How a Chicago Marketing Strategy Consultant Helps SMBs

Is your enterprise ready to scale? Would you like to know how to manage your company more effectively? You need a Chicago marketing strategy consultant to help you plan and execute your growth.

This article discusses the different ways consultants support small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs):

• Budget management and prioritization
• Specialized expertise and in-depth industry knowledge
• Comprehensive market research and analysis
• Custom and data-driven marketing strategies
• Optimization of existing digital marketing processes or systems

Read the article below to learn more about marketing strategy consultant benefits. Let’s go!

Watch this video to find out more about how Digital Authority Partners can create a great marketing strategy for you!

1. Budget Management and Prioritization

In 2023, ad spending could grow by 6% compared to last year. That is equivalent to over $509 billion. And some of the biggest recipients are online marketing strategies.

In particular, companies plan to spend more on data, a segment that can increase by 7% year over year.

These numbers often put small businesses at a disadvantage. Usually, cash flow and reserves are limited. In some cases, you have no option but to bootstrap.

The good news is that you have resources, however scarce they seem to be. And with a marketing strategy consultant’s help, you can learn to maximize them.

Your consultant can:

• Help set specific, actionable, and measurable goals.
• Develop a thorough but realistic marketing plan outlining the marketing mix, messaging, channels, and tactics to achieve your goals while considering the available resources.
• Analyze the current returns of different online marketing channels and strategies.
• Identify cost-effective techniques.
• Prioritize marketing activities based on the impact and effort required.
• Keep track of marketing performance and make recommendations.
• Determine technologies, such as automation, that can increase efficiency without breaking the bank.

2. Specialized Expertise and In-Depth Industry Knowledge

The world of marketing is vast. It includes SEO, PPC, and email automation. It also involves digital advertising, content marketing, public relations, and more.

It is impossible for one person to be an expert in every area. In fact, many SMBs do not have an in-house digital marketing department.

That is why a Chicago marketing strategy consultant is right for your business if you are in this area. They often have:

• Industry experience and expertise
• A thorough understanding of the marketing landscape
• Knowledge about best practices for your industry
• A pulse on emerging trends
• Understanding of regulations that can impact advertising campaigns (e.g., HIPAA law)
• The ability to help you define the company’s mission and goals
• Creative problem-solving skills for complex challenges
• Access to a network of industry professionals for additional resources

All these skills and knowledge give them a better sense of what strategies work. They can then develop a customized plan for your company’s objectives and budget.

3. Comprehensive Market Research and Analysis

Analyzing customer data and market trends is key to any successful marketing strategy. It helps you understand:

• What sets your business apart from the competition
• How customers perceive your products and services
• How to uncover previously unknown opportunities that you can further explore.

In the process, you can:

• Develop an understanding of the customer journey and pain points.
• Identify target audiences and create profiles to determine their preferences.
• Analyze customers’ buying behaviors.
• Monitor competitors’ marketing strategies to gain insights into what works best in the industry.
• Establish effective messaging that resonates with different consumer segments.

A Chicago marketing strategy consultant helps you perform deep customer research differently. They can:

• Conduct surveys and focus groups to gauge customer sentiment.
• Analyze website visitor data.
• Monitor social media conversations.
• Test marketing efforts through split tests.

4. Custom and Data-Driven Marketing Strategies

While you can find logic in executing the same online marketing tactics your competitors use, going with the flow is not always the best way to grow your business.

Each business is unique, and your challenges and needs differ even from those of your closest rival. For example, if you are a fledgling coffee shop in Chicago, you are less likely to have the same ad budget as Starbucks.

Further, just because some online marketing strategies worked for others does not mean they will work for your company. Blindly following your competitors’ lead can only mean retaining ineffective campaigns.

A Chicago marketing strategy consultant develops data-driven marketing strategies to avoid these mistakes. To be more specific, they can:

• Conduct a comprehensive assessment to identify strengths, weaknesses, and potential opportunities.
• Recommend the most effective and cost-efficient marketing tactics.
• Develop a content strategy to engage customers through different channels.
• Harness omnichannel marketing to build customer relationships and create a seamless user experience.
• Set up customer loyalty programs and campaigns.
• Establish the ideal key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure marketing success.

5. Optimization of Existing Digital Marketing Processes or Systems

Many businesses fail, but not because they lack funds or hard-working people. They fail because they are stuck with a disorganized, ineffective, and inefficient marketing process or system.

Consider these scenarios:

• You have the technology to run paid search campaigns. However, your team does not know how to maximize its potential or interpret the data correctly.
• You have a customer relationship management (CRM) platform with sufficient data. But you do not update it regularly, limiting its effectiveness and utility.
• The tools you are using are outdated.
• The content meets all search engine guidelines and recommendations but does not convert.

Chicago marketing strategy consultants can help you create better organizational processes through:

• Auditing existing systems
• Optimizing content and keyword strategies
• Integrating the right technology to optimize workflows
• Providing training for employees on how to use existing systems more effectively
• Developing a robust data-driven system that continuously improves your marketing efforts

Summing Up

Hiring a Chicago marketing strategy consultant is advantageous, especially for SMBs in Chicago. They bring fresh perspectives and insights into marketing that you cannot acquire anywhere else. With their help, you can build a comprehensive digital marketing strategy tailored to your needs and goals. They are also instrumental in optimizing existing processes or systems.

Digital Authority Partners (DAP) is a full-service digital agency providing comprehensive marketing solutions. Contact us to learn more about our consulting services.