What should I expect to pay a marketing consultant for?

A consultation is not the same as a monthly marketing package

A focused session can review a particular problem and give the owner a course of action. A strategy project may include research, channel planning, budget work and a written plan. Ongoing management adds production and execution.

Complexity changes the fee

A startup deciding how to launch has a different problem from an established company reviewing several campaigns, websites and locations.

Bring revenue goals, current marketing activity, customer information and any useful analytics so the time can be spent on decisions rather than basic fact finding.

Ask what you will receive

The deliverable may be a call, audit, written plan, channel recommendation, campaign brief or implementation scope. It should be stated before the work starts.

Advice should reduce wasted activity

A useful consultant may recommend doing less: stop a weak channel, fix the website before buying traffic or measure existing leads before adding another campaign.