In today’s digitally focused-world, digital marketing is pivotal to an organization’s success. But having the staff to move the needle in your digital marketing efforts can often present a challenge.

This is where a highly skilled digital marketing consultant can help.

But first, what is a digital marketing consultant? A digital marketing consultant is an expert who provides guidance to businesses on how to create and execute promotional and advertising campaigns for digital platforms.

Depending on your company’s needs, a digital marketing consultant could be a resource in a variety of ways from marketing strategy and branding to content planning, search engine optimization, and analytics.

Here are a few tips to consider as you begin your search for a digital marketing consultant:

CAREFULLY EVALUATE YOUR FIRM’S UNIQUE NEEDS AND OBJECTIVES

Before you launch your search for a digital marketing consultant, first determine how this person will best help you elevate your organization’s digital marketing efforts.

You might turn to a digital marketing consultant to develop and oversee big-picture digital marketing strategy, provide hands-on support with a specific aspect of a larger campaign, or fill a temporary skills gap on your team. Likewise, you might also need a digital marketing consultant to help improve upon your existing efforts – especially if you’re struggling to expand your reach or connect with new target audiences.

Below are just some of the things a digital marketing consultant might do for an organization:

• Identify digital marketing opportunities and craft highly tailored strategies to meet those goals (for example, grow site traffic, generate more leads, or increase conversion rates)
• Conduct brand research and analysis to assess how a firm’s digital presence and impact measures up against competitors
• Develop and maintain a content calendar for digital platforms, including company blog posts and social media channels
• Monitoring and reporting of digital campaign analytics
• Create and launch email marketing campaigns
• Manage SEO/SEM initiatives to increase organic and paid search traffic
• Set the strategy for the months ahead based on gathered data and analytics to position the organization in a favorable direction

LOOK FOR A DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT WITH RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE

There are many people out there today promoting themselves as digital marketing experts, but it is important to carefully review the background and expertise level of each digital marketing consultant candidate.

You’ll want to find a digital marketing consultant whose skills and experience match your industry and business needs. And you want to look for consultants who understand your target audience, are keenly aware of emerging industry trends, and have well-formed ideas on how to best promote products and increase brand awareness. The consultant’s ability to convey previous successes by quantifying their positive impact on ROI is also key.

Further, if you know you need help with a certain area of digital marketing, it’s helpful to seek consultants who are well-versed in that specialty. For example, if you know you need help developing content to increase organic search, you’ll want to look for metrics-minded digital marketing consultant candidates who have a strong SEO background.

REVIEW CANDIDATES' DIGITAL MARKETING PORTFOLIO

A great way to get a feel for the kind of work a digital marketing consultant can do is by reviewing their online portfolio. A portfolio should provide insight into the range of the person’s capabilities, the work they’re most proud of, and their most recent projects.  

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK A DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT

Once you have narrowed your search down to a few highly skilled digital marketing consultants, it’s time to get to know each candidate better and learn more about their experience and working style.

Here are a few examples of the interview questions you might want to ask each digital marketing consultant candidate:

• How do you measure your success?
• What digital marketing tools do you have experience working with and which are your favorite?
• How do you handle competing deadlines?
• How do you stay up-to-date with industry changes and trends in digital marketing?
• What is your experience building full-funnel strategies for clients?
• Tell us about a time a client was not happy with the outcome of a project. What steps did you take to resolve the issue?
• Describe a digital marketing campaign that you are proud of. What was your role in the project and what contributed to its success?

Adding additional interview questions that pertain to your industry and organization is also beneficial, as you’ll be able to determine which digital marketing consultant best understands your specific needs.

HOW SIMPLICITY CAN STREAMLINE YOUR SEARCH

If you’re in need of a digital marketing consultant but can’t find the right candidates or don’t have the time to dedicate to finding a great fit, partner with Simplicity and let us help you streamline your search. 

Our team is connected to a vast network of talented digital marketing consultants of all types who can help you move the needle for your business.

When you partner with us, we will work with you through every step of the process. First, we’ll meet to discuss your organization’s specific objectives and draft a project outline together. From there we’ll create a shortlist of digital marketing consultant candidates and you select those that you want to set up working sessions with, which our team will coordinate. And then we help you select the best candidate to meet your goals.

Once you select a digital marketing consultant, you’ll be paired with one of our dedicated success managers to ensure satisfaction from kickoff to the project’s completion. Connect with us today to position your organization for continued digital-focused growth.

