How to Find the Right Marketing Consultant in Mission
I’ve had more than one client come to me after a bad experience with someone else, and almost every time, the story starts the same way: “I hired someone and it just wasn’t a good fit.”
Totally fair. Hiring a marketing consultant isn’t like hiring a plumber. When a plumber leaves, you generally have a clear drain, or you don’t. With marketing, it can be hard to tell right away.
Some people don’t know until months later that they’re working with someone who isn’t the right fit.
So if you’re currently looking for a marketing consultant in Mission or the Fraser Valley, here’s how to actually think it through, starting with figuring out what you need, then knowing what to ask once you’ve found a few options.
Figure Out What Kind of Marketing Help You Actually Need First
Before you even start Googling, know what you need.
Are you looking for someone to take the reins on your marketing entirely? Or someone to help guide you through the next step? Do you have one specific project you need help with, and are looking for a one-time investment?
So many people come to me and say they need help with “social media advertising.” But that could mean either social media management or paid advertising. Most of the time, they mean someone to create organic posts for them on social media platforms. Very different from paid advertising.
You can see how things can get confusing and you want to be clear in what you’re searching for.
A few options for you:
- Fractional CMO: this is someone who acts as a marketing director in your business, helping you create strategy and plans on an ongoing basis, directing you to service providers who will help you implement the work.
- Strategist: same thing, but usually one-off or for a short period of time. They may help you create your entire marketing strategy, but won’t implement it.
- Consultant: While consultants can also just provide strategic support, they do generally have one or a few areas that they specialize in, and are usually the ones that will do the heavy lifting for you. Think: website build, SEO work, paid ads.
And then these people come in different packages. They could be freelancers or be part of an agency.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to finding a partner to work with. It genuinely depends on your situation and what your goals are.
Some business owners just need the one thing.
Others need direction.
And then there are those who think they need something but then find out they need something else entirely.
Ask How You’ll Actually Know If the Marketing Strategy Is Working
Ask specifically what they’ll show you, and how often. Not “we’ll send updates.”
What does that look like?
Is it a monthly report with charts and diagrams? Is it a spreadsheet? Is it an email conversation or a monthly Zoom meeting presenting numbers?
Then, ask for it in writing.
I say this because I’ve had many clients in the past come from working with different service providers and not knowing if the work they were doing was actually working.
You should always know.
Why It Helps When Someone Can See the Whole Picture, Even If You Only Need One Thing
When I work with a new Google Ads client, I first do an audit of their website.
I need to see the whole picture.
For example, if your website isn’t built to convert the traffic those ads would send, or your messaging is off, or your audience is actually not searching for your service and they’d be better served on Meta, then simply running Google Ads does nothing for you.
A single-channel consultant doesn’t always see the bigger picture, because it’s outside what they do.
But I’ve worked with clients who have hired consultants to do the one thing they hired them to do. And it didn’t work out for them, because (and no fault of their own) that consultant didn’t have access to the other pieces of the business.
Marketing isn’t just about putting out an advertisement. It’s about the funnel, start to finish. Where does the target audience originate? Where do they spend their time? What are they looking for? What happens when they reach out? Where do they go from there? Who’s nurturing them once they come through the proverbial door? What’s the follow-up protocol? How do we retain them?
These are just some of the questions I ask.
When I sit down with a new client, I’m not deciding which of my services to sell them. I’m figuring out, based on their brand, their audience, and where their actual buyers spend time, which channel or combination of channels is going to move the needle. Sometimes that answer really is “just fix your website.” Sometimes it’s ads. Sometimes it’s the email list that’s been sitting untouched or the automations that haven’t been set up.
The value is in looking at the strategy as a whole.
Ask for Real Examples, Not Just Testimonials
Testimonials are nice. Numbers and visuals are better!
Ask for a specific example, ideally one close to your industry or situation, and ask what actually happened.
I’ll use my own as an example: a client of mine went from zero sales to $80K in her first year running Meta and Google together.
Another, a construction company, reached a $10 million pipeline in two months on Meta, after years of being told Google was their only real option.
These are real numbers, and they can tell (part of) a story. I can explain exactly how we got there.
So, How Do You Find the Right Marketing Consultant in Mission?
Finding the right marketing consultant in Mission starts with being honest about what you actually need.
From there, a few direct questions will tell you almost everything: how they measure results, whether they can see beyond their own specialty, and what happens if your needs grow.
If you’d rather just skip the guessing and ask me all of this directly, my Meet & Greet is a low-pressure way to find out if it’s actually a fit.
Key Takeaways
- Figure out whether you genuinely need one specific service or a broader look at your marketing as a whole
- Ask for specific, measurable proof of results, not vague reporting promises
- A consultant who works across web design, SEO, ads, email, and social can identify which channel actually matters most for your brand, instead of just selling their one specialty
- Ask how they’ve worked with businesses like yours specifically, with real numbers
- Ask what happens if your needs expand beyond what you’re hiring for right now
