for clients we genuinely care about, because when you win, we win.