A comprehensive and well-thought-out executive communications strategy is imperative for building and preserving a strong organizational reputation. Given its importance in inspiring confidence and trust among customers, clients, employees, business partners, investors, and the general public, executive communications should be a top-of-mind concern for companies today. 

But despite diligent planning, sometimes you just need additional outside help or guidance – and fast. Perhaps your firm’s most skilled and experienced executive communications expert suddenly goes out on leave. Or maybe a particularly complicated company crisis just hit and you don’t have all the skills necessary internally to quickly and effectively handle the array of issues that have surfaced.  

In these types of situations, it pays to tap a consultant specializing in this unique area of the marketing and communications world. Executive communications include any type of communication that come from members of your organization’s C-Suite or senior leadership team. 

An executive communications consultant can typically help with both internal and external messaging. Internal executive communications can include town hall meetings, quarterly updates, company-wide emails, and critical intranet announcements about significant organizational changes. External examples might include developing content or strategies for speaking engagements, social media posts, press releases, ghostwritten articles, shareholder meetings, media interviews, external webinars, and industry conference talks. 

In addition, many organizations proactively turn to executive communications consultants to provide general media training or to develop or enhance a crisis communications strategy.

If you’re looking to hire an executive communications consultant, here is advice to help you streamline your search:

CONSIDER YOUR UNIQUE EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION NEEDS

The first order of business is to think through your full scope of needs. The consultant you bring aboard will depend on your company’s specific needs, goals, and pain points. For instance:

• Do you need an executive communications consultant to quickly step in and handle high-priority needs around crisis communications and media inquiries? 
• Do you need someone to craft a holistic change management communications strategy that will be handled by other members of your internal team? 
• If your organization is preparing for a big acquisition or merger, do your executives need general media training leading up to the announcement and subsequent news coverage?
• If a single aspect of your executive communications strategy isn’t moving the needle, do you want an outside perspective from an expert who can share highly targeted guidance in that one area?

Once you have a full grasp on how your organization could best benefit from an executive communications consultant, it’s time to get the ball rolling on your search.

Need to hire an executive communications consultant?

LOOK FOR A CONSULTANT WITH STANDOUT EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS EXPERIENCE

When searching for potential candidates, it’s important to look for those who have specific experience with executive communications.

Communications consultants today can focus on a wide array of specialties. But executive communications is a particular niche, so you’ll want to make sure the consultants you consider have proven experience in this space.

Once you have found a pool of experienced executive communication consultant candidates, it’s time to start preparing for the interviews.

SMART EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

As you prepare to interview executive communications consultants, it’s beneficial to create a set list of questions to ask each person. The questions you pose should help you get a big-picture understanding of the candidate, their working style, experience, skills, and ability to work under pressure.

Some executive communication consultant interview questions to consider include:

• How comfortable are you working with executives and members of senior leadership teams in high-pressure situations?
• What is your experience providing general media training to new executives? 
• What steps do you take to ensure your communication guidance is in line with the company’s mission, vision, and values?
• What is your experience developing an executive communications strategy from the ground up?
• Can you tell us about your approach to crisis communications? What do you believe are the most important early steps?  
• What are some of the trickiest challenges you’ve encountered when it comes to executive communications? How have you worked around those hurdles?
• What is your process for developing executive messages, speeches, or presentations?

As you meet with candidates and make notes of how they answer your questions, it is important to also pay attention to the questions they ask of you. Are they asking thoughtful and engaged follow-up questions that show a sincere interest in your organization’s goals? This person will be directing communications on behalf of your company’s senior leadership, so it is of utmost importance that they themselves possess outstanding verbal skills and active listening abilities.

HOW SIMPLICITY CAN HELP YOU FIND THE RIGHT EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT

Simplicity has made a name for itself by matchmaking clients with highly skilled consultants specializing in the field of communications. And our team is tapped into a vast network of consultants with expertise in executive communications.

We take a multi-pronged approach to ensure you are taken care of through every step of the process. When you partner with Simplicity, we first work together to create a detailed project outline to better understand the experience and skills you need. From there we create a shortlist of executive communications candidates for you to choose from to set up a working session. We can then help you choose the best fit for your organization and leadership team.

But our partnership doesn’t stop there! Once you select an executive communications consultant, you’ll be paired with one of our dedicated client success managers to ensure satisfaction from the consulting engagement kickoff through the delivery of final products.

Looking to hire a UX design consultant? Join the club.

