There’s a number of reasons a company of any size would need a marketing consultant for additional expertise.
Whether you are looking to create and execute your first marketing plan, rebrand your company, assess your current marketing activities or launch a new product, having an expert on hand who has done it before can save painful lessons learned and often speed things up. Bringing in an marketing consultant can be a great way to quickly address the need and keep the focus on results without committing to long term overhead costs. At Cerius, we have seen the strategic use of an Interim Marketing Consultant include:
Brand Strategies
Company Positioning and Messaging
Target Market Assessment and Sizing
Marketing Communications Programs
Demand Generation Programs
Lead Generation and Management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Marketing Automation Platform Planning and Implementation
Online Strategies
Channel Marketing
Product Portfolio Assessment and Repositioning
Competitive Analysis
Pricing Strategy
As we mentioned, the situations for bringing in marketing consultant can be limitless. Here’s a few of the most common ones we see from clients at Cerius, how they were addressed and the types of results the client experienced:
Family owned construction products manufacturer
Part-time Chief Marketing Officer: 1-2 days/week, 12 months
Situation
Declining sales
Sales force not trained to get new customers
Only traditional business development techniques
No marketing being done, no sales collateral, no understanding of how to use digital marketing or social media
Implementation
Developed new website
Led planning sessions to expand opportunities & identify targeted marketing programs
Created large set of technical marketing collateral to support dealers and contractors
Developed YouTube videos – first in market earning them credibility
Developed large online contact list
Started consistent marketing program
Packaged services for more effective selling such as local delivery service
Taught team how to measure and interpret marketing metrics from various tools
Results
Increased sales
More than doubled website traffic in first year
Grew self-opt-in email contacts 4x in first year
Achieved over 75k views on YouTube
Generated 14 digital newsletters with average open rate of 29%
Automotive Aftermarket Manufacturer
Marketing Consultant: 2 Month Part-time Project
Situation
Online marketing was under-performing
More of a marketing engine was needed to drive more revenue from fewer products
Marketing programs inconsistent from year to year
High dependency on low-cost guerilla marketing tactics
Shortage of resources in company to manage marketing programs
Implementation
Developed a measurable online marketing program the company owners can respect and trust
Built a scalable, tightly controlled marketing program that directly drives revenue
Led a pilot project for a short period of time optimizing performance and measuring results
Documented the best practices so the marketing department can generate improved results for subsequent campaigns
Results
Improved website design, generating 7% increase in revenue
Product sales attributed directly to individual ads in pilot project
Mathematical model to measure marketing program returns
Techniques and results can be repeated internally
Technology, web filtering company serving B2B and the government
Sales Management & Marketing Consultant: 5 month part-time project
Situation
Sales were slowing
Slow-down in government purchases
Company did not have a marketing plan (SWOT and Goals, Objectives, Strategies& Tactics).
Company concerned that the sales comp & incentive plan wasn’t right
Management team operating in silos
Senior management felt middle level managers were too new and untrained. No synergy between departments.
Implementation
Reviewed sales compensation plan and recommended changes
Created a marketing plan and weekly market execution meetings
Developed a custom management training program; weekly team problem solving program
Cross trained managers so they understood various department roles
Created a common language allowing various departments to communicate better with each other
Results
Increased sales by 7% over forecast
Middle management team worked more closely together to solve problems
Marketing, finance, engineering and sales now connected through a common language and approach
Streamlined sales comp plan
Developed a marketing plan which led to predictable lead generation, on time product development and introduction.
Technology Company
Marketing Consulting Project
Situation
New President brought in to continue rapid growth
Company name change with rebranding and product line re-launch needed
Key Challenges/Issues
Limited amount of time to accomplish new marketing programs and execution
Need additional marketing expertise beyond current staff
Needed someone capable of being customer facing
Implementation
Rebranding and design of all marketing collateral
Full marketing, lead generation & customer support assessment
Marketing personnel job descriptions, long term candidate screening and training
Analysis of new market segment and launch plan
Complete product redesign
Lead ranking & tracking system, customer education program and sales campaign methodology
Results
Accelerated the quality and quantity of marketing programs by at least two years
Reduced rebranding & graphic identify costs by one-third
Converted marketing distribution program, reducing costs by more than 50%
Developed lead referral program that increased # of leads by 500 % over prior year
Though no two companies and situations are the same, we find there are often common themes within organizations and at Cerius, we know how to find the right expertise to address the need and provide results. If you have more questions about interim executives and management consultants click here some of the most commonly asked questions and answers.
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