It's no surprise that UX designers are in strong demand. UX designers play an integral role in helping companies develop digital products and services that offer a positive and enjoyable user experience. In an interactive world that’s all about “engagement,” having a highly skilled UX design consultant on your team can be a key differentiator.

Here are tips on how to hire a UX design consultant:

WHAT DOES A UX DESIGN CONSULTANT DO?

Whether working on a website, app or other interactive product, UX design consultants focus on creating user experiences that are both intuitive and effective. To accomplish this, they bring together a combination of design principles, technology, psychology and market research.

A consultant works closely with clients to analyze and assess their current UX design, and then craft smart strategies to optimize UX efforts based on the organization’s specific goals. In short, UX design consultants help companies create digital products that look great, but also lead to increased engagement, greater customer satisfaction and higher sales.

Need UX design help?

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS TO LOOK FOR IN A UX DESIGN CONSULTANT

By understanding the objectives of their target audience, skilled UX design consultants understand how to connect people to technology through thoughtful, user-centric designs.

There are several key skills and attributes to look for in a prospective UX design consultant. First and foremost, a UX design consultant needs standout problem-solving prowess. They should be able to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement within an existing user experience. And they should have the creative vision to develop innovative solutions that enhance usability and engagement.

Elevated communication abilities are also essential for success in UX design consulting. A consultant should be able to communicate clearly with cross-functional teams comprised of both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Clearly communicating the “why” behind design decisions throughout the process is critical.

The ability to understand the business objectives of a project while also empathizing with target audiences is key. Ultimately, a UX design consultant should do two things: drive meaningful results that boost the bottom line while helping (and even delighting) users along the way.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK UX DESIGN CONSULTANTS

When hiring a UX design consultant, it’s important to ask the right questions during the interview process. Here are 12 questions to consider:

1. What techniques do you employ to ensure an intuitive user experience?
2. What adjectives would you use to describe the approach you take when designing a user interface?
3. Can you outline your process for creating wireframes, from ideation through delivery of the final product?
4. What steps do you take to validate your design choices?
5. Have you ever encountered a situation in which user feedback led to an unexpected outcome with your design strategy? If so, how did you adjust your approach?
6. Can you describe a time when you had to present your design to a group of stakeholders and how you handled any feedback or objections?
7. Have you ever been asked to compromise on a smart design decision in order to meet a client’s request? How did you navigate that discussion?
8. How do you prioritize tasks when dealing with multiple projects and tight deadlines?
9. Have you ever been part of a project where user research was not sufficiently considered in the design process? How did that impact your work?
10. How do you ensure the designs you create are accessible to all users?
11. Describe your UX design project that was most successful. How did it help the client?
12. What do you find most rewarding about working in UX design?

UX PORTFOLIO REVIEW TIPS

Pay attention to portfolios. Carefully review the work samples of each UX consultant to get an idea of their design style and process. You might even request additional samples of any UX documentation they have produced, including user personas, user stories and site maps.

As you assess the overall quality and style of the design, consider the following questions. Does the portfolio show range and attention to detail? Are the concepts unique? Do the design solutions make sense given the user’s context? Are accessibility guidelines followed? Does the design seem on-brand?

HOW WE CAN HELP YOU HIRE THE RIGHT UX DESIGN CONSULTANT

At Simplicity Consulting, we take the guesswork out of hiring consultants, saving your business both time and money. We pride ourselves on our ability to quickly match our clients with top-tier UX design consultants. Our network of UX experts is vast and ever-growing, ensuring that we have access to highly skilled, versatile user experience experts.

We take a comprehensive approach to ensure that every step of the process is seamless and stress-free for our clients. We will work closely with you to create a detailed project outline, taking the time to understand your unique UX needs and requirements. From there, we create a shortlist of consultant candidates, giving you the opportunity to choose the best person for your needs.

Once you've selected a UX design consultant, you'll be assigned a dedicated client success manager who will ensure that your experience is a success from kickoff to final product delivery.

From boosting brand awareness to increasing engagement with potential customers and clients, social media can play a critical role in your company’s marketing strategy.

But sometimes bringing in a full-time social media manager isn’t possible (because of a hiring freeze) or necessary (due to an in-house social media expert returning from leave in a few months). In situations such as these, hiring a skilled social media consultant might be just what you need.

In search of a social media consultant?

CONSIDER WHAT YOU NEED FROM A SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT

Social media consultants can offer strategic guidance to help clients improve, optimize, and grow their presence on various channels from LinkedIn to TikTok. They can also create content, develop timelines and calendars, and measure analytics to track wins.

Before you begin your search for a social media consultant, think through exactly what you will need from this person. Do you need someone to execute by creating and scheduling content? Or do you need someone to develop a high-level strategy to be carried out by freelancers or other members of your marketing team? Maybe you need a mix of both.

Setting clear parameters will be incredibly helpful in your search for a social media consultant and when the time comes to finalize your project.

LOOK FOR A SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT WITH SOLID EXPERIENCE

When hiring a social media consultant, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of people who call themselves “social media gurus.” But remember that being active on these platforms does not necessarily equate to being successful in driving business through social media. As such, when reviewing candidate resumes, websites and portfolios, look for those who can demonstrate how they’ve leveraged social channels to achieve bottom-line results.

A successful social media consultant should have strong experience driving growth and engagement across various channels. Social media performance can be measured by active user engagements, conversions, audience reach, and follower growth. This person should be well-versed in developing and launching social media campaigns, utilizing analytics tools to track and measure metrics, and driving lead-generation efforts. An expert in the space should, by default, know which approach to take to obtain the utmost engagement and interaction for each brand that they represent. 

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK A SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT CANDIDATE

When interviewing social media consultants, ask questions that will elicit greater insights into their experience and capabilities, but also try to get a feel for their working style to see if they are a suitable fit for your organization.

Here are examples of interview questions you might want to ask each social media consultant candidate:

1. How well do you understand our industry, market, and target audience?
2. Which social media channel or channels could we be using more effectively?
3. What tools have you used to measure the impact of your past social media campaigns?
4. Which metrics do you think are the most important to review when tracking social media performance?
5. Tell us about a time when a social media campaign did not perform as you hoped. What were your biggest takeaways from this experience?
6. How do you stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in social media?
7. How do you incorporate SEO thinking into your social media strategy?
8. How have you and/or would you deal with a brand crisis via social media?
9. What are some of the most common contributors to poor social media management?
10. Which industry influencers or brands do you follow most closely for social media management tips?

HOW A SPECIALIZED CONSULTING AGENCY CAN STREAMLINE YOUR SEARCH

If you’re hiring a social media consultant but can’t find the right candidates or don’t have the time to manage the search, partner with Simplicity. As a long-standing leader in the industry, we have access to a deep pool of social media consultants who can help you level up your social media game.

Our team will be right there with you through every step of the process. We’ll help you to identify your organization’s specific social media needs, develop a detailed project outline, create a shortlist of consultants based on your goals, coordinate working sessions with the experts you’re most interested in, and guide you through the selection process.

Once you select a social media consultant, you’ll work with one of our dedicated client success managers to ensure smooth sailing from kickoff to completion.

Marketing leaders are busier than ever. Countless questions to answer, meetings to lead, budgets to get approved, employees to manage, and the list goes on. It can seem like the only way they can schedule any real thinking time or strategy development is to hold out hope for more hours in the day or clone themselves so they can be two places at once.

If the above describes you or the marketing leaders on your team, it’s likely time to hire a project management consultant to help:

• Move your most pressing business objectives forward
• Give your brightest marketing minds more time to strategize and ideate
• Push creative boundaries, while keeping all projects on track

While marketing project management consultants can be brought aboard to help with a variety of responsibilities, a primary objective will be to deliver projects on time, within budget, and on brand.   

CONSIDER HOW A PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT CAN BEST HELP YOUR BUSINESS

The first thing to do before you begin your search is to carefully consider how a project management consultant can best support your team and move your marketing initiatives forward.

Do you need a project management consultant to oversee the launch of a new product from start to finish? Or just manage a series of product kick-off events?

In search of a project management consultant?

Here are examples of the things a successful marketing project management consultant might do:

• Establish, maintain, and assign roles and responsibilities
• Develop project communication plans
• Create and oversee budgets and KPIs
• Help direct key stakeholders
• Strategize and implement successful integration of all marketing components of a project
• Measure marketing project risk analysis and come up with strategies to reduce risk
• Respond to project hiccups and roadblocks and strategize solutions
• Advise and train marketing teams on project management best practices

Once you know what you will be asking of a project management consultant, think about the various project management methodologies utilized. Once you reach the interview stage you can talk more in-depth with each project management consultant candidate to better understand what approach they prefer and if that methodology would suit your organizational needs.

Below are some of the more popular project management approaches used by marketing experts:

Waterfall: This style of project management is often ideal for longer, linear projects that benefit from a step-by-step approach. Waterfall project management divides the project into specific phases. Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined from the beginning, and typically do not change. Here, team members rely on the completion of one task before they begin the next.

Agile: This style of project management embraces a more flexible approach. It is an iterative style where there might be several versions or releases – which allows for adjustments as needed along the way. This style is ideal for projects that require frequent modifications and updates based on key stakeholder, customer or client feedback. If you anticipate your project might require several changes through its life cycle, Agile might be a good approach.

Scrum: Originating from Agile, this style is great for highly collaborative small teams. Typically, when utilizing this style, a “Scrum Master” would lead daily team check-ins to discuss the status of a project, run through updates, and remove any obstacles that could interrupt productivity. Working in short cycles called “sprints,” this style relies heavily on teamwork, collaboration, and transparency.   

Strategic: This style is all about the big picture. Strategic project management requires one to understand and manage the broader business facets of a project to ensure that they align and support the comprehensive organizational strategy. This approach requires a high level of strategic thinking as well as the ability to anticipate problems and solve issues resourcefully.

LOOK FOR A PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT WITH STANDOUT EXPERIENCE

When searching for a marketing project management consultant you will want to look for those who have a depth of experience and a proven track record of successfully planning, managing, and executing projects related to marketing campaigns.

This person should have experience conducting market and demand analysis, dealing with budgets and timelines, overseeing a content or promotional calendar, and managing a team of marketing and creative professionals.

In-demand project managers demonstrate stellar interpersonal communication skills, a high level of time-management know-how, strong leadership skills, and, of course, relevant subject matter expertise.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK A PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT CANDIDATE

When interviewing potential candidates, ask questions that allow them an opportunity to share the breadth of their capabilities. These questions should also help you get a better feel for how they might fit into your organization.

Below are some examples of the types of interview questions you might ask each project management consultant candidate:

1. What project management methodology do you prefer? What is the advantage of that style and how might it benefit our marketing objectives?
2. What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve found managing major marketing projects?
3. How do you deal with handling multiple projects at the same time?
4. How do you measure a project’s success and ROI?
5. Talk about a marketing project you managed that did not go as planned. What were the biggest lessons learned?
6. In your opinion, what makes a successful project kickoff meeting?
7. How have you dealt with project curveballs in the past?

HOW SIMPLICITY CAN HELP YOU HIRE A PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

If you’re ready to hire a project management consultant but don’t have the time to give the search all the attention you think it deserves, consider partnering with a specialized consulting agency like Simplicity.

We are matchmaking experts who specialize in connecting clients with experts in the Project and Program Management, Marketing, and Communication spaces. As a leader in the industry, we have access to a deep pool of project management consultants who know how to move your most pressing marketing projects forward.

Simplicity uses a high-touch approach to working with our clients in every step of their search – from strategizing project needs, creating a shortlist of candidates, arranging practice working sessions, through selecting the perfect consultant for your needs. And when you hire a consultant through Simplicity, you’ll work with one of our dedicated client success managers to ensure satisfaction from the consulting engagement kickoff through the delivery of the final products.

There is no shortage of reasons why you may be looking into hiring a marketing consultant. Whether your organization is experiencing a hiring freeze, a specialized skills gap in your department or organization, a sudden departure of a top performer, or maybe your company just needs a fresh perspective on your marketing efforts from an expert – working with a marketing consultant can help ensure your business goals remain on track.

Depending on your needs, marketing consulting services can connect you with a generalist who can help you with big-picture marketing strategy or a consultant who can hone in on more specialized areas of focus, such as content strategy, executive communications, paid advertising, email marketing, social media, or branding.

If you’re considering bringing on a marketing consultant, here are six tips to consider:

DETERMINE WHAT YOU NEED FROM A MARKETING CONSULTANT

Marketing consulting services can offer help in an array of focus areas. Saying you need a marketing consultant is similar to saying you need to go to the doctor. Do you need a general check-up and some actionable advice? Or do you need a highly specific marketing issue addressed? In this case, think of what marketing pain points you need assistance with. Is it your overall marketing strategy or a highly focused need around your content marketing plan, for example. Once you know what you need, consider your desired timeframe and end goal.

Establishing clear parameters can help in your search for a marketing consultant as well as when finalizing the project.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OF YOUR MARKETING CONSULTANT

Expanding upon the points above, it’s important to outline the expectations you have in mind for the marketing consultant to ensure they can deliver what you need. Is there a key performance indicator you will be relying on them to help you meet? For example, if they’re coming in to develop your social media strategy, are you looking at streamlining your brand messaging across multiple platforms? Or are you trying to target a new audience on a specific platform to help expand your overall reach?

You will likely want to talk through these expectations and goals with marketing consultant candidates to make sure that you are aligned in your goals and on the same page before moving forward.

LOOK FOR EXPERIENCE BACKED WITH A STRONG REPUTATION

Once you start your search, you might find that you are feeling overwhelmed with potential options. But experience and reputation in the industry should take precedence when narrowing down your pool of candidates. Your marketing consultant should understand your specific niche within the industry and ideally have experience implementing successful marketing strategies for brands like yours.

Once you’ve identified your top marketing consultant picks, it’s time to start reaching out so you can learn more about their full range of service offerings.

In search of marketing consulting services?

ASK FOR CASE STUDIES FROM THE MARKETING CONSULTANT

Beyond providing insights into their process, potential marketing consultant candidates should be able to provide real-world examples of how they were able to successfully implement a strategy that led to meaningful bottom-line results.

If you’re looking for a consultant with expertise in brand management, for example, you should ask them to share past strategies that contributed to building awareness around a specific brand or protecting the overall health of a client’s brand. These case studies should line up with your needs and expectations.

And make sure to ask for multiple references that you can follow up with to learn more about the strengths of a marketing consultant candidate.

REVIEW THE MARKETING CONSULTANT CANDIDATE’S PORTFOLIO

In addition to talking to your candidates and their referrals, closely review their actual work and get a feel for the depth and breadth of their capabilities. Depending on their expertise, not all marketing consultant candidates will have a designated portfolio, but it’s important to ask for examples of their work whether that be writing samples, social-media and/or email marketing campaign launches, or a branding strategy kick-off presentation, just to name a few.

If you see work that impresses you, ask questions about the context behind it and most importantly, how it helped the client move business forward.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE QUESTIONS ASKED OF YOU

While we’ve unpacked a lot of information to help you navigate your search for a marketing consultant, it’s also wise to note what questions each potential consultant asks you.

These questions can provide a lot of insight into the dedication and interest the consultant has in both your business and your organization's objectives. Some things to consider might be, did the marketing consultant candidate ask insightful follow-up questions that indicate they did their research on your company and actively listened to both the needs and primary marketing pain points you addressed?

For a marketing consultant to achieve success, they must dedicate time to learn everything they can about their clients, their short and long-term goals, and their core objectives. The relationship is a two-way investment, your investment in their work and their investment in your success, so it is critical to look for a marketing consultant that can demonstrate a commitment to your specific needs early on.

HOW SIMPLICITY CAN HELP

Simplicity has years of experience matching clients with experts who have a proven track record in the Digital Marketing, Project and Program Management, and Communications spaces.

We have access to a wide pool of strategic consultants who thrive on driving impact through project-based work. These experts are available to tackle your most complex marketing challenges and pressing projects.

When you partner with Simplicity, we will first work with you to identify your organization’s needs and then help you outline the project so that we can determine the skillset and experience you need to meet your goals. From there we will make a shortlist of consultants that will best suit your needs based on your project and budget. Next, you pick your top consultant candidates, and we will set up a working session where you can get a feel for their thought process, strategic approach, and working style. Finally, we work with you to select the right fit for your organization.

We like to say matchmaking is our superpower, but we don’t stop there. Once you select a candidate, our team ensures you get to remain the client; you don’t also have to be a coach. As a leader, your managerial plate is likely full. We manage our consultants to ensure that your business needs are being met. You’ll work with one of our dedicated client success managers to ensure satisfaction from the consulting engagement kickoff through the delivery of the final products.

You might have the best service or product in the industry and an equally stellar brand image – but if you don’t know how to tell your story and communicate with your audience – how is anyone supposed to know what makes you special? 

With that said, a clear and engaging communication strategy should not be exclusive to reaching your external audience – it’s also is important to prioritize internal communications. Doing so helps create and improve the connection between your employees and your organization’s vision and values. 

How your company communicates with its audience on the outside and its employees on the inside is foundational to your organization’s overall success. As such, hiring a communications consultant might be just what you need to help take your business to the next level. 

There are a variety of reasons you might look to a consultant for your communication needs instead of a full-time employee; your organization could be in the midst of a hiring freeze, your communication’s wizard might be on leave during a critical stretch, or perhaps your company is just getting started and you need help getting a communications strategy in order. 

If you’re looking to hire a communications consultant, here are some tips to consider as you begin your search. 

DETERMINE WHAT YOU NEED FROM A COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT 

Before you officially start your search for a communications consultant it’s helpful to first evaluate your specific communications needs and goals. Do you need help with external or internal communications – or both? 

Below are examples of some areas in which a communications consultant can help:

Big-picture communications strategy: This could include a mix of internal and external communications, and involve building a program from the ground up or overhauling an existing one. A consultant’s first step might be to perform a holistic big-picture audit of your organization’s approach to communications, identification of core communication needs, and to then develop a tailored strategy to meet your specific goals.

Executive thought leadership: A communications consultant can help you develop a strategic thought leadership program (or even ghostwrite certain pieces of content) to help you build and grow the reputations of key leaders, which will in turn boosts awareness and credibility around your organization and brand.

Content marketing strategy: This might include developing an editorial and promotion calendar for blog posts and articles or creating a strategy for email marketing campaigns and social media content. A communications consultant could be hired to develop a plan to be carried out by others or to help produce the actual marketing content material. 

Public relations: Building relationships with media, industry publications and influencers in your field can take a lot of time and effort. And developing a message that will resonate with journalists and assignment editors as a worthy pitch – requires thoughtful curation. Oftentimes a communications consultant with experience in this field will already have established relationships with these sources and will know what to pitch to whom and how.

Crisis communications. Some communication consultants focus on PR crisis management. They can provide messaging guidance on how and when to share information with the public while protecting your organization’s reputation and best interests. 

Internal communications: This could include general HR communications informing employees of key company updates, new hire announcements, and health and safety information. Or it might be higher-level executive messaging like CEO town hall presentations and quarterly KPI overviews. If your organization is experiencing a big transformation, a communications consultant could help with change management communications. Examples could include mergers, acquisitions, layoffs/hiring freezes, or changes in leadership.

Whether your needs are larger in scale or more specialized, a communications consultant can be hired to do high-level strategy or execution work such as writing white papers and speeches or creating PowerPoint pitch presentations and crafting press releases, and in some cases, a mix of both.  

LOOK FOR A CONSULTANT WITH EXPERIENCE AND A STRONG REPUTATION

There are plenty of people out there today marketing themselves as communication experts, but not all communication consultants are created equally. 

Seek out those who have experience specific to your needs. For example, if you need help with media relations, make sure that your communications consultant candidate has experience with media and public relations specifically. In addition to experience writing press releases, they should be able to demonstrate how the ideas they pitched led to positive media coverage, whether it be published articles, on-air spots, or interviews. 

Once you have identified a pool of communication consultant candidates that match your needs, it’s time to start conducting interviews. 

In search of a communications consultant?

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK CANDIDATES

Before you start the interview process, pull together a list of questions to ask all your potential candidates to better understand what value they could bring to your organization. 

These questions should be tailored to your organization and your specific communication needs. They could include general queries as well as opportunities for candidates to talk about the value their work has provided to past clients and employers.

Some communication consultant interview questions to consider include:

• How would you help our company establish an impactful communications strategy that aligns with our overall business goals?
• If we bring you on board as a communications consultant, what would be the first step in your process?
• What is the most critical skill or trait for a communications consultant to possess?
• How would you describe your personal communications style?
• How do you tailor communications for target audiences?
• Aside from metrics identified by a client company, how do you measure your own success at the completion of a consulting project?
• What do you think is the most important goal of an internal communications strategy?
• Describe a situation in which you successfully coordinated a complex communications project. What made it a success?
• Have you ever had to deal with a challenging PR problem or crisis management? How did you handle the situation?

While the questions you ask of your communications consultant candidate are important, just as telling are the questions they ask of you. What they ask you can shed light on the level of dedication and interest the candidate has in your organization and your communication objectives. Above all, you want the communications consultant you hire to be an expert communicator and the interview process is your first chance to get some meaningful insights.

REVIEW PORTFOLIOS AND CASE STUDIES CAREFULLY

Next, it’s time to see what kind of work your communications consultant candidate has produced. This could include previous communication strategy kick-off presentations, press releases, editorial calendar plans, blog posts and newsletters, internal communication reports, and executive presentations just to name a few. If you see examples that pique your interest, ask the candidate questions about their process and the success of those projects.

While it’s helpful to see a range of work from the communication consultant candidate to better understand their range, pay close attention to examples that align with your particular needs.

Lastly, ask for several professional references you can contact so you can learn more about the working style and strengths of your communications consultant candidate.

HOW SIMPLICITY CAN HELP YOU HIRE A COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT

Simplicity has a long history of matchmaking clients with experts in Communications, Digital Marketing, and Program and Project Management. We have access to a wide array of communication gurus with varied specialties to help you with your most pressing communication needs.

Simplicity uses a high-touch and multipronged approach to ensure you find the right communications consultant for your team. 

1. We work together to help identify your organization’s specific communication needs
2. We develop a project outline to make sure we find you a communications consultant with the skillset and experience needed to meet your objectives 
3. We develop a shortlist of consultants that best suit your needs based on your project outline and budget 
4. You pick your top communication consultant candidates and we then set up a working session to allow you to get a better feel for their strategic approach and working style 
5. We work with you to select the person who is the best fit for your organization 

And it doesn’t stop there. Once you have chosen your communications consultant, we take over the heavy lifting of managing the consultant to ensure your business needs are being met. You’ll work with one of our dedicated client success managers to ensure satisfaction from the consulting engagement kickoff through the delivery of the final products.

Does your organization need branding help? Working with a brand consultant to help you understand what moves the needle with your target audience could be just what you need to take your business to the next level. A brand consultant is an expert in brand development and management that works with companies to cultivate, fine-tune, and grow their brand.

Looking for a brand consultant?

Whether you need a branding guru who can provide big-picture strategy insights or someone with a specialized area of focus, working with a brand consultant agency like Simplicity can help you streamline your search.

DETERMINE WHAT YOU NEED FROM A BRAND CONSULTANT

Before you begin your search, think through your unique needs. Do you need a complete branding overhaul? This might involve deep branding research, positioning development, and understanding the full customer journey. Or do you need insights into a specific area like branding creative and design where you primarily need to establish better visual cohesion across various platforms?

A brand consultant can help your organization with a variety of key ways, including researching industry trends, conducting brand health audits, strategizing brand architecture, developing and launching marketing campaigns, and optimizing external and internal communication channels to improve brand awareness and reach.

Once you have a full grasp of what you need from a brand consultant, think through your timeline and end goals. Do you need short-term help with the launch of a new product? Or are your needs more long-term regarding preserving brand health and integrity?

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A BRAND CONSULTANT

Brand consultants should be experts in their field, and while they may have a specific niche, they should be experienced in brand research, brand strategy, brand design, and brand management.

As you search for brand consultant candidates, here are some skills and attributes to look for:

• Strong research and analytical skills used to identify and predict trends and challenges
• Proven ability to extract meaningful information from consumer insight research 
• Well-versed in leveraging a range of platforms and channels to build brand awareness
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to think creatively and strategically
• Keen attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively

Once you’ve identified candidates for a brand consultant role, it’s time to set up an interview to learn more about their specific service offerings. Following are some questions to consider asking brand consultant candidates:

• When you begin a brand research project, how do you decide what insights and metrics to target?
• What is the biggest mistake a company can make when it comes to brand development and management?
• What do you think our organization could gain from your skills and experience?
• What are the most important steps an organization can take in preserving its brand health and integrity?
• How have you helped a brand improve its reputation after a failed marketing campaign or lackluster product launch?
• What are some of your favorite marketing campaigns and how did they improve brand awareness for the organization?

Just as important as how the candidate answers your questions will be what questions they ask of you. These queries should demonstrate a vested interest in your organization, your existing brand, and the success of the goals you’ve communicated to them.

HOW SIMPLICITY CAN HELP YOU FIND THE RIGHT BRAND CONSULTANT

Simplicity is a matchmaking expert, connecting clients with professionals in the Digital Marketing, Project and Program Management, and Communications spaces. We have access to a vast network of brand consultants with a proven track record of success.

We pride ourselves on working with our clients through every step of their journey. We will work with you to create a project outline to fully understand the level of skill and experience you need, compile a shortlist of brand consultants for you to choose from, and then set up working sessions between you and your chosen candidates to help you find the best fit possible. Once you’ve selected a brand consultant, you’ll work with one of our dedicated client success managers to ensure satisfaction from the consulting engagement kickoff through the delivery of the final products